Managing your child’s online education when you’re working a full-time job yourself can seem overwhelming. However, most parents are employed, and supporting your children in school even if you work is very doable, especially with some helpful tips. This guide on how to help your child in school while working a job is full of great ideas to keep the whole family organized and on task. Here’s everything you need to know about successfully supporting your child through online school while working.
Communication Is Critical
Communication is an essential aspect of healthy family relationships and coordinating busy family lives. To foster effective communication in your family, be an active listener and model good communication habits yourself. Encourage honesty and respect in all family communication methods. When you have healthy communication habits, you can more easily stay tuned in to your child’s education, noting their feelings about school and life in general, even with a busy work schedule.
Take Advantage of Learning Coach Resources
At CCA, we refer to parents as “learning coaches” because we believe you are an integral part of your child’s education. The learning coach is a parent or guardian at home who takes responsibility for the child’s online education and is the primary point of contact with teachers. If you need help, you can designate multiple learning coaches for your student. Learning coaches can be trusted adults like a grandparent, close neighbor, or another relative who helps share the parent or guardian’s responsibility.
While simultaneously managing your child’s schooling and your job responsibilities may sound overwhelming, it is entirely possible. We want our families at CCA to know that you’re never alone, and we always have the resources to help you out. Our learning coach resources include outreach sessions, mentorship programs, hands-on practice opportunities, and more.
Make Connections With Other Parents
As with anything else in life, finding others who have had similar experiences can be highly beneficial. When your child is in online school, connecting with other parents and learning coaches can help you keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening at school and in your student’s life. These connections will likely end up becoming a robust support system for you and your family, and will be a source of comfort when you need to check in with someone else who’s in the same boat. CCA makes it easy to find parent mentors by connecting you with other parents.
Embrace Flexible School Schedules
One of the best benefits of online school is the more flexible scheduling, and as a busy parent, you will learn to embrace this aspect. Working full-time with a child in school can be a bit of a balancing act, but you can take advantage of online schooling’s flexible nature, planning your day around your work requirements and your child’s schoolwork. And at CCA, you can schedule your child’s schooling for whatever times in each school day work best for you and your student. We work with families to find the best school routine for you.
Understand When and Where Your Child Needs You
Everyone has a different learning style, and understanding these learning styles can help you determine your child’s educational needs. Combining the knowledge of your child’s learning style with their schedule and daily requirements gives you a better idea of when and how you might need to jump in throughout the day to support them. Your child may be able to do some tasks independently and need your help with others.
Explore a “Family Study Hall”
The idea of a family study hall is one strategy to set up your space for success and still connect as a family, even when everyone is working separately. Choose a room, like the living room, where all family members have ample space to be comfortable. The student works quietly on schoolwork for a set amount of time, while parents can work or read themselves. This strategy can be an ideal way to get in some family bonding while everyone makes progress on their task lists.
Make Teachers and Administrators Your Allies
Teachers and other school administrators can be some of the best resources for working parents. It’s crucial to have a good relationship with your child’s teachers and keep the lines of communication open. Get to know the teachers and other school professionals your child works with. Check in with them periodically to assess progress and how your child is doing.
Ensure Your Child Gets Schoolwork Done
Ensuring your child is getting all their schoolwork done on time and correctly is essential for their academic success. You can help your child stay on task by teaching them effective time-management skills and helping them keep organized and motivated. As your child grows, they should take on more of the responsibility of managing their time and schoolwork. But giving them the foundational skills early on means they’ll have an easier time when they need to handle the work more independently.
At CCA, we strive to provide helpful productivity resources for students and parents alike. Our learning management system, called edio, helps parents track their student’s completed coursework and assignments each day. Through edio, parents can also access grades and performance metrics. Assessing your student’s performance while you are at work or otherwise on the go is simple with the edioGO mobile app. You can view overdue assignments, future events, and all other activities through edioGO so you are always up-to-date.
Help Your Child Prepare for Tests
Testing can help teachers and school administrators know where students are and what they’ve learned. But exams can be stressful for students. Make sure your child has strategies for dealing with testing anxiety. Additionally, you should work on instilling confidence in your children on testing days so they can perform at their best. Help your child stay organized and understand when tests are coming up and what subjects they will cover. You can assist them in establishing consistently excellent study habits and work on consistency with studying. Close communication with teachers will also help your child prepare for testing days.
Find Tutoring Help, If Needed
If your child is falling behind or struggling with schoolwork, consider using tutoring services to help fill in the gaps. There’s nothing negative about needing a tutor — indeed, tutoring can be beneficial for your entire family. A tutor can help students catch up with subjects they are struggling with, reinforce what they learn in class, and help kids get ahead and more fully understand their coursework. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help from a tutoring service or rely on the many resources available to CCA parents. Our staff can help connect you with the assistance you need.
Flexible, Customized Education at CCA
At Commonwealth Charter Academy, we offer flexible online schooling and customized solutions for your family. We know supporting your child while working full-time is a big job, and we are here to help. Our flexible options are perfect for busy families, and we have many resources available to support you along the way. Learn more about what it’s like to enroll at CCA in our online parents’ guide. We also encourage you to request more info via our online form, and contact us if you have any questions.
