How do you Engage Parents and Families?

Malkia McLeod

Jan 01st, 2019

When it comes to planning events for parents and families, my program usually

a crowd of people walking to festival tents

Has a holiday program where families can come to watch their children perform.

Creates a calendar of events that families can attend.

Takes suggestions from families and then plans the events.

Works together with families to plan, organize and run events that are of interest to them.

Choose the statement that best describes family conferences in your program.

We do not have family conferences.

We give the family an update on their child's development.

We discuss with the family the strengths and weaknesses in their child's development and set goals.

We build goals based on the family's knowledge and input about their child's growth and development.

When a family has a need, my program

a circle of hands placed on top of one another forming a circle

Doesn't generally know a family's need unless they choose to share it.

Gives them a list of community resources.

Finds community resources and supports specifically tailored to the family's situation.

Empowers the family to independently seek and use community supports tailored to their needs.

When a parent or family member is interested in taking on a leadership role, I

young boy wearing aviator gear with his arm up in the air

Cringe. If I let one parent have input, I will lose control of my program.

Talk to them further to find out their specific interests.

Invite them to join an already existing parent committee.

Connect them with a parent who is on the Leadership Board to mentor them.

When it comes to volunteering at my program,

a woman sits on the floor playing with three children who are sitting at a table playing with manipulatives

We have an open-door policy stated in our handbook, but not many families volunteer.

Families are invited to visit and observe at any time.

We create opportunities for families to be involved in children's learning and assessment in and out of the program.

We encourage and mentor families to plan and lead small group experiences with children. Some family members have even moved on to early childhood careers.

Choose the one statement that best describes your program.

Everything in my program is geared toward the child's experience.

We provide a calm, clean, safe, and accessible environment that reflects the families in the program through artwork, photos and the languages used.

There is a dedicated space that is comfortable for families to drop in and connect with other adults.

There is a dedicated space for families that is available for them to meet with other professionals (community agencies, Infants and Toddlers).

My program is responsive to family cultures by

An indian family with mother, father and two girls light a ceremonial candle

Having pictures and materials that reference different cultures, and we offer materials in Spanish.

Trying to learn about each family and their culture to apply it to my work with children.

Using what we learn from our families' cultures to tailor our services and practices.

Evaluating our program through self-reflection and conversations with families to remove the cultural/language barriers to positive and supportive relationships.

My program makes sure the materials are culturally responsive by

boy sits on floor playing with a rocket ship

Providing diverse play food and dolls that reflect a variety of cultures.

Offering learning materials that reflect the cultures of the program’s families.

Inviting families to share feedback on the materials and asking for additional suggestions.

Working together with families to create and provide culturally appropriate learning materials for the children.

Choose the statement that best describes your program's communication with families.

a woman in a business suit is talking on the phone in front of a computer with a young girl sitting beside her

We talk to families during pick up and drop off.

We have clear communication channels that promote regular dialog, effectively uses technology, and provides interpretation as needed.

We are proactive about communication and regularly seek out families for feedback and suggestions.

We talk together regularly about how to improve communication.

We encourage families to interact and learn from each other by

a group of mothers and children sit on the floor playing with the toddlers

Letting them talk with one another at pick up and drop off.

Providing informal opportunities for them to connect with one another, such as coffee in the mornings in the designated family room.

Providing opportunities for peer networking, support and learning opportunities for families, such as parent education workshops.

Encouraging and supporting families to work together to design and enhance current opportunities to build peer-to-peer networking.

My program supports families experiencing educational transitions by

Gentle Transition Tips for parents of young children - ayoung girl holds her parent's hand and looks up to them as they walk into a classroom

Relying on the school system's programs to help transition children and families.

Providing families with information, training and connections to their future educational setting.

Ensuring families have the skills to communicate with the next setting about their child's accomplishments, interests and needs.

Encouraging relationships between families through participation in parent groups in the schools where their child will transition.

We support families as the lifelong educators of their children through

man sits on the floor with this son playing with blocks

Telling families what we are doing with their children during the day.

Acknowledging and validating the family's role in their child's learning and development.

Modeling and teaching specific learning strategies to families to help them promote children's learning during daily routines and playtime.

Working together with families to create opportunities for families to support their child's healthy development and learning.

Choose one statement that best describes how you incorporate families in child assessment.

girl in glasses is writing on a clear board with words, assessment, measure, investigate, result, goal, fact, analysis and survey

We share our assessment results with families and ask for their feedback.

We seek input from families for assessment and the development of goals for the children.

We include families as part of the assessment process and engage families in determining how they can contribute to their child's progress.

Home and program observations are used to create a picture of the whole child. Families and provider work together to create long-term goals and partner to support the child in meeting those goals.

To build relationships with families,

I try to fit time in to my schedule to talk to each parent or family member.

I make time to plan and work with families one on one.

I make accommodations and adjust my schedule to allow for interactions with families.