This booklet was developed to help school staff members, parents, and community leaders understand how family centers can promote family participation and strengthen their schools. It also serves as a guide to establishing family centers. The term, family center, is used throughout this booklet, although many schools prefer to call their center another name. Whatever its name, a successful family center allows families to feel a sense of ownership in the school; to feel like insiders. The family center permits school staff members and families to establish relationships, programs, and activities to help children succeed academically, emotionally, and socially. To achieve that success, parents and other community members interested in the school must help create the center. The term, parent, refers to any caregiver who assumes responsibility for nurturing and caring for children. How a school family center is started and run reveals a great deal about the school's overall relationship with families and the community in promoting student learning. Schools with an effective program of parent involvement welcome parents and other family members as decision makers, collaborators, volunteers, communicators, instructors, and advocates in their children's learning. Appended are: (1) Web Resources for School Family Centers; (2) Schools that Say, "Welcome!"; (3) Ten Things Parents Want School Staff to Know; (4) DPI Policy on Family-School-Community Partnerships; and (5) Measuring Your Family-School-Community Partnerships.