To support and enhance family engagement, caregivers can consider the following:
- Create a welcoming early care and learning environment by greeting families during hellos and goodbyes, hang welcome signs on the door, post caregiver photos and information, hang a board to post information about community and program events
- Ways to get involved in the community and learn about different cultural backgrounds of the infants, toddlers and families they support
- Ask families how they prefer to receive information and consider different ways to communicate with families on a regular basis. Prepare written materials in the home languages of the families they support
- Ways to gather information from families and learn about what is important to them, such as using surveys or creating a question and answer section on a program website
- Opportunities for families to be involved in decision-making and voice their opinion
- Opportunities for families to volunteer and spend time in the early care and learning setting:
- Share a favorite family song
- Read a favorite family story in their home language
- Create a family fun area in the care setting where families can spend time playing and learning with their infant or toddler
- Support a family meeting by suggesting meeting or session topics (learning a new language, stress management for adults, first aid, infant and toddler safe sleep)
- 为家庭提供活动和材料use at home or in the community; consider recording routines and interactions during the day within the care and learning setting that families can watch, learn about, and use at home