Innovative "Leader In Me" Parent Workshops Connect Parents to Classroom at Foothill Oak

The Leader in Me program has been guiding student instruction at Foothill Oak Elementary since 2017, providing students with a framework to develop healthy and beneficial habits for learning and life. As a Community School, Foothill Oak’s team constantly explores ways to bring impact and value to the community it serves, including parents and families of the school’s students.

As part of that process, the school’s leaders have designed a program to connect student learning to the home, with workshops based on the popular program designed for parents and adult family members.

The weekly workshops are facilitated by Community and Parent Liaisons Glenda Garcia and Sobie Gallo, and teach parents the same leadership habits and goals their students are learning in school through the Leader In Me program. The Leader In Me curriculum is a modification of Stephen Covey’s popular book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

The idea for a parent version was conceived during a recent Coffee With The Principal meeting in which Ms. Kitts gave a presentation about the “Leader in Me” program at FHO. “We told parents about the Leader in Me program and they asked lots of questions, which made us think there should be a training for them,” recalls Principal Veronica Kitts. This led to the creation of the parent workshops.

The aim of bringing the curriculum to parents is to foster consistency between home and school for students and to bring value and connection to Foothill Oak families.

Children learn one of the 7 Habits every month in school, and the parent workshops are aligned with each month’s focus habit. This empowers parents to give examples of the habits and connect the classroom lessons to their lives at home and outside of school.

At a recent meeting, 18 parents gathered around a table. Garcia utilizes Covey’s book and accompanying workbooks to structure the sessions. Every parent in the workshop was given a Grateful Journal, and sessions opened with them sharing what they are grateful for.

Garcia then asked each parent how they are progressing with their personal goals, which are posted on the wall in the classroom. Each shared an update on how the 7 Habits are helping them solve challenges at home, from disorganized mornings to coping with family illness.

In October, children at Foothill Oak were learning Habit 3 – ‘Putting First Things First’. After Garcia read aloud from Covey’s book, she asked who could relate to the habit and how it applies to their life, while sharing examples from her own life.

A key part of the program is for each parent to create a Family Mission Statement (FMS). “For this, they are advised to ask each family member, including children, what is most important for them at school or work, at home, and outside of school,” says Gallo. “Teaching parents that the social-emotional aspect is so important. A child’s physical health and education are important, but being emotionally healthy affects their education. Then they get together and identify similarities so they can incorporate everyone’s priorities into the FMS.”

Grecia is mom to three daughters aged 4, 7, and 11, and says of her Family Mission Statement: “We look to live in harmony with love and gratitude by supporting great communication between every member of the family. We prioritize solidarity, respect, honesty, and empathy, with the goal to form great human beings.”

Grecia joined the workshops to show her daughters she is learning what they are, so that they can relate more. “My family goal is to maintain closeness, to communicate, and to all follow the same values,” she says. “This program helps that and teaches my children perseverance - about having a goal and achieving it.”

Luis had already read Covey’s book for his work. He and his wife attend the workshop; their son is in kindergarten at Foothill Oak.

“When I found out they were following this book for Leader in Me, I knew it would be a great thing to follow as a family,” he says. “My wife hadn’t read it, but she’s now learning the style and pattern as it applies to families. To become a leader, you need to follow the success of a leader and follow the plan and organization of Stephen Covey’s program.

“The Leader In Me speaks to everything in family and life, so it gives our son a structure for what he will face in school and as he grows up. The 7 Habits give him a roadmap.”

Gallo’s son attends VUSD’s T.H.E. Leadership Academy, which also implements The Leader In Me program, and she is very familiar with the 7 Habits, so she was excited to work on the parent workshops with Garcia.

“Seeing the personal growth in these parents has been amazing,” she smiles. “They come from all different backgrounds but are comfortable and vulnerable enough to share what is going on in their home or what they need help with. They learn how to incorporate the Habits, and the support has created a community where everyone trusts each other.”

The parent workshops will run till March 2026, and are part of Foothill Oak’s wider efforts in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), which emphasize the importance of teaching positive behaviors both at school and at home.