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Family Engagement

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.

Building Partnerships with Families Series

The goal of parent and family engagement is to work with families to build strong and effective partnerships. Explore these three resources to learn ways to strengthen relationships with families.

Goal-setting with Families Course

Explore this three-module course to learn about the knowledge, skills, and practices family services professionals need to engage in the family partnership process and goal setting with families.

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.

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.

Measuring What Matters Learning Series

Explore this nine-module course to learn more about using data to enhance your work with children and families using the Measuring What Matters resources.

Engaging Families of Children with Disabilities

Learn how to effectively partner with families of children with disabilities. This partnership not only promotes children’s learning and development, but also supports family learning, advocacy, and leadership skills.

Tips to Support Family Services Staff Wellness

Review strategies to support the wellness of family services professionals and home visitors; the resource is written for program supervisors and leaders as well as family services staff and home visitors themselves.