Equity Drivers to Strengthen Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
Early childhood professionals working with families can use this resource to learn about equity and integrate it into their daily parent, family, and community engagement efforts.
Positive and Goal-oriented Relationships
Positive, goal-oriented relationships develop over time through interactions among parents, family members, and Head Start staff. These relationships are fueled by families’ passion for their children, are based on mutual respect and trust, and affirm and celebrate families’ cultures and languages. They also provide opportunities for two-way communications, include authentic interactions that are meaningful to those who participate in them, and often require an awareness of one’s personal biases and how those biases can affect mutual respect and trust.
Positive, goal-oriented relationships improve wellness by reducing isolation and stress for both families and staff. Staff and families feel supported in their roles when relationships focus on shared goals for children. In the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework, positive and goal-oriented relationships are essential to integrate throughout the system..
Explore these resources to learn more about building positive, goal-oriented relationships with families to advance positive family and child outcomes.
Engaging Parents with Disabilities and Learning Differences
This resource provides information, suggested strategies, and links to resources that support Head Start staff in their efforts to engage parents and caregivers with disabilities and learning differences thoughtfully and intentionally.
Overview of the Family Services Role in Head Start Programs
This resource offers an introductory guide that describes the key responsibilities, skills, and competencies of the family services staff in their journey with families and children in the program.
Building Partnerships with Families Course
Take this learning course on the Individualized Professional Development (iPD) Portfolio to improve your knowledge and practices about building strong, strengths-based partnerships with families.
Relationships with Families: A Story That Starts with Recruitment
This video shows a powerful story, as told by a Head Start parent and family support staff, that demonstrates how relationships laid the foundation for partnerships in recruitment and sustainability of a local program.
Fostering Relationships to Help Children Thrive
Home visitors focus on developing strong relationships with the family, supporting positive parent-child relationships, and maintaining relationships with program staff. Explore practical strategies and resources that support developing and fostering relationships that are nurturing and responsive.
Parent Tips for Effective Family Engagement
Programs can use this resource, created in partnership with parents, to guide the development of their family engagement strategies and parent leadership opportunities.
Using the RBCs to Promote Family Well-being
Learn more about the concept of family well-being, the role of family services professionals and home visitors in supporting family well-being, and the systemic barriers to well-being that families face.
Conexiones
Conexiones webinars support the growth and development of children and their families. It is intended for teachers, family service providers, and other early childhood professionals who are Spanish speakers.
Encouraging Conversations in Relationships
This video includes welcome messages from NCPFCE and OHS leadership. Using research from the Fred Rogers Center, Head Start program staff will learn strategies for developing foundational relationships.