Helping relationships bloom authentically between staff, parents, and children is a core mission for early childhood professionals. Because program staff accept responsibility for creating bonds with families, they establish a variety of "family-friendly" outreach strategies. For instance, they plan gradual warm-up visits, hold family…

When families enroll in an early childhood program, it is usually the first time they have daily shared their child's basic care with anyone outside of the family. Their most basic hope is that early childhood staff will care for their child as the staff would their own. There are many ways to nurture children and assist growing families. In this…

This article shares a bevy of ways to make parent meetings successful--in a meaningful way. It presents some guidelines to keep in mind when planning parent meetings: (1) survey parents on what they want to learn about or discuss regarding childrearing or family life; (2) include parents in planning meetings; (3) find motivating ways to get…

In this article, the author emphasizes on starting with a family relations philosophy and creating environments to entice family engagement. She also talks about selecting, training, and scheduling staff for family engagement. The author presents family engagement strategies to be considered, as well as staff training resources for family…

Relationships become so close in early childhood programs that many parents describe early childhood staff as their children's "extended family." And yet, no matter how genuine attachments are, there still remains the fact that parents are, in fact, the school's paying customers. When money is exchanged in the U.S., the typical rule of thumb for…

Suggests that mastering the toilet is a significant step for young children, and one of childhood's earliest rites of passage. Suggests that in learning to control body functions, toddlers step toward independence, self-reliance and personal responsibility. Urges child care workers to work with parents to identify a child's readiness and to agree…

Communication technology strengthens the bonds of parent-program partnerships. It does a great job of reinforcing and broadening parent outreach efforts. It helps staff respond to a wide variety of family questions and needs. And it allows them to respond in a timely manner. In this article, the author explores how to put technology's amazing…