Early childhood educators have a tremendous opportunity to foster inclusivity, respect, and a sense of belonging in young children and their families (Abacioglu et al., 2020). They can impact children's early experiences by creating caring and inclusive learning environments in schools and homes (Vidal-Hall et al., 2020). Facilitating diverse…

When teachers take on the sole responsibility for teaching children to write, it is a hefty load to bear. Fortunately, families can serve alongside teachers as powerful writing role models and help welcome children into the world of written language. Involving families as team members in a teacher's writing instruction is not always easy. It takes…

Educators are encouraged to form a collaborative partnership with the family as a way to learn about who the child is, work together to provide positive outcomes for the child, and to promote the capacity of the family to make decisions that work best for their child and the entire family. Though home visits are not explicitly stated as an avenue…

Early childhood professionals can provide services and effective support to assist military families with healthy coping and functioning before, during, and after deployment. The purpose of this article is to examine what is known about the effects of stressors associated with the military lifestyle and how they impact returning military members,…

Although it is evident that advocacy for strong school and family relationships exists, many teachers and schools struggle to find ways to engage families in their classrooms. At the same time, research on families from diverse cultural and linguistic groups points to differences in perceptions of what it means to be involved, support children's…

Early childhood educators are always looking for accessible, easy-to-use strategies to enhance communication with families. Technology innovations have the potential to enhance and create more meaningful school and home communication that involves families and encourages them to support their children's learning at home. Effective technological…

Family involvement in early childhood classrooms benefits children, school staff, and families. The development of a strong relationship between early childhood programs and families is a critical component of developmentally appropriate practices. What strategies enable families to be full and active participants in their young children's…

The United States is becoming increasingly diverse, so early childhood educators are often among the first to work with families whose primary languages are other than English. Many parents, guardians, and family members do speak English but not fluently enough to feel comfortable communicating with teachers or administrators. When educators and…

Illustrates how early childhood professionals can and do play an important role in providing secure and developmentally appropriate educational environments for young children by facilitating and improving teacher-family interactions. Provides strategies for improving family involvement. (BB)

Proposes a new model of family involvement in early childhood education that empowers families as lifelong learners. Strategies that empower families include advocating for family-centered communities; developing relevant parent education; promoting developmentally appropriate programs; providing success-oriented learning experiences and…

Discusses the historical role played by families in early intervention programs, and presents a rationale for current thinking about this role. Recommends practices that recognize and encourage family-directed early childhood education, care, and intervention services. Identifies additional resources. (BB)

Reviews Kentucky's efforts to increase family and community involvement in its public school reform. These efforts include a new structure for the traditional elementary school; Family Resource Centers; and school-based decision making. Also shares some parents' perspectives on how these changes are shaping their children's school experiences. (BB)

Discusses parents' responses to open-ended questions about changes in early elementary programs initiated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act. Changes include ungraded primary programs and student progress reports to parents. (BB)

Presents guidelines and ideas for school-home learning activities that can be used by teachers and administrators who work with at-risk children and their families to build partnerships between the home and school. Recommends that teachers and administrators listen to families, develop home-learning activities, share activities with families, and…

Reviews "DEC Recommended Practices," a publication of the Division for Exceptional Children; "Empowering At-Risk Families during the Early Childhood Years" (Swick and Groves); "Developing Home-School Partnerships" (Swap); "Parent-Teacher Conferencing in Early Childhood Education" (Lawler); and the video…