Parent Today
Parent Today e-Newsletter and Website
"Helping parents be more fully engaged in their child’s academic life."
Your Tools, Your Terms, Your Time
Parent Today is a free resource to help parents coach and encourage their
children through four chapters of their
education – early learners, elementary, middle years and high school. 
Parent Today is an e-newsletter and website that provides parents with the tools and information they need to be even more engaged in their children’s education. Each bimonthly e-newsletter will feature stories relevant to corresponding academic and developmental stages of children. Parent Today will also respond to current issues and provide information on the ever-changing education landscape.
More about Parent Today
Parent Today is an opt-in email newsletter delivered to subscribers twice a month. It features easy-to-read, blog-style posts with information about what matters most to families. Parent Today addresses important, age appropriate topics and gives examples of easy-to-implement strategies. It also provides information to help families understand the dramatic changes taking place in school curriculum and public education. Subscribers can also access the Parent Today website for ongoing information and support in dealing with the challenges of raising an educated child.
Although Parent Today is provided free of charge to families in the Monticello Central School District, subscribers must have internet access and an email address.
Relevant Issues for Early Learners, Elementary, Middle School and High School
Early Learners: Explore how parents can help instill basic concepts and teach beginning problem solving - with a focus on activities that encourage skills development, knowledge, and ways of thinking and learning. Parent Today offers ideas for parents to encourage age-appropriate social development and school readiness.
Elementary School: During the elementary years, children are acquiring tools and skills that will aid them later in life. Parent Today looks at how parents can encourage better communication skills, decipher learning styles, instill study skills and address stress management. Parents can explore issues their children may face in school – both social and academic. Get tips on how to foster a love of learning through challenging times.
Middle Years: Tweens and early teens face a whole new set of challenges in middle school. As they move toward increased independence, they still need parental guidance and boundaries. Parent Today offers insight on helping children make the transition to middle school, dealing with sticky situations and understanding a child’s emotional development. By encouraging children to try new endeavors and encouraging a positive attitude toward education, parents can help ease the trip through middle school.
High School: As students prepare for life beyond high school, they need to build skills to help them become self-sufficient. Parent Today will focus on areas in which parents can encourage responsibility and decision making, instill values and foster independence. This includes tips on how parents can – and why they should – stay involved as their children move through the teen years.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to Parent Today.
Visit Parent Today on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ParentToday
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
3. Who can sign up for Parent Today?
5. How often will I receive Parent Today?
6. I have an SNN profile. Do I need to create a new one to receive Parent Today?
7. Does it cost anything to subscribe to Parent Today?
8. How is Parent Today different from other parenting e-newsletters?
9. Is Parent Today written by parenting experts?
10. How can I submit a story idea?
11. Am I going to start getting junk email messages?
Q 1. What is Parent Today?
Answer: Parent Today is a free email newsletter
and companion website designed to help build a stronger bridge between families
and the classroom. Parent Today is packed with research-based information that
empowers parents and supports teachers. Parent Today addresses four “chapters”
of a child’s life – early learners, elementary school, the middle years and high
school – with stories about what is happening in the classroom and students’
lives. The companion website offers resources to subscribing families that
encourage parents to be more fully engaged in their child’s academic life.
Q 2. How do I sign up?
Answer: Click on the Parent Today icon on your
district’s website homepage. That will bring you to the Parent Today
website. You can click on “Sign Up Now” at the top left of the page to create
your user profile. You will be asked to fill in your name and email address and
select a password. Once you create your profile, you will begin receiving
bimonthly newsletters and have access to the
www.parenttoday.org website.
Q 3. Who can sign up for Parent
Today?
Answer: Parent Today is sponsored by the
Monticello Central School District. Residents of the district can sign up
through a link on the district website homepage at
www.monticelloschools.net or at
www.parenttoday.org.
Q 4. How do I log in?
Answer: Once you have signed up for Parent Today,
returning users can go to the Parent Today homepage and enter their
email address and password in the Subscriber Login box. Then just click the
arrowhead.
Q 5. How often will I receive emails
from Parent Today?
Answer: You will receive an email
newsletter twice each month.
Q 6. I have an SNN (School News Notifier) profile. Do I need to create a new one to receive Parent Today?
Answer: Yes, you will need to create a new
profile for Parent Today, as it is a separate service from SNN.
Q 7. Does it cost anything to
subscribe to Parent Today?
Answer: Parent Today is provided to
residents free of
charge by the Monticello Central School District.
Q 8. Is Parent Today written by
parenting experts?
Answer: Parent Today is produced by the
Capital Region BOCES Communications Service. Capital Region BOCES provides
educational leadership, services and support to meet the needs of students and
school districts. The Parent Today team consists of more than 50
communications experts who support the efforts of dozens of school districts to bridge
the gap between families and schools. The members of the communications team are
trained to research and report on important parenting issues and
questions.
Q 9. Why should I subscribe to Parent
Today?
Answer: Dozens of studies since 1960 have
confirmed the positive link between parental involvement and improved
student performance in school. Parent Today offers simple strategies and tools that
can be used at home to help children make huge strides in the classroom. Parent
Today provides research-based information that is aligned with the NY
State Learning Standards and the Common Core State Standards. The team of communications professionals, teachers and school
officials work together to develop content relevant to students today.
Q 10. How can I submit a story idea?
Answer: Log into your Parent Today account.
Click on the "Contact" tab at the top of the page. A form will appear where you
can write and submit your story ideas directly to the Parent Today team.
Q 11. Am I going to start receiving
junk email messages?
Answer: No, as a subscriber to Parent Today
you will only receive the twice-monthly Parent Today e-newsletter. The email
address included in your Parent Today user profile is maintained on a secure
database. The Monticello
Central School District and Capital Region BOCES do not share any
information about Parent Today subscribers to any third parties for any purpose.
Q 12. How do I unsubscribe from
Parent Today?
Answer: To unsubscribe from Parent Today,
go to the
www.parenttoday.org homepage and log in. Click on the “My Account”
tab at the top of the page. The "Unsubscribe" link is located below your account
information.
CLICK HERE to view the Parent Today parent letter. (PDF)
CLICK HERE to view the Parent Today flyer. (PDF)
Parent Today is produced by the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service.