Would you consider your child's school to be Family Friendly? We want to know!

The HCPS Parent Academy, in partnership with Chick-fil-A of Harford County, is excited to sponsor the HCPS Family Friendly School Award program. HCPS recognizes that building meaningful relationships between schools, families, and communities is imperative to student achievement. When families are involved in their children's learning -- both at home and at school -- their children are likely to do better in school. And parents, guardians, and family members are more likely to be involved and engage with their child's school if they feel welcomed and valued.

We celebrate our schools that best engage all families with inclusive practices. HCPS uses the National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships as an indicator of a family friendly school. With this annual program, schools consistently demonstrating these standards could earn the coveted Family Friendly School Award and special recognition that accompanies that title, including a luncheon for the school's staff provided by Chick-fil-A of Harford County!

One Family Friendly School is named each quarter for a total of four schools per school year. Nominations are collected from the community by completing the nomination form . Then, the community is invited to help narrow down the nominated schools to three finalists for the award. The top three community-selected schools will be reviewed by the HCPS Customer Service Task Force - External Subcommittee for evidence of family-friendly standards, which is provided by the school’s PACE liaison. A special announcement and celebration occur at the winning school each quarter.

Be sure to follow the HCPS Parent Academy page on Facebook, where nomination and voting windows are announced each quarter. Visit this page to fill out the nomination form and to cast your vote!

We are deeply grateful for our generous Chick-fil-A partners at the Aberdeen, Bel Air, Constant Friendship, and Forest Hill locations for their tremendous support of this program.