Newsletters are an effective way to communicate with families. Parents look forward to hearing about what is happening at the PARENT center, and using newsletters makes this task easy to accomplish. When writing a newsletter, consider the following information.

Know the Audience

It is important to tailor the newsletter to fit the needs of the target audience. By asking sample readers to review a copy of the newsletter before it is distributed, one can tailor his or her writing to better suit the target audience's needs. Invite reader response by FAX, mail, or E-mail.

Publish in More Than One Language

Making the newsletter reader-friendly may mean publishing it in more than one language. This way, families who speak languages other than English can read the publication, too.

Provide Information, But Keep it Brief

Newsletters don't have to be long and involved to be interesting. In fact, many parents may not have time to read lengthy, drawn-out articles. By using bulleted items, short summaries and clear headlines, the newsletter becomes much easier to read. Placing repeated features, such as lunch menus and calendars in the same place in every newsletter also helps to make the publication reader-friendly.

The following information may be included in a newsletter:

• What is new at the PARENT center
• Upcoming workshops
• Highlights or summaries of preceding workshops
• Home learning activities for different ages
• Messages that reinforce the importance of parents' roles in education
• Parenting tips
• Requests for items that may be needed for upcoming projects
• Photos of recent activities
• Monthly calendars
• Book reviews
• Suggested books
• Children's quotes or artwork
• Information for volunteers
• Parent-of-the-Month

Feature Parent Involvement Opportunities

By focusing on specific activities for parents and offering them a way to submit ideas for the PARENT center or school, the newsletter prompts them to play a more active role in their child's education.

Include ideas on how parents can get involved in their child's education, and explain why being involved is so important.

Check on the Audience

By including an entry form to win a free meal at a local restaurant in the newsletter, one can see how many people are reading the newsletter. Parents can give the form to their child to return to school, and a monthly drawing can be held to select a family. The school and the restaurant could half the cost of the meal, making it easier on both to offer such a reward.

"Parent feedback" forms are another way to make sure an audience is reading the newsletter. By providing a form at the bottom of a newsletter, parents could complete such open-ended statements as:

• "I have a question about our school. My question is ___________."
• "I would like to know ___________ about our school.
• "I have an idea to improve our school. My idea is ___________."

Use an Easy-to-Read Format

Use graphics, and present information in a two-column format. Leave plenty of white space, and be sure to make the typeface big enough for everyone to read. Legibility does make a difference to readers, so choose a font that is easy to read. Although brightly colored paper may create an interest for many readers, be sure that it doesn't cause a headache. On the other hand, paper that is too dark may be pretty to look at it, but it may be difficult to read black print on purple paper.

Proofread Before Publishing

Few things can make a school look as unprofessional as misspellings and incorrect sentence structure. Ask a colleague to read for clarity and to correct spelling and grammar.

Include the Center's or the School's Logo

It's a good idea to include the PARENT Center's and/or school's logo. As the audience recognizes the logos, their identities are strengthened.

Make the Newsletter Heard as Well as Seen

The newsletter can be recorded on any answering machine. This makes it easy for parents to get information without having to sit down and pick up the paper. A prerecorded message can insure parents are kept up-to-date even if the newsletter is lost.