Communities are very essential in the development of its young people and their overall growth, more so, it creates the environment in which children thrive emotionally, mentally and physically.

Communities are integral in helping children identify themselves in the context of their families, neighbors and friends, Blair, et al (2010). 

Six types of involvement in parent and community involvement in a child environment as observed are

Parenting

Parents are equipped with parenting skills to create an environment for the child at home and the school is made to understand the family environment of this child which helps with interaction

Communicating

Communication between families and the school is encouraged so as to keep progress of a child’s environment both at school and home.

Volunteering

The volunteering of family and community members in schools helps in strengthening relations and thus having a healthy environment for a child’s growth. This is done through career fair and sports day.

Learning at Home

Children are given homework to be supervised by parents at home. This encourages parent participation in a child’s academic. 

Decision Making

Schools include parents and the community in decision making. This is done through board meetings. Decisions involving all parties help the children better.

Collaborating With the Community

Communities and the groups in them including businesses, government, and organizations should all participate by providing resources including.

How to Improve Parent and Community Involvement

• The school should pass laws and policies that require families to participate in selected school activities. 
• The communication tools used should be effective and encourage feedback.
• The school should frequently evaluate the impact of programs created to foster relationship between school and home.
• Schools should be accountable to the community on progress and improvement of programs 

How these values and beliefs are reflected in the classroom environment design.

Parenting

The students learn personal qualities including respect for their parents and guardians. They further learn values, beliefs and habits taught to them. They are like to attend school more due to family and community involvement which makes school more important. 

Communicating

Communication helps children become aware of their roles at home, school and in the community. It also helps show progress on performance in school thus maintaining or improving of grades. Communication helps them make informed decisions on their careers due to selection of appropriate programs and courses. 

Volunteering

Parental and community volunteering in schools encourages children to participate in activities which help in their social and communication skills. It also enhances their skills, gifts and talents when they learn of their interests.

Learning at Home

At home children will view parents more in the light of a teacher, deserving of respect. They will be able to appreciate work and develop self-ability to learn. This will lead to homework completion

Decision Making

This makes student aware of community involvement in their welfare and have a sense of community.

Collaborating With the Community

Children in this case gain skills on their talents and interests by participating in activities that connect them with the community

A class room environment should have an ambience for learning with photos on the wall of students, students work and groups to make them feel part of the class,

Expectation

Give students targets and make sure they accomplish each one and on time.

Relativity

This having an open mind and learning from students as they also have information or perspectives that you may not have

Hornby, G., & Lafaele, R. (2011). Barriers to parental involvement in education: An explanatory model. Educational Review, 63(1), 37-52.

Van Voorhis, F. L., Maier, M. F., Epstein, J. L., & Lloyd, C. M. (2013). The Impact of Family Involvement on the Education of Children Ages 3 to 8: A Focus on Literacy and Math Achievement Outcomes and Social-Emotional Skills. MDRC.

Epstein, J. L. (2010). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(3), 81-96.

Blair, K. S. C., Fox, L., & Lentini, R. (2010). Use of positive behavior support to address the challenging behavior of young children within a community early childhood program. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 30(2), 68-79.