Frequently Asked Questions
Click on any of the questions below to expand the answer to that question.
General Questions
Why is family engagement important?
Schools with the most family engagement are the most successful. Studies show that getting parents and families involved with their children's education produces better schools, better test scores, better discipline and a better work environment for teachers.
Who are The Parent Institute's customers?
Our customers are school districts, schools, boards of education, regional/state education agencies and other education institutions.
Can you send me a quote to attach to my purchase order?
If you need a quote to attach to your purchase order simply click on our Quick Quote feature located at the very top of our website and add your items by SKU, title and/or keyword. When you're finished, enter your email address and click on the "Email & Update Quote" button to send a copy of the quote to your email. Or, click on the "Print" button to print your quote or save it as a PDF.
You can also browse our site, placing items in your Shopping Cart as you go along. When you've placed everything you want in your cart, enter your email address and click on the "Generate Quote" button in the lower right corner to email yourself a copy of the quote.
If, at a later date, your plans change and you decide to purchase the items on your printed quote with a credit card, you can return to the Quick Quote page and enter the quote # from the top of the quote you've printed and your items will be placed in your quote again for easy checkout!
I need materials to display in my office...
Displaying an assortment of helpful family engagement materials in your office shows parents you care and encourages parent involvement. We can help! We have pre-packed, cost-saving Resource Centers covering a wide range of topics, as well as a smaller "Must–Have" Pack that covers the essential topics.
Many schools and districts choose to create their own "custom" family engagement resource centers by purchasing a display rack and choosing the publications they need from the library of titles we offer in English and Spanish. You can use the drop-down menus at the top of our website to search by product type, topic or age-level.
Can I get materials for my website?
Engaging families in the education of their children has never been easier! All of our products are available digitally for you to post on your school website, so families can access them anytime they need them. We call it our "Digital Family Engagement Library"! You choose exactly the publications you want to have posted on your website for an entire year. PLUS, you can email the publications to parents, or print as many copies as you need!
You can also purchase a yearly subscription to our School Success Web Content Service. It is an easy, inexpensive way for parents to access thousands of tips and ideas to boost student achievement at their convenience right from your school website! It's offered in Elementary and Secondary levels and in English and Spanish. Quantity discounts are available, too—the more versions you buy, the more you save!
I need to purchase materials for my Family Engagement Resource Center...
Our comprehensive Family Engagement Resource Centers are available in English and Spanish. They come with wire tabletop or wall display racks and are stocked with our most important and popular titles. Plus, they provide great savings to you! You'll save over 20% when you purchase a pre-packaged resource center instead of purchasing regularly priced products separately.
If you already own one of our Family Engagement Resource Centers, refilling it is easy! We have pre-packaged Resource Center refill packs available at discounted prices. For prices and/or to order, call our friendly customer service representatives at 1–800–756–5525.
May I preview samples of your resources?
Each product on our website includes a sample versions in English that you can download and preview. Give our customer service department a call at 1–800–756–5525 and we can make any additional samples available for you to preview online.
I need materials to fit a specific budget...
It's quick and easy to choose the publications you need and stay within your budget! We suggest you start with the drop-down menus on our Home Page. You can browse our publications by format (product), topic, or age–level.
As you find publications you are interested in, add the items into your shopping cart. Adjust your items and quantities to fit your budget. Once you have created the perfect product list at the right price, you can choose to checkout or generate a quote that you can attach to your purchase order. It's that easy!
What is my Customer ID # or Subscriber ID #?
All previous customers have unique Customer and/or Subscriber ID #s associated with their account. Subscribers to The Parent Institute's newsletters and School Success Web Content Service need to know this number to log in to view their content.
If you do not know your ID #, you may contact The Parent Institute by calling us toll-free at 1-800-756-5525 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern.
Please be prepared to provide us with as much information about your account/order as possible so that we may quickly find your ID #.
I have a growing Spanish-speaking population. How can I help them?
Our family engagement resources are available in both English and Spanish so you can give your Spanish-speaking families the helpful information too! Outreach to these parents is so important to positively influence their children's achievement.
Newsletters
Where do I access my newsletter downloads?
It's easy to access your newsletter online! Visit https://www.parent-institute-online.com and log in with your unique Subscriber ID # and zip code associated with your subscription.
If you don't know your Subscriber ID #, you may contact us at 1–800–756–5525 to request it.
After you log in, click on the current month's issue. On the next page you will see links to view the newsletter PDFs and bonuses. Click on each link to print it or download and save it to your own computer. Then you can make copies or email the newsletter PDF directly to your parents. It's as easy as that!
What is the "automatic website posting" feature?
"Automatic website posting" is a service we offer our newsletter subscribers that, after a one–time (FREE!) set up by your school/district staff, automatically publishes the latest newsletter issue(s) on your website each month—in full color!
Setting up automatic website posting is easy and takes only minutes. First, log in to your newsletter downloads with your unique customer ID # and zip code. Click on the current month's issue. On the next page under the heading, "Ensure Your Newsletter Appears Automatically on Your Website," follow the setup instructions.
Feel free to call us at 1–800–756–5525 with any questions.
Who may access newsletters online?
All current subscribers to The Parent Institute's newsletters may access their newsletter issues online.
Does it cost extra to download newsletters?
No, there is no additional charge for digital access to your newsletters. Downloading is offered as a convenience to subscribers.
What are the advantages to downloading newsletters?
- Avoid retyping articles into your own publications (quickly copy and paste text from the Word document version of the issue).
- Post newsletter PDFs on your website or send as email attachments.
- All downloaded newsletters are personalized.
Do I need special software to download my newsletters?
If you choose to download the entire issue laid out exactly as it appears in print, you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 6.0 or above) installed on your computer in order to view the PDF files we use to post them. The Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free from Adobe.
How does newsletter personalization work?
All newsletter subscriptions from The Parent Institute include personalization at no extra cost to you.
Personalization includes the option to add your school/district logo, one or two lines of text such as your school/district name, message or motto, or both logo and text.
To change the personalization of your newsletter subscription, call 1–800–756–5525 or email customer@parent-institute.com.
Digital Family Engagement eLibrary
What is a Digital Family Engagement eLibrary?
A subscription to any combination of our digital publications creates your own curated Digital Family Engagement eLibrary.
Our helpful, simply-written, evidence-based publications are provided as PDFs on a dedicated webpage for you and personalized with your school/district name, message or motto. The digital resources are available for families to access online any time they have questions or concerns—day or night—from home, at work or anywhere.
What are the advantages of subscribing to an eLibrary?
Be there when families need you with a one-year subscription to an online Family Engagement eLibrary. It will help you:
- Provide convenient, 24/7 access to families on key topics that matter most, like academic skills, homework help, test anxiety and more. Choose the resources that work best for you.
- Deliver evidence-based solutions when questions or concerns arise on critical topics—from reading to math, responsibility to respect, and much more.
- Promote understanding of the positive effect all families can have on their students' school success.
- Put the power of families to work for your school/district.
- Save time and effort engaging all families, all year long.
Plus, all digital resources are personalized with your school and/or district name!
School Success Web Content Service
What is the School Success Web Content Service?
The School Success Web Content Service puts family engagement ideas and articles on your school's website for your students' parents to read. It updates itself automatically with new ideas every day of the year.
What are the advantages of using the School Success Web Content Service?
The newsletters and flyers you send home are important, but many parents don't read everything. Today, schools must use every means available to reach as many families as possible. Not all families will have access to a computer or the Internet, but for many of the busiest parents you've been trying to reach, your website is likely to be the best way to reach them at work, where they may have computer access and a little time.
Will I need to make a new website to use this service?
No. The School Success Web Content Service is designed to be a valuable addition to your existing site that keeps parents and families coming back to your site for family engagement information.
Will I need additional equipment, memory or staff time to use this service?
No. Once you've placed the code we provide you on your school's website once, the School Success Web Content Service buttons you've inserted will reference information stored on our computer servers, so you won't be taking up valuable memory space. The information changes daily automatically. We do the work, but it's your school's website that comes off looking very professional.
Why should I pay for the School Success Web Content Service when there is so much available online for free?
- No annoying advertising.
- Our information is written from the school's point of view on topics selected by educators to help families help their children do better in school.
- You can be sure of a trusted source. Since 1989, The Parent Institute has been providing accurate and reliable family engagement information for schools to pass along to parents. Surveys show that more than 10 million parents a month read Parent Institute materials.
- Every page of the online material is personalized with the name of your school and your name and title (or other message you choose). You get the credit for providing helpful information to parents and families—not some remote organization trying to produce ad revenue.
- Most families with Internet access will actually check their child's school website. But they may not be motivated to search out family engagement information elsewhere.
- Families stay on your site and come back to it regularly.
What about school/family privacy?
The School Success Web Content Service was designed to protect school and parent privacy. Our system regularly assesses and maintains the security of the service. Families reading the articles remain anonymous and you can rest assured we do not collect nor sell information about our readers. We have a more technical explanation available if you would like more detail.
Contact Us With More Specific Questions
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or comments you may have.
Email customer@parent-institute.com
Call us toll free at (800) 756-5525 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET
Fax purchase orders to (800) 216-3667 toll free
Mail to The Parent Institute, P.O. Box 7474, Fairfax Station, VA 22039-7474
Please be prepared to offer as many details of your account (name of subscriber, name of newsletter, zip code, customer/subscriber ID #) as possible so that we can quickly look up your account record.