WORKSHOP PRESENTED BY: CHERYL ANDERSON, RECE QCCI TRAINING & PD COORDINATOR SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 From Borders to Bridges: Engaging Families in Authentic Ways

What does the literature say? “Partnerships with families and communities help early childhood settings to best meet the needs of young children.” Principle #2 – Ontario Early Learning Framework “In high quality programs, the aim is to strive to establish and maintain reciprocal relationships among educators and families..” How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years

What does family engagement mean to you? What does it look like?

Engagement goes beyond participation. Your thoughts on this statement?

What is Family Engagement? Ministry of Education Think, Feel, Act

Participation Participate in activities set up by the program Parent is passive Some connections are made Engagement Families are more active in determining activities Parent has more power to act Recognizes diversity of families Makes connections

Overall quality of program Quality of engagement, communication and relationships with families

How do we engage? We build relationships! Relationships! “Fostering good relationships with children and families is the single most important priority for educators in early years programs.” How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years

What do we need to build relationships? Need to build trust Deconstruct image of teacher as “specialist” Families know their child best, and are the first and most powerful influence on learning and development Recognize each other’s expertise (we have different knowledge based on our experience with child – how can we invite parents to help in our understanding of their children?)

How can we invite families to engage? Ministry of Education Think, Feel, Act

What do we need to build relationships? Need to recognize that each family is unique; no one form of engagement fits all! Engagement is a process; it takes time to build a relationship! Need to look at the barriers that may impact our relationships

What do we need to build relationships? We need to provide a sense of belonging to families (invite parents in – “come see what your child made today”, how do we as a family see ourselves in your program?) We need bilateral communication (flowing between us and family not just one way!)

What builds relationships? Let’s look more deeply! Building trust – Sharing our lives Bilateral communication Providing a sense of belonging

Building trust – Sharing our lives How do you “share the life” of your program and its participants with families? How do you invite families to share their lives with you? How does your orientation process invite sharing?

Bilateral Communication What do we communicate with families? When do we communicate with families? How do we communicate with families? Do parents have a voice or can we only hear our voice?

Providing a Sense of Belonging What messages about engagement does your space give to your families? Are your spaces designed to be welcoming to families? Do families see themselves present in the space? Do families spend time in the space together?

How do we provide for these needs? SENSE OF BELONGING Family friendly environments (welcoming sights and smells, spaces to sit comfortably, tea parties at end of day) Focus on family during tours and orientations (building relationships rather than business – family book pages) Make families a visible presence in the classroom (photographs, self-portraits, family books, objects from home to decorate classroom, share stories)

Make life of classroom visible to families – documentation (stories, photos, transcriptions and reflections) offer glimpses of children’s thinking and action, their questions, relationships and ideas. Create opportunities for sharing stories and reflection (invite family members to share stories of their childhoods, ask parents questions about themselves – who are your heroes? what do you like about being a parent?, what are your hobbies?)