Category: Family Engagement

Best Practices of Family Engagement

Family Service Workers and Home Visitors are the first point of contact for our families. The way that they approach and build relationships with parents as well as how they engage them in the goal setting process is critical. It sets the tone for the rest of the school year. High quality family engagement includes several key elements.

  • Build the relationship. Engage and build connection with families by allowing adequate time for conversation and listening with an open mind. Hearing what families are saying is vital. It is important that staff spend time getting to know each family member as an individual and work to establish a comfort level with each one. Initiate “rich” conversations with parents that get to the heart of where parents are and where they want to be. Create a safe environment for them to share their strengths and open up about areas of challenge. The key is to begin this relationship at application and enrollment, building it consistently and authentically.
  • Partner for goal setting. Individualized Family Partnership Agreements are living documents and must be reflective of the people involved in setting the goals. Family Partnership Agreements are intentional, purposeful and based on the strengths and needs of each family. As staff invite each family to participate in the goal setting process, they should work in partnership with parents to determine realistic, specific and realistic goals. Partner with each parent to ensure that they see the benefit of goal setting as well as identify goals that will be helpful to the family. Work with parents to create goals that are broken down into specific steps that can be attained.
  • Empower for the future. Creating capacity is a key component in empowering families and setting them up for success during their time in Head Start as well as after their time in Head Start. Recognize the importance of their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Work closely with parents to ensure that they are fully engaged in their child’s education. Assist them in building partnerships as they enter the educational process and advocate for their child.  Create a strong partnership with each parent in order to guide and support them on the road to self-sufficiency.

The “Best Practices of Family Engagement” training includes topics such as:

  • Building successful relationships with families
  • Having hard conversations with parents
  • Moving from Helper to Partner
  • Adult education techniques
  • Implementing the PFCE Framework
  • Engaging fathers
  • Family Partnership Agreements
  • Establishing boundaries
  • Working with challenging families
  • Caring for yourself in order to care for families

Are you looking for on-site, highly interactive & practice-based training on “Best Practices of Family Engagement”? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Creating Realistic, Specific & Measurable Goals with Families

Family Service Workers and Home Visitors are the first point of contact for our families. Establishing a good working relationship with each family is the foundation for effective & comprehensive work with families. Have a good working relationship with families is key in a successful goal setting process. As staff invite each family to participate in the goal setting process, having a partnership in place with each family is essential.

We believe that individualized Family Partnership Agreements are living documents and must be reflective of the people involved in setting the goals. It is important that Family Partnership Agreements are intentional, purposeful and based on the strengths and needs of each family. Family Partnership Agreements are about the relationship with the family – not the form it is written on.

This highly interactive training is an opportunity for your Family Service Workers and Home Visitors to learn new strategies as it pertains to effective goal setting with families – and practice those skills during the training.

This practice-based training will address how to set realistic, meaningful & measurable goals as well as create individualized Family Partnership Agreements. The training includes addressing topics such as:

  • Build the relationship first. Engage and build connection with families by allowing adequate time for conversation and listening with an open mind. Hearing what families are saying is vital. It is important that staff spend time getting to know each family member as an individual and work to establish a comfort level with each one. This time allows staff to discover what the family is all about and what is important to them. The key is to begin this relationship at application and enrollment, building it consistently and authentically.
  • Initiate “rich” conversations with families. This training teaches the participants the stages of a helping relationship. Initiate “rich” conversations with families that get to the heart of where families are and where they want to be. This includes the family’s own timeline for goals and needs. Create a safe environment for parents to share their strengths and open up about areas of challenge. Know what questions to ask families in order to gain critical information to set goals.
  • Create goals that are specific, realistic and measurable. We believe that Family Partnership Agreements are not just something to complete in order to check it off of your to-do list. Family Partnership Agreements are living documents that must be intentional and individualized for each family. As this process is often something that is uncomfortable for staff, this training includes suggested language to use when setting goals with families as well as a hands-on demonstration of the process. Staff should work in partnership with parents to create goals that are realistic and measurable – and broken down into specific steps that can be attained. This training includes implementing this through the SMART goal setting process.

Work with parents to set them up for success throughout the goal setting process. Recognize parents’ role as their child’s first and most important teacher.

Are you looking for on-site, custom designed training on “Creating Realistic, Specific & Measurable Goals with Families”? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Building Successful Relationships With Parents Through Motivational Interviewing

One of the most important roles of Family Service Workers and Home Visitors is to create effective working relationships with parents. We believe in meeting parents where they are. . .and creating a strong partnership with each parent in order to guide them to self-sufficiency. Home Visitors and Family Service Workers work closely with parents to identify their strengths and needs, set family goals and provide opportunities for parents to be fully engaged in the life of their child, including in their education.  Family participation is a powerful predictor of positive child outcomes and it directly impacts children’s school readiness.

Finding the right approach for effective work with parents starts with an ability to extend empathy… to understand where they are and where they want to go. We believe in engaging and building connections with families by initiating “rich” conversations. Create a safe environment for families to share their strengths and open up about areas of challenge. Take the time to work with parents to create solutions and offer support in a patient and helpful way. Discover what each family is all about and what is important to them – recognizing their strengths and needs.

It’s essential that Family Service Workers and Home Visitors have the needed skills in order to create successful relationships with parents. Motivational interviewing is one of those key skills.  Motivational interviewing is the process of helping people move through the stages of change. Motivational interviewing includes:

  • Learning how to collaborate and support change using specific skill-building techniques;
  • Improving how you show empathy through reflective listening.
  • Supporting a parent’s desire to change by learning how to establish discrepancy and rolling with resistance.

This highly interactive, practice-based training explores the principles and stages of motivational interviewing as well as motivators of change and transformation. Motivational interviewing is a great tool to have in your toolbox when establishing successful relationships with parents. Believing that a parent can change is powerful. However, supporting a parent’s belief that they can change themselves is empowering.

Are you looking for training on “Building Successful Relationships with Parents through Motivational Interviewing?” Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Successful Home Visiting: Utilizing the Home as a Learning Environment

The goal of home-based services in Head Start & Early Head Start is to strengthen the relationship between children and their parents. Home visiting is intended to support parents in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher and for parents to facilitate their child’s growth and development. We believe in strength-based practice as it pertains to home visiting… building on the individual strengths that each family has during home visits and socializations.

We often hear about Home Visitors bringing toys and materials into the home visit. While this is done with the best of intentions, we believe in using items found in each parent’s home. By using simple household items and everyday routines, it provides meaningful opportunities for children to grow developmentally. By utilizing things found in the home, parents can recreate these activities between home visits. This continues the learning and provides a great foundation for school readiness.

This custom designed training can also address other topics such as:

  • The Home Visitor as the Coach
  • Building strong relationships with families
  • Establishing boundaries
  • Safety & Awareness
  • Successful socializations
  • Adult education techniques
  • Working with challenging families

This training focuses on Home Visitors having the skills and confidence needed to coach the parent and empower them to support their child’s growth and development.

Are you looking for highly interactive & practice-based training on “Successful Home Visiting: Utilizing the Home as a Learning Environment? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Using Motivational Interviewing to Build Effective Relationships with Parents

Family Service Workers and Home Visitors have an important role that includes creating effective working relationships with parents. They form a partnership with them to guide them on their path to self-sufficiency. Home Visitors and Family Service Workers work closely with parents to identify their strengths and needs, set family goals and provide opportunities for parents to be fully engaged in the life of their child.

Finding the right approach for effective work with parents starts with an ability to extend empathy… to understand where they are and where they want to go. We believe in engaging and building connections with families by initiating “rich” conversations. Create a safe environment for families to share their strengths and open up about areas of challenge. Take the time to work with parents to create solutions and offer support in a patient and helpful way. Discover what each family is all about and what is important to them – recognizing their strengths and needs.

It’s essential that Family Service Workers and Home Visitors have the needed skills in order to create successful relationships with parents. Motivational interviewing is one of those key skills.  Motivational interviewing is the process of helping people move through the stages of change. Motivational interviewing includes:

  • Learning how to collaborate and support change using specific skill-building techniques;
  • Improving how you show empathy through reflective listening.
  • Supporting a parent’s desire to change by learning how to establish discrepancy and rolling with resistance.

This practice-based training explores the principles and stages of motivational interviewing as well as motivators of change and transformation. Motivational interviewing is a great tool to have in your toolbox when establishing effective relationships with parents. Believing that a parent can change is powerful. However, supporting a parent’s belief that they can change themselves is empowering.

Are you looking for training on “Using Motivational Interviewing to Build Effective Relationships with Parents”? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Best Practices of Home Visiting

The goal of home-based services in Head Start & Early Head Start is to strengthen the relationship between children and their parents. Home visiting is intended to support parents in their role as the primary caregiver and for the parents to facilitate their child’s growth and development. We believe in strength-based practice as it pertains to home visiting… building on the individual strengths that each family has during home visits. High quality home visiting includes several key elements.

  1. The Role of the Home Visitor:  During the home visit, the Home Visitor acts in the role of a facilitator, coach and supporter. This allows the Home Visitor to partner with the parent to be their child’s first and most important teacher. The Home Visitor steps out of the spotlight and focuses on facilitating parent/child interaction. In the role as Coach, the Home Visitor uses daily routines and helps parents observe, reflect and adapt their behavior to meet their child’s needs.
  2. Facilitating Parent/Child Interaction:  During the home visit, the relationship between the parent and the child is the focus. We utilize strategies to facilitate parent/child interaction, including setting up the environment, affirming parent competence, providing developmental information, and modeling developmentally appropriate interactions. The Home Visitor coaches the parent and empowers them to support their child’s growth and development.
  3. The Home as a Learning Environment:  We often hear about Home Visitors bringing toys and materials into the home visit. While this is done with the best of intentions, we believe in using items found in each parent’s home. By using simple household items and everyday routines, it provides meaningful opportunities for children to grow developmentally. By utilizing things found in the home, parents can recreate these activities between home visits. This continues the learning and provides a great foundation for school readiness.

The “Best Practices of Home Visiting” training includes topics, such as:

  • The Home Visitor as the Coach
  • Utilizing the Home as a learning environment
  • Establishing boundaries
  • Building strong relationships with families
  • Safety & Awareness
  • Strategies to engage fathers
  • Working with challenging families
  • Adult education techniques
  • Successful socializations
  • Caring for yourself in order to care for families

Are you looking for highly interactive & practice-based training on “Best Practices of Home Visiting”? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Training for Family Service Workers: “Empathize, Encourage & Empower: Building Successful Relationships with Parents”

It is essential that families are fully engaged in the lives of their children, including being invested in their child’s education. Establishing meaningful family engagement in your program is critical.  It’s the basis for many other programmatic activities and requirements. The Family Service Worker is the first point of contact for our families. Engaging families and establishing a good working relationship with them is a foundational element in Head Start.

We’ve found that building successful relationships with parents includes:

  • Empathize: Finding the right approach for effective work with families starts with an ability to extend empathy… to understand where they are and where they want to go. Engage and build connection with families by allowing adequate time for conversation and listening with an open mind.  Initiate “rich” conversations with families that get to the heart of where families are and where they want to be.  Create a safe environment for them to share their strengths and open up about areas of challenge.
  • Encourage: To encourage means to “walk along side of” and that is exactly how we want to approach our work with families. Take the time to extend assurance, to work together to create solutions and to offer support in a patient and helpful way. This will lead to meaningful connections.Take time to discover what the family is all about and what is important to them – recognizing their strengths and needs.
  • Empower: Helping families to be involved in their child’s learning is a key component to empowering families. This sets them up for success during their time in Head Start – and after Head Start. Recognize the importance of the parents’ role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Build partnerships as they enter the educational process. Assist as families learn to advocate for their children. Being involved in their child’s education will allow families to grow and be on their way to self-sufficiency.

Are you looking for highly interactive & practice-based training on“Empathize, Encourage & Empower: Building Successful Relationships with Parents”? This training will be custom designed to meet the important role of your Family Service Workers. Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Effective Goal Setting with Families through Motivational Interviewing

Family Service Workers and Home Visitors are the first point of contact for our families. They have a critical role that includes working closely with each family to meet them where they are – and guide them on their path to self-sufficiency. Establishing a good working relationship with families is essential in the goal setting process. Another key skill to have in your toolbox, as it pertains to effective goal setting, is motivational interviewing.

Effective goal setting consists of partnering with families to create specific and measurable goals. We have found that successfully implementing this process consists of:

  • Developing trusting relationships. Engage and build connection with families by allowing adequate time for conversation and listening with an open mind. Hearing what families are saying is vital. Initiate “rich” conversations with families that get to the heart of where families are and where they want to be.  Create a safe environment for them to share their strengths and open up about areas of challenge.
  • Recognizing family’s strengths and needs. It is important that staff spend time getting to know each family member as an individual and work to establish a comfort level with each one. This time allows staff to discover what the family is all about and what is important to them – reflective goal setting. This includes the family’s own timeline for goals and needs. Know what questions to ask families in order to gain critical information to set goals.
  • Motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing is the process of helping people move through the stages of change. Learn how to collaborate and support change using specific skill-building techniques. Improve how you show empathy through reflective listening. Support a parent’s desire to change by learning how to establish discrepancy and rolling with resistance. Believing that a parent can change is only half as powerful as effectively supporting a parent’s belief that they can change themselves.

This highly interactive & practice-based training also addresses how to engage challenging parents with complex needs. It is important that Family Partnership Agreements are intentional, purposeful and based on the strengths and needs of each family. As Family Service Workers & Home Visitors invite each family to participate in the goal setting process, we need to work in partnership with parents to determine realistic and effective family goals.

Are you looking for Training on Effective Goal Setting with Families through Motivational Interviewing? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Communicating with EEE’s: Building Relationships with Families

What is the most important thing that you want families in your program to know? Your answer indicates how the staff and program interact with and support families during their time in Head Start. Finding the most effective and comfortable way to build relationships with families and to partner with them for success is important in a program’s planning process. Think about these suggestions to create an “EEE”asy course of action for your group!

Empathize: Finding the right approach for effective work with families starts with an ability to extend empathy… to understand where they are and what their strengths and needs might be. Listen carefully and choose the kindest way to provide information. Partner with families to reach a goal. Both are examples of dealing empathetically with families.

Encourage: To encourage means to “walk along side of” and that is exactly how we want to approach our work with families. Take the time to extend assurance, to work together to create solutions and to offer support in a patient and helpful way that will lead to meaningful connections.

Empower: Creating capacity is a key component to empowering families and setting them up for success after their time in Head Start. Recognize the importance of their role as their child’s first teacher. Build partnerships as they enter the educational process. And assist as families grow in their ability to advocate for their children.  These actions will produce results which empower Head Start families toward success.

Each of these areas is correlated to the Parent/Family/Community Engagement Framework. Essential Elements offers training to build your Family Service Workers’ capacity and to create a strong and practical plan for an effective parent engagement strategy based on positive relationships.  Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com to schedule this training for your staff.

The Parent, Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework

Creating Your Program’s Family Engagement Plan

Family participation is a powerful predictor of positive child outcomes and it directly impacts children’s school readiness.  The PFCE framework is a road map to create a comprehensive family engagement plan that will lead to positive outcomes for children and families.

Consider these items when creating your program’s family engagement plan:

1. Use the PFCE framework as the foundation of your family engagement plan.  It’s important to take a systemic and integrated approach to family engagement.  This is organized in the PFCE framework through:

  • Program foundations
    • Program leadership
    • Continuous program improvement
    • Professional development
  • Program impact areas
    • Program environment
    • Family partnerships
    • Teaching & learning
    • Community partnerships
  • Family engagement outcomes
    • Family well-being
    • Positive parent/child relationships
    • Families as lifelong educators
    • Families as learners
    • Family Engagement in transitions
    • Family connections to peers and communities
    • Families as advocates & leaders

2. Do a family engagement self-assessment.  Review and assess the family engagement that currently exists in your program.  What do you do well?  What can be improved?  Also consider these questions:

  • How do we partner with parents?
  • How do we offer parents opportunities to share observations of their child with us?
  • How do we empower parents as their child’s first and most important teacher?

3. Include a plan to measure family engagement.  When creating your family engagement plan, establish how each family engagement strategy will be measured.  In addition to strategies, expected results, timelines, persons responsible and needed resources, a plan to measure progress is essential.  In order to document progress, it’s critical to establish a measurement tool for each family engagement outcome.  This will be valuable information when reviewing and revising your family engagement plan – as well as for data-driven decision making.

Looking for training on the PFCE framework and family engagement? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.