A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Strategies for Managing the Time Crunch

"Americans today are experiencing a time crunch. We're all busy, particularly working mothers who are trying to balance the demands of their jobs with their responsibilities to their families and home. Fortunately women love their multifaceted roles and, with help, can be involved, supportive parents and valuable employees." (Judsen Culbreth, Editor-in-Chief, Working Mother magazine.) Partnerships between employers and schools make it easier for working parents to be involved by providing access to technology and flexible work schedules. "Today as fewer parents have time to `do it all' and in most cases don't have an extended family nearby to help, community resources become increasingly important." (Patricia Girardi, Executive Director, Parents League of New York Inc.) Partnerships between communities and schools give families access to support services such as before and after school programs and healthcare, and open the way for exploring alternatives to the traditional school day and year.

Actively involving fathers in children's lives and learning is another way to ease the time crunch for mothers. Families should ask themselves "how can the mother/father division of labor fully respect fathers for what they can contribute beyond giving mothers release time?" (Dennis E. Mithaug, Ph.D., Chairman Department of Special Education, Teachers College)

• Balancing work, home, and children's learning requires a collaborative effort by families, schools, employers, community organizations and religious groups.
• Schools need to rethink their traditional schedules in terms of parent needs and consider a range of times, including early morning, evening and perhaps weekends. In Oxbridge, MA, public schools provide year round day care, after and before school programs, as well as summer programs.
• Families need the support of communities and employers -- they need after school activities and "flextime".
• Libraries can be a positive force in any community to help youth and parents.
• Employers need to know that family friendly policies are good business practice.
• It is important for employers to allow parents to participate in their children's education because these children will be the business leaders of tomorrow.
• New technologies (such as the Bridge Project's specially developed voice technology system) facilitate communication between teachers and parents and make it possible for parents to be aware of what their children are doing in school each day, and to establish on-going relationships with teachers. A new Internet network -- The Family Education Network -- can provide parenting information and increase interactive discussion between parents.
• Parents need effective ways to cope with stress and to be able to model them for their children.
• Parents should be encouraged to evaluate what they are doing and how they are using their time. They need to remember to budget time for their children and for themselves.
• Reading or writing with a child for just thirty minutes a day, five days a week, can make a real difference in that child's school achievement.
• Time well spent with children includes: caring, cuddling, companionship, conversation, commitment, chores (done together), creativity, connections, culture.
• Teach children to turn to other adults for support --teachers, guidance counselors, family friends, neighbors--instead of relying solely on their parents.

And finally, "the time crunch is best managed when we give ourselves real rewards, ten minute relaxations, the permission to be creative in our parenting roles and a sense of humor about all the stuff that just doesn't get done". (Sheila K, Lewis, author: Stress Proofing Your Child)

This session was introduced by Judsen Culbreth, Editor-in-Chief, Working Mother magazine and Menahem Herman, Planning and Evaluation Service, Office of the Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Education. The group then broke out into 14 separate roundtable discussions led by facilitators

[Parent Involvement]

[Overview of Research]