Early Childhood Programs and Practices: Family Engagement

This practice involves a collaborative partnership between educators, families, and communities to support children's learning, development, and well-beingⁱ. Family engagement initiatives recognize that families are a child's first and most influential teachers. By promoting family engagement in early care and education (ECE), educators empower families to be active partners in their child's learning journey, strengthen the connection between home and school, and create a supportive network of care and support for children and families alikeⁱⁱ. Effective family engagement in ECE addresses a variety of purposes:

• building positive relationships between educators and families by creating welcoming, inclusive, and culturally responsive environments where families feel valued, respected, and supportedⁱⁱⁱ
  
• two-way communication between educators and families to share information, exchange ideas, and build mutual trust and understanding, and to support children's learning and development at home  
  
• involving families in decision-making in program policies, curriculum planning, and individualized learning goals to best meet their children’s needs^iv  
  
• encouraging active participation in their child’s education and in the ECE program^v  
  
• supporting transitions for children and families^vi as they move between ECE settings, from home to childcare, and from preschool to elementary school  
  
• valuing and celebrating the cultural and linguistic diversity of families^vii  
  
• building parenting skills, knowledge, and confidence^viii
  
• collaborating with community partners and resources ^ixthat support families' well-being and resilience^x

Resources Required

Training for ECE professionals and outreach efforts to parents of young children are both essential to the authentic engagement of families as partners in their children’s early development.  Culturally responsive and strengths-based strategies for family engagement can greatly affect the degree of trust and participation of diverse families.  Coordination among community and school-based entities to increase convenient access to resources to support families is also necessary.

This Program/Activity Supports These Strategies

• Quality Improvement Systems

See it in Action

• Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership
• Family Friendly Early Care and Education
• National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) Play Groups
• KY-SPIN (Special Parent Involvement Network)
• Parent Involvement Initiative
• PACT Time
• Born Learning
• Ready4K Owensboro
• Play Cousins Collective
• La Casita