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.