Preschool Back to Basics: Prepare for positive family engagement
Angela waved goodbye to her students as the last bus pulled away from Apple Grove Early Learning Center. She took a few deep breaths as she walked back to her classroom. Soon, Martina’s father and grandmother would arrive to discuss their child’s recent challenging behavior. Yesterday, Martina threw a wooden block across the room, narrowly missing another child. While this was the most dangerous incident, it wasn’t isolated. Over the past two weeks, the data showed an escalation in Martina’s behavior. While Angela is a new educator, she knows that addressing these concerns early and collaboratively is crucial for Martina’s development and the safety of others. Over the intercom, Angela was notified of the family’s arrival. While waiting to greet them, she thought of a recent training when she role-played having conversations with family members. This recollection prompted her to review her observation notes and consider how to frame the discussion in terms of shared problem-solving rather than criticism.
Every day across the Commonwealth, early childhood professionals face the delicate task of partnering with families to support young children’s learning. Among all areas of development, executive functions and self-regulation have emerged as critical sub-areas that often prompt these important conversations. Research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that children thrive when preschool programs are ready to build genuine partnerships with families (Bierman et al., 2017). According to the National Association of Early Childhood Education, this is a core principle of developmentally appropriate practice (National Association for the Education of Young Children, n.d.). In this installment in our series, we’ll use the scenario above to highlight strategies early childhood professionals can implement to build a trusting partnership with family members, particularly when addressing young children’s challenging behaviors.
Start by asking families what matters most to them. It is a common practice for early childhood programs to use various methods to collect this type of information when a child is starting a program or has new caregivers. Still, it’s important to have a system that sets up frequent check-ins to stay on top of any changes. In the situation above, Angela contacted Martina’s family for help because she believed they knew her best and expressed an interest in being included in the problem-solving process. Angela collected this information during a recent home visit. She remembered how nervous Martina’s grandmother was about her granddaughter starting preschool. Angela learned about Martina’s typical day at home and how she functioned in the daily routines. She listened to their priorities and concerns for Martina’s development and reassured them that she would be seen for her strengths. The key takeaway is that effectively partnering with families requires more than just strategies; it is essential to have genuine relationships built on mutual trust and respect.
Whether you are a new (like Angela) or a seasoned professional, it’s always helpful to understand the why behind the what. Here are three resources to get you started. See if you can identify key strategies from the scenario.
- Read the Five Essential R’s to Promote Positive Family Engagement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to learn how your approach aligns with the research.
- Review the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Early Childhood (CEC-DEC) Recommended Practices and use the Practice Improvement Tools to improve your skills to partner with families and achieve the outcomes they value for their children.
The ECE Resource Hub provides resources for administrators and professionals to enhance their knowledge, skills, and confidence in recognizing families as essential learning community members.
We understand that not all relationships with families unfold like the one in the scenario. If trust and respect are fragile, review this brief by the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations for guidance on strengthening your relationship with family members through repair.
References
Bierman, K.L., Morris, P.A., & Abenavoli, R.M. (2017). Parent Engagement Practices Improve Outcomes for Preschool Children. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Principles of Child Development and Learning and Implications that Inform Practice.
For more information, contact Mary Tobin ([email protected]), Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU.
Categories Early Childhood Special Education