The National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement, in collaboration with the EarlyEdU Alliance®, has developed a series of modules about engaging families in early childhood settings. The six modules are rooted in relevant theory and practice. The topics in this series can help guide current and aspiring early childhood professionals to:
- Consider how the relationships they build with families can support positive parent-child relationships
- Learn how to use reflective practice as one strategy to enhance work with families
- Explore how larger systems and cultural contexts influence family engagement
Each module is about three hours long and includes a media-rich PowerPoint presentation, presenter notes, learning activities, and a resource list. Trainers can use them to offer professional development to early childhood professionals. The modules can also serve as sessions within a higher education course of study on early childhood development, education, or family engagement.
The series uses the Intentional Teaching Framework: know, see, do, reflect, and improve. Participants will learn effective family engagement practices and watch videos of early learning staff interacting with families. They will also discuss their experiences in working with families, try out the suggested practices, and reflect on their own experiences to improve their family engagement efforts.
Introduction to the Family Engagement in Early Care and Education Learning Series
Introduction to the Family Engagement in Early Care and Education Learning Series
Narrator: How can you strengthen your relationships with the families of children in early care and education settings? Explore the Family Engagement in Early Care and Education Learning Series. Find out about effective practices in partnering with families to support children's healthy development and learning.
Family engagement is an interactive process that brings early childhood professionals, family members, and their children together to build positive and goal-oriented relationships. It is a shared responsibility that requires mutual respect for the roles and strengths that families and professionals have to offer. Family engagement means doing with, not doing to or for, families. It means inviting parents with their children and educators to work together toward goals that families choose for themselves and their children.
The Family Engagement in Early Care and Education Learning Series offers six learning modules. As you complete these, you will learn about ways to integrate strengths-based practices and attitudes into your work with families and children; form mutually respectful, goal-oriented relationships with parents that strengthen children's school readiness and family well-being; create safe and welcoming environments for families; examine your own perspectives about family engagement; and affirm the importance of families, cultures, languages, strengths, and interests.
Module topics include using relationship-based practices in your work; exploring children's behavior as communication; partnering with families to enhance children's development and learning; engaging fathers; sharing child assessment data; and responding to developmental concerns about children. These modules were developed by the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement and the EarlyEdU Alliance.
CloseA Relationship-Based Approach to Family Engagement
In this module, discover how to create a relationship-based culture that supports family engagement. Learn how to identify and reflect on your own perspectives and explore parents’ and families’ perspectives.
Gathering and Sharing Child Assessment Data
In this module, learn about ongoing child assessment. Find out how to gather and share information with families to support children’s learning and development. Also, discover ways to join families in using the data to guide children’s progress.
Engaging Fathers in Early Learning
Staff can use this module to learn how to work alongside and engage fathers in early care and education programs.
Partnerships that Foster Development and Learning
Learn how to work alongside families to support children’s ongoing development and learning through everyday interactions and experiences. Use this module in professional development settings.
Understanding Children's Behavior as Communication
Discover what children ages birth to 5 are saying through their behavior. Learn how to partner with families to understand and respond to children's behavior as communication.
Responding with Families to Developmental Concerns
Explore ways to engage families when early childhood staff have concerns that a child is at risk for a disability or developmental delay.
Last Updated: February 13, 2024