Some directors fear sharing program control with parents. They think that if parents are given too many opportunities for program oversight, their own administrative power and influence will diminish. Frequently, these directors feel that they may lose control of the program, resulting in an inability to administer the program in a manner that will satisfy themselves or their supervisors. To handle this fear, some directors involve only a limited number of parents or hand-pick those from whom they will receive no administrative threats. Therefore, parents feel their personal and collective power diminish.
Training can address administrators' fears and concerns about losing program control.
Current and former education and social service administrators, who have a history of successfully directing programs in which parent groups regularly made decisions, should be selected to provide training. Peter Haiman began experimenting with parent involvement program strategies in 1965. He designed and wrote the Parent Involvement Performance Standards for the national Head Start program and, for two decades, was a consultant to Head Start throughout the country. Currently, he is a therapist and child-rearing counselor, and continues to help organizations implement parent involvement efforts. In a recent study, researchers found that almost all behavioral, emotional and academic problems were more prevalent in hungry children than in children who were not hungry.