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The Early Learning Nation Collective is thrilled that you have decided to embark on a journey to become or grow an Early Learning Community.

Before you start, we recommend watching this informational video to help guide you as you use the Tool. You may also want to read through some key terms before you begin the Assessment.

Goal 2.4 Sample Action Steps

Level 1

Give service providers from multiple systems access to training on empathy, effective family engagement methods, and/or parent leadership, including content on implicit bias, ableism, cultural bias, and other potential barriers to family engagement.
Ensure that school district approaches to parents in the early grades are grounded in partnership and leadership, not just “engagement,” which is often one-directional.
Employ the providers in your community who specialize in working with parents—such as parenting educators—to train and coach child-oriented providers.
When providing training on parent and family engagement, invite parents as co-trainers to model effective partnership, share their personal stories, and demonstrate why approaching parents as partners makes a difference.

Level 2

Partner with existing parent leadership groups in your community, either to provide consultation on your processes or to recruit participants for a new advisory group. Check whether there are active parent groups connected to mutual support programs such as Circle of Parents or Parents Anonymous, affiliated with Head Start, schools, or places of worship, or formed around particular issues such as children with special health care needs.
Work with community-based organizations to host Parent Café or Community Café series to engage parents in meaningful conversations about their strengths and needs, and the needs and assets of their community.
Convene child- and family-serving professionals and leaders across sectors to discuss parent engagement strategies and learn from each other and enhance their organizational readiness to include parents at decision-making tables.
Provide coaching for leadership skill development and opportunities for parents to take action in their own lives and in partnership with other community members. Consider parent engagement initiatives like Parent Academies which meet year-round and focus on involving parents as full partners in their children’s education.

Level 3

Create seats for parents and residents on city or county committees on issues related to early childhood, health care, etc.
Require parent representation on decision-making bodies funded through city or county offices, such as the boards of family-serving non-profits and school district committees.
Bring parents together with leaders of neighborhood associations, non-profits, and the school system to identify challenges and then take on local projects to help improve the community.

Goal 2.4 Examples of Communities in Action

Boston, MA

The Boston Family Engagement Network (BFEN) is a coalition of nine agencies dedicated to promoting family engagement and positioning parents as their children’s first teachers. Central to BFEN is a citywide peer-to-peer Parent Leadership model. Inclusive of parents, caregivers, community partners, early educators, and family support workers, BFEN aims to ensure that all young children have access to quality educational experiences that support their development from the day they are born. BFEN’s Neighborhood Agents are available five days a week to connect families to programs such as Welcome Baby, Parent-Child Playgroups, parenting education classes, Family Cafés, and child development screenings.

Levels

Level 1
Level 1 describes the starting point and is the first thing a community will want to establish on their path to reaching that goal. In many cases, the first level involves assessing the current situation in order to identify strengths and areas of need.

Level 2
Level 2 describes a community that is taking proactive steps and making some progress toward the goal. This may include communities where progress has been made in pockets, but those efforts are not benefiting the whole community yet.

Level 3
Finally, Level 3 indicates that a community has invested time, energy, and resources toward reaching this goal and is integrating its efforts across the early childhood system and with other sectors.

Not Started
If you or your organization have not begun assessing or considering a goal, please mark your level as “Not Started.”