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Ten Tips for Educators
There are students in every school who are likely experiencing separation, loss, and stigma due to a parent’s incarceration.
“A child’s parent still remains their parent even when incarcerated. Incarceration is where they are, not who they are. Many incarcerated parents are and want to be involved in their child’s life, and many children want the same.”
It is important for schools to identify someone who is equipped to offer these students support.
Here are some tips for supporting students:
Learn about resources—including after school programs and peer support groups—specifically for children who experience the incarceration of a parent. Most children tell us that peer support is helpful.
Create affirming spaces to convey that you understand that many children have incarcerated parents and support is available.
Educate yourself about the criminal justice system and implicit bias. Visit “Our Voices” to hear directly from young people about their experiences and speak to people affected by incarceration.
Offer support: Convey to all families that incarceration affects 1 in 14 children and resources are available (first, ensure that someone at your school is equipped to offer support).
Start a support group for students affected by incarceration in your school. Visit the Pathfinder Network, Joining Forces and The Parallel Sentence for more information.
Explore with a family about the possibility of involving the incarcerated parent in the child’s education. Many incarcerated parents can receive report cards and can possibly join parent-teacher conferences by phone or video.
Assume and affirm diverse family configurations.
Include conversations about mass incarceration in curricula and acknowledge that 1 in 14 children experience the incarceration of a parent. Consider how students might respond to curricula about the criminal justice system.
Use humanizing, person-first language when speaking about a student’s parent or people who are incarcerated
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