Strong families are the cornerstone of thriving communities. Turns out, they hold one of the keys to their child’s academic success, as well. The majority of a child’s brain develops by the time she is 5 years old, and the strength of a child’s relationships with her family and early caregivers determines whether her brain will develop in healthy ways that promote learning.

Arizona At-Risk Pilot Project results suggest most effective means to involve parents are those that establish personal rapport between someone from the school and a parent and do not initially require high levels of commitment or participation. The "ideal" parent may be hard to find, but getting to know parents individually and assessing their needs are good first steps.