Connect With Parents!

Key Messages for Parents

Water is the best drink to keep kids hydrated.
Water is the best choice for kids when they are being active and playing sports.
Serve water at every snack and meal. Make sure that water is available all day for your child.

Parent Communication Options

It is important to engage parents on a regular basis in a variety of ways. Here are some ways that you can engage parents at afterschool:

Have a conversation with parents at pick up
Create a bulletin board with the key messages from each Food & Fun unit
Involve parents in daily physical activities and snack time
Hold regularly scheduled events each month
Offer parents fun water! Put a pitcher of water and cups by the sign-out book. Add sliced oranges, cucumbers, lemons or a splash of 100% juice. Be creative! Try different "fun water" every day for a week. Ask parents and kids which ones they like best. Encourage parents to serve fun water at home, and to try new flavors!

Refer to the Parent Communications document, Newsletter Article, and Parent Handout to reinforce the messages in this unit of Food & Fun. All three are available in Spanish and English, and the Handout is available in Chinese.

Parent Communications: Ideas for parent engagement, as well as a newsletter, "Hydrated Kids are Healthy Kids" and email message, "Healthy Habits Power Tips: Stay Cool" to distribute to parents.
Newsletter Article: The formatted version of the parent Newsletter
Parent Handout: "Quenchers!". Send this handout home in a mailing, insert it into your next newsletter, or have copies available for pick up at your program's sign-out area.