Following the Family: Applying Bioecological Theory to Strategies Learned from a Family-School-Community Partnership

There are many models and examples of family-school-community partnerships. Local to Savannah, Georgia, Parent University is a unique community organization designed to support, guide, and empower parents and their children (from birth to 18 years old) to build bridges between the community and the schools. This nonprofit has successfully partnered with families, schools, and other community organizations for over 20 years and offers an illustrative example of how schools are crucial partners for the success of family-community programs. In applying theory to highlight the work of a parenting program, the purpose of this article is to (1) describe how the local school system, families, community members, and Parent University work together to engage and empower parents; (2) delineate the characteristics of the program's sustained success through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006); and (3) highlight the interdependence of Parent University, the local school system, and community organizations. Implications for practices within other school-community organizations are discussed.