Collaborative Family Partnerships

Collaborative Family Partnerships

Collaborative family partnerships one indicator of high quality program

DAP Guideline for Practice

ECSE Recommended Practice

TRAC Partnering with Families to

Support Children’s Learning

Parent Involvement Philosophy Parents have the right and responsibility to share in

decisions about their child’s care and education.

Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Parent/Provider Involvement

Respect, cooperation,

shared responsibility

Regular, two-way communication

Welcome in program,

participation

Shared decision making

Parent choices and

preferences respected

Shared knowledge about

child

Source of information,

engage in planning for

child

Links families to services

and resources

Definition of a Family

“Families are big, small, extended, nuclear, multi-generational, with one parent, two parents and grandparents. We live under one roof or many. A family can be as temporary as a few weeks, as permanent as forever. We become part of a family by birth, adoption, marriage, or from a desire for mutual support...A family is a culture unto itself, with different values and unique ways of realizing its dreams; together, our families become the source of our rich cultural heritage and spiritual diversity... Our families create neighborhoods, communities, states, and nations.”Source: Edelman, Larry et al., (1991) Getting on Board, Training activities to Promote the Practice of Family Centered Care.

Origins of Family-Centered Services

• Group of philosophies, attitudes, and approaches in caring for children with special needs and their families.

• First identified in 1988 by former Surgeon General Koop.

• Embodied in IDEA

Family Centered Philosophy

Family is constant in child’s

life

Families want what is best for their children

Families have different strategies to reach dreams

and different needs No single approach

is the right

approach

Family Centered Philosophy

Principles for Delivering Family Centered Services

Respect family values and

culture

Trust family judgment Work together

Be flexible Look at the whole picture

Recognize parents as

decision makers

Relate to family as people

Slippery Egg Activity

Brainstorm Activity

• Informal Communication Strategies to Build Relationships

In pairs, brainstorm opportunities for “tennis ball” talk