1. Who can apply to participate in the Parent Leadership Academy (PLA)? The Parent Leadership Academy is open for any parent/grandparent/caregiver/foster parent/family member that would like to develop more leadership skills to become a stronger parent leader in your home, in the school, and in the community.
2. San Antonio ISD and San Antonio College are partners in this program. Does this mean my child has to attend SAISD and/or I have to be a part of Alamo Colleges?
No. SAISD, San Antonio College and Region 20 all share the financial responsibilities of the program AND each entity contributes to the development of the program. Each entity contributes the strengths of their program to the Parent Leadership Academy that make it a very unique learning opportunity.
The Parent Leadership Academy is open to anyone that resides within the Region 20 area (counties include Bexar, Comal, Atascosa, Dimmitt, Bandera, Frio, Guadalupe, Kinney, Kendall, Kerr, LaSalle, Maverick, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Wilson and Zavala).
Each cohort has representation of multiple school districts that participate.
3. Is participation in the Parent Leadership Academy free?
Yes it is!
4. What are the requirements to be able to graduate in the Parent Leadership Academy?
For more detailed information, including dates, locations and description of courses, please download the application packet below.
Requirements:
- Attend the orientation session
- Attend the mid-point session
- Attend the required closing session
- Attend 6 other required courses
- Attend 2 electives classes of your choice
- Develop a portfolio that showcases your learning
- Attend required graduation ceremony
5. What happens if I can't attend all the courses?
We know life happens and sometimes that causes you to miss a course. All courses are so important and we want you to attend them all.
We allow one "free" absence of a course with no make-up. If you miss a 2nd course, we allow a make-up. If you miss a 3rd course, we ask that you continue in the program and you can participate in graduation, but you will receive a participation certificate. You will have the opportunity to complete your missed courses in the next cohort and receive your completion certificate at that time.
6. I work and can't attend the classes in the day. Does this mean I can't participate?
We work really hard to offer the classes in a variety of time frames to try to accommodate all the different schedules. We will never be able to get it perfect for everybody. We hope that knowing the dates/times in advance will allow you to make the plans needed to be able to attend. The elective courses are also offered via webinar that allow you to participate via computer at another location.
7. I don't have childcare. Can I bring my children to the classes?
At this time, we do not offer childcare at any of the locations that the courses are held. Children are not allowed due to safety precautions and we do not want to take away the learning from others by having children in the courses. We want you to be able to participate fully without distractions!
8. Can Spanish speaking families participate?
Yes! If we know in advance, we can provide an interpreter at each of the courses. At this time, our materials are not translated in Spanish, but we hope to accommodate this in the future.
