Parents, families, and communities are beautifully complex, with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences (e.g., countries of origin, geographic regions, ethnic identities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and home languages). Every community has a racial history. You may want to learn about the experiences of segregation, discrimination, and oppression that have affected local Head Start families and communities, and those across the nation.

Below are some considerations for discovering and uplifting the strengths of families and communities:

• Diverse backgrounds and experiences shape the identities and beliefs of families and inform their decisions.
• Understanding our families and communities and acknowledging their histories and strengths are important parts of building positive, goal-oriented relationships.
• Learning about each family and understanding the strengths and beauty of their race and culture will help us know:
  • What is important to families
  • How their values affect what they want for themselves and their children
  • What strengths they bring
• Discover families’ strengths by spending time with them in a physical or virtual space. Once families trust that we care about and respect their strengths, we may learn more about how they see the world.

Activities

Download the worksheet to complete three activities:

1. Practicing a Strengths-based Approach by Recognizing Our Biases
2. Prioritizing Equity as You Discover Families’ Strengths
3. Using Systemic, Integrated, and Comprehensive Family Engagement Practices to Center Racial Equity and Uplift Families’ Strengths

Each activity builds on the one before it, so make sure to do them in order:

• If you only have 15 minutes, complete Activity 1.
• If you only have 30 minutes, complete Activity 1 and Activity 2.
• If you have an hour, complete all three activities.

You may choose to spend more or less time on each activity depending on your needs or the needs of your group.

Last Updated: October 9, 2024