Policy Statement on Family Engagement From the Early Years to the Early Grades
Creating meaningful partnerships with families leads to meliorate outcomes for children. This is why the BBF Families and Communities Committee , composed of parents, caregivers and early childhood stakeholders, worked together over the final two years to acquit a Family Engagement Assessment and recently published a study with the results of a survey, lessons learned about family appointment, and four policy recommendations.
The Family unit Date Assessment , at its heart, is nearly informing how service providers interact with families to support them in building resilience. The assessment and recommendations will inform the early childhood organisation on how to strengthen families as partners and decision makers, how to build more than resilient families, and ultimately how to meliorate kid outcomes. Parents and caregivers must play an important role, not merely equally participants, but as partners in their kid'due south early care and instruction through the decision making procedure. The Family Date Assessment project confirmed that parents and caregiver voice can be harnessed to inform the creation of a arrangement that meets their needs, is accessible, more equitable, responsive, and accountable to families and communities.
Family appointment can look unlike depending on the circumstance: parents or caregivers could be involved in advocacy, programmatic informational, and/or parent leadership in the customs. Creating opportunities for authentic and collaborative parent and family date is not always easy. Throughout the process, family unit engagement principals were employed to ensure that family unit voice was at the center of every stride. This included hiring Emily Merrill, a parent leader and founding chair of the Families and Communities committee, as the projection director and so recruiting 22 Parent Ambassadors from across the state to conduct the survey.
Originally Parent Ambassadors were going to acquit the survey with peers in person at playgroups, and effectually their customs . Withal due to COVID, the survey was conducted electronically between March-July 2020. Parent Ambassadors influenced the development of meeting structures that met their needs during the busy pandemic months, allowing continued engagement while domicile caring for children by providing a safety, inclusive space for all parents to connect with each other as well equally providers. Some successful strategies were — children attend meetings, meeting length was every bit flexible equally possible, meetings were scheduled effectually naptime or later on bedtime, and self-care comes first.
Parent Ambassadors nerveless 424 survey responses from Vermont families with a child age v or younger on family perspectives regarding the early childhood programs and resources they access; perspectives on the transition of children into Kindergarten; and what parent leadership programs exist beyond Vermont. Of the information collected, 7 6% of all respondents strongly agreed that they experience welcomed and are treated with kindness and 68% of families strongly agree they felt their family unit'due south civilization and values were understood and welcomed. Not all Vermont families responded with resounding enthusiasm about their feel in the early childhood organisation, indicating that at that place is opportunity for Vermont's early childhood systems to grow and improve.
The post-obit graphic illustrates words that families used to draw exceptional experiences when partnering with their child's provider .
The Families and Communities Commission arrived at 4 policy recommendations based on the survey results and the process of conducting the Family Engagement Assessment.
- Utilize a mutual definition of family unit appointment and partnership
- Create meaningful partnerships
- Commit to ensuring that children and families are in all policies
- Increase understanding of families' experiences and break downwards barriers created past systemic, institutional, and individual racism
The report is now available on the Building Bright Futures website including policy recommendations and a discussion guide to inform parent engagement and partnership in organizations and agencies across the spectrum of the early childhood system of services. – from early care and learning programs, Head Start programs, PreK and Unproblematic schools, mental health programs and Agency of Human services.
Equally we complete this projection, I shared this reflection in an email to the Parent Ambassador team, "This project was so much more the data that was collected — nosotros built a commission of engaged and knowledgeable parents and caregivers from all corners of Vermont. Parent Ambassadors were integral to this project's success and I am truly grateful for the way each of you brought your authentic selves to the role. Yous wrote the book on how to work and parent at the aforementioned time and I especially enjoyed coming together your little ones as they climbed on you, slept on your laps, and more often than not did their best to entertain during our meetings."
Parent Ambassadors were provided with opportunities to learn about the early babyhood system and accept on leadership roles in committees that form the Vermont Early Babyhood Action Plan. Two other parents stepped into leadership roles this year. Alexis Duquette now serves equally the co-chair for the Southeast Vermont Regional Quango where she shares her expertise equally a parent, provides peer support for her region'south parents and caregivers, and participates in regional council work and the Families and Communities ECAP committee. Lexi says, "this piece of work makes my heart sing!"
Jen Fortman was recruited first to be a Parent Administrator and help with the survey and and then stepped in every bit the co-chair of the Families and Communities Committee. She shared, "I believe being involved in the Families and Communities Committee has immune me to gain relationships, get my vocalism heard, and gives me purpose outside of my home life. I am making connections by talking with friends and other parents in my community."
Across recommendations for organizations to grow and develop their family unit partnership work, here are some boosted opportunities for families to pace into leadership opportunities:
- Advise on policy and early babyhood arrangement delivery while connecting with other families. Nourish Families and Communities Committee meetings the starting time Friday of the month from i:00-2:xxx pm, or for quarterly evening meetings from 8-9 pm. Find more information here or email to go involved: Families@buildingbrightfutures.org.
- Families are invited to attend their BBF Regional Council meetings. Discover your region and BBF staff contact hither .
- Join local boards, councils, parent-teacher organizations, advancement groups, etc and continue to pave pathways to elevate family unit voice in your customs, in organizations that back up regional councils, and on a land-wide level. The Families and Communities Committee tin serve every bit a hub to connect you with organizations that are recruiting family unit leaders.
The project was funded by the PreSchool Development Grant Nascency-Five awarded to the Land of Vermont in 2018 and executed in 2020-2021.
By Emily Merrill, Parent Leader and Family Engagement Assessment Project Manager and
Jen Fortman, Parent Co-chair of the BBF Families and Communities Committee
Families@buildingbrightfutures.org
Source: https://buildingbrightfutures.org/lessons-from-the-2020-family-engagement-assessment/
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