Positive and Goal-oriented Relationships

Teacher talking with a mother and her child in the classroom. 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.

Making Enrollment and Engagement Accessible to Families

Explore strategies for making enrollment and engagement communications and processes more accessible to families.

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.

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.