Each Child. Every Community.

Partnering with Families to Support Child Success

Collaborating with families is vital to positive child outcomes at every level—program, organizational, and systems-wide. True partnership involves two-way communication among caregivers, educators, and staff, as well as support for family-to-family connections.

Birth-to-five organizations should invite parents into meaningful roles—whether offering feedback, co-creating strategies, or advocating for systems change. Building these partnerships requires recognizing families’ lived experiences and valuing their insights about their children and communities.

Trust is the foundation of strong family engagement. When families are respected and included, children and communities benefit.

 Related Guiding Principles: Responsive Relationships, Shared Decisions, Communication

Resources:

Creating a Culture of Collaborative Family Engagement. Getting Smart

Building Partnerships: Guide to Developing Relationships with Families. Head Start, Early Learning Knowledge Center

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Building a System Where Every Child Can Thrive

North Carolina is committed to building a system where all children have the opportunity to succeed, no matter their background or circumstances. Achieving this vision requires intentional changes at every level—personal, interpersonal, organizational, and structural.

At each level, specific actions can help create better outcomes: forming strong relationships across lines of difference, ensuring all voices are heard and included, sharing decision-making, and addressing barriers that limit access or opportunity.

Birth-to-five organizations review their policies, practices, and culture to remove obstacles that limit potential—and to design systems that open doors for children and families who have historically been left out. This work is about more than funding; it requires thoughtful, lasting changes that reflect the needs and experiences of those most affected.

Creating lasting improvement means recognizing how systems are interconnected and often slow to change. Progress depends on building strong partnerships, shared leadership, and a clear focus on solutions that serve all communities.

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Family-Centered, Strengths-Based Partnerships

A family-centered, strengths-based approach begins with decision-making, goal-setting, and accountability grounded in the lived experiences and perspectives of families. The knowledge and insight of families—both those receiving services and those serving as family ambassadors—should help shape policy, guide program design, and inform evaluation.

To build meaningful partnerships, birth-to-five agencies, community collaboratives, and organizations must create welcoming, safe, and trusted environments for families. These spaces should reflect a true commitment to listening, learning, and adapting based on family input.

Organizations and collaborative groups are encouraged to regularly assess how accessible their information and services are to families, and whether current programs are meeting the real needs of the communities they serve. Teams should work both independently and together to examine how their policies, procedures, and values may unintentionally limit family voice and leadership.

Ongoing professional learning—particularly in areas like cultural responsiveness and effective communication—is essential for staff who work closely with families. By aligning family-centered practices across sectors, professionals can create a more consistent and supportive experience for children and their families.

An important guiding principle for this work is: “Nothing about me, without me.”

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Creating Space for Families in Decision-Making

In a culture built on collaboration and family-centered practice, families need clear access to information and meaningful opportunities to shape decisions at the program, agency, and system levels.

Staff, organizations, and collaborative groups intentionally develop strategies to involve families in decision-making. This includes clearly outlining how decisions are made and working to reduce confusion or uncertainty throughout the process. Families are invited to review background information, consider current conditions, and explore goals that help them contribute to informed choices.

To support participation, materials are shared in accessible formats—considering reading level, preferred languages, and user-friendly design. Agencies regularly affirm the importance of family input and show how that input influences outcomes.

In addition, organizations use adult learning approaches to help families understand how decisions are reviewed over time and how new decisions may emerge. All phases of change—from early ideas through planning, implementation, and review—are communicated clearly so families can remain informed and engaged throughout.

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