Engaging Families by Building Relationships
Engaging families in early childhood programs is not about parents attending parent-teacher conferences or volunteering in the classroom, it’s about creating opportunities where families are seen as equal partners and an integral part of educating young children and actively supporting their learning and development. One way to create these opportunities is through building relationships with families and children.
Because children exist within the sociocultural context of their families and communities, developing authentic relationships with families is vital to children’s development and success in school. High quality ECE teachers create an environment where families feel connected, valued, and respected. To help meet the challenge of engaging families in their child’s early learning and development, NAEYC offers principles of effective practice and Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center offers relationship-based competencies (RBCs) for teachers and child care providers, family service professionals, and professionals who make home visits.
These competencies can be used at the individual, program, county, and state levels to support family engagement. County and community leaders can use the RBCs to:
- Develop strategic plans to enhance early childhood workforce development
- Help make decisions about the use of existing resources to promote family engagement
- Develop systems and infrastructure to support collaboration among community partners
- Coordinate family engagement efforts across early childhood initiatives and systems
