INTRODUCTION
The Family Engagement Committee (FEC) is a subcommittee of the Early Years Planning Network (EYPN). We have compiled articles and research on best practices for family engagement in the Early Years. We hope you can use this information to incorporate into your own practice and use it as a tool for self-reflection on how you view and practice family engagement in your professional and personal lives.
A brief description for each resource is provided to help you determine if it would be useful in your practice as an Early Years Professional.
1. Parent Involvement and Family Engagement – For Early Childhood Engagement
A 2-page article that explains the difference between parent involvement and parent engagement and the importance of having both in your early years program.
2. Building Partnerships with Families
A 1-page resource sheet on how to build respectful relationships with families through everyday interactions.
https://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/wp-content/uploads/RS_86-e.pdf
3. Making Connections. The Professional Obligation to Value Families – 5 pages
Although written from an American perspective it reinforces the important role that families play in their children’s life and how we as professionals need to create collaborative spaces, to listen and learn, and to embrace the value of what families can add to our early learning communities.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/sep2018/professional-obligation-value-families
4. Principles of Effective Family Engagement
We want to bring your attention to the first page of this article that list 6 key practices that an Early Years program can implement to support effective and meaningful family engagement. The second page lets you about exemplary programs that they visited.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/family-engagement/principles
5. 10X: Using Technology to Engage with Families
This article lists 10 different ways you can engage with families through technology.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/aug2016/10x-using-technology-engage-families
6. Deepening Families Understanding of Children’s Learning in Centre
This article provides an example of how a program held a night to engage families by demonstrating how children learn through play. You could use some of the ideas from the article and individualize them for your own program.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/apr2017/deepening-families-understanding
7. Building a System to Support Family Engagement
This 2-page blog lists 12 user friendly steps that you can take to create a family engagement system within your program. There is also mention the book “Families and Educators Together: Building Great Relationship that Support Young Children”.
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/family-engagement-system
8. PCMH Family Engagement Road Map
This 2-page document outlines the 5 steps you can follow to develop family engagement policy within your organization.
http://www.pcmh.ca/documents/PCMH Road Map – Complete V2x (1).pdf
Some Resources about Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education
Webinar
- This is a 1-hour webinar that gives an overview of the book, Families and Educators Together: Building Great Relationship that Support Young Children by Derry Karalek. Karen Nemeth and Kelly Ramsay. It goes through the 6 principles that the NAEYC believe are vital for effective family engagement.
