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Family engagement is a collaborative and strengths-based process through which early childhood professionals, families, and children build positive and goal-oriented relationships. It is a shared responsibility of families and staff at all levels that requires mutual respect for the roles and strengths each has to offer. Family engagement focuses on culturally and linguistically responsive relationship-building with key family members in a child’s life. These people include pregnant women and expectant families, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and other adult caregivers. It requires making a commitment to creating and sustaining an ongoing partnership that supports family well-being. It also honors and supports the parent-child relationships that are central to a child’s healthy development, school readiness, and well-being. The Office of Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework is a guide to learning how family engagement promotes positive, enduring change for children, families, and communities.
Explore ways teachers can apply the relationship-based competencies (RBCs) to effectively engage families in positive, goal-oriented relationships.
Explore ways home visitors can use the relationship-based competencies (RBCs) to effectively engage families in positive, goal-oriented relationships. Find out how to use the RBCs for professional development.
Explore the Family Engagement in Early Care and Education Learning Series. Find ways to partner with families to support children’s healthy development and learning.
Explore this tip sheet to learn strategies to consider for including grandparents in home visits and socializations.
Explore this tip sheet with parents to help them recognize the powerful leadership skills and abilities they already have and use in their everyday life.
In this tip sheet, learn ways parents can advocate for their children and their communities. Explore how parenting skills have a lot in common with effective leadership skills.
Explore this tip sheet with parents to discover the many ways they can become an advocate and leader in their child’s school or in their community.
In this resource, learn ways staff can support parents as advocates and leaders in early childhood programs and at home.
Explore this series to learn ways to support parents as advocates and leaders in your program and at home.
Learn ways home visiting sets the stage for close, trusting relationships. Explore how it’s a key element in any program that supports children and their families and helps build healthy brain development.
HeadStart.gov
official website of the Administration for Children and Families
