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Listen and empathize with families about the hardships they have endured. Watch this video to see how staff can connect with and support families, even when there may not be ready solutions to address their challenges.
Storytelling helps build strong relationships and supports effective family partnership agreements. Learning about families’ past experiences, strengths, and needs in an authentic way can help staff support meaningful progress for children, families, and communities.
The process of storytelling can also strengthen relationships within families. Watch this video to hear one staff member discuss on how this process of sharing, listening, and reflecting has helped the families in this Migrant and Seasonal Head Start program—and the community—in surprising ways.
Discover the importance of storytelling when collaborating and developing relationships with children and families. Learn to communicate with families and understand their values, strengths, and goals for the future.
The process of storytelling can help programs truly empower families. Hear from program staff about how storytelling has changed their Head Start/Early Head Start program for the better. Staff share how they hope this series of videos will help strengthen the work that providers do with migrant families.
Learn how Head Start and Early Head Start staff can help families reflect on past experiences. Effective reflection can help staff members better understand families’ hopes and dreams. In turn, staff members can help families recognize their skills, abilities, and goals.
Storytelling can be a highly emotional process, especially when families have faced traumatic events, are dealing with ongoing issues, or face problems that staff don’t feel equipped to handle. In this video, program staff reflect on the importance of communication, self-care, and having a network of support is for working effectively working with families.
Active listening is an important skill for all Head Start staff. Watch this video to learn more about how listening, body language, and eye contact can help encourage families to share their stories.
Watch this video to learn specific strategies to use to encourage families to open up about what is most important to them.
Learn about the dreams and experiences of families who migrate to the United States to create a better life for their children.
HeadStart.gov
official website of the Administration for Children and Families
