Introducing Family-Centered Practice

因为家庭对孩子的发展是核心，特别是在早期的岁月里，他们是他们孩子教育过程中的合作伙伴，积极参与者和决策者。因此，以科素为本is considered one of the indicators of quality in early-childhood education, programs, and services. At the heart of family-centered practice is the belief that families are the most important decision-makers in a child's life (Sandall, Hemmeter, Smith, & McLean, 2005).

Family-centered practice also means that you, and all program staff, understand the important effect all family members have on each other and on the individual child. Each family member affects the other and the ways that the family functions. All family members are interconnected. From our families, we learn skills that enable us to engage in school and the workplace.

When considering family-centered practice, you view each child or youth as part of a larger system; you view family members as a whole family system. As a T&C or manager you help program staff become aware of and sensitive to the interactions and relationships taking place within the family, as well as outside interactions and supports that affect them. It is important that your entire program staff understand that to maintain relationships with families and to work effectively together, you learn, respect and understand characteristics of each family and its support system. You can also consider the characteristics and stressors that may affect a family's involvement. What affects one family member can affect all family members. A family is a complex system in which no one member can be viewed in isolation.

Throughout the Virtual Laboratory School, we consider family-centered practice as an umbrella term that encompasses the beliefs and actions of people in your program. Consider this table:

Family-Centered Practice 家庭中心的实践是一组影响我们互动家庭的信仰和行动。
信仰	行动
Families are the most important decision-makers in a child's life.	We learn about families' ideas and preferences. We provide choices in programming. We involve families in program leadership. 我们让家庭参与决策。
家庭是独一无二的，他们的差异丰富了我们的节目。	We honor and respect diversity. We involve all the important people in a child's life. We engage and involve families. We develop responsive and reciprocal relationships. 我们代表家庭参与我们的项目。
家庭是有弹性的。	我们了解家庭的优势，需求和环境。 We connect families with resources. We build families' strengths.
家庭是发展和学习的中心。yabo电子游艺	我们与家庭分享信息。 We listen to families. We view families as their child's first teacher. We respect families' expertise about their child.
家庭是我们的合作伙伴。	We use respectful, responsive, and two-way communication. 我们接触家庭。 我们涉及我们计划的各个方面的家庭。

As a T&C or program manager, you should make an effort to get to know the families in your program. You should convey and model for program staff the importance of understanding each child and family, as this creates opportunities for you to better support the children or youth in your care. You can learn more about family-centered practices in the Family Engagement course.

欢迎每个孩子和家庭

Where do you feel welcomed? What happens in that place that makes you feel welcome? Do families feel welcome when they come to their child's classroom? How are families greeted when they call the program or ask a question?

T＆CS和计划管理人员在涉及到该计划的家庭方面取得领先地位。作为领导团队，T＆CS和计划经理应该讨论如何支持该计划的使命，不仅关心儿童，而且对儿童家属深入关心。T＆CS和程序经理为该程序设置了基调。他们欢迎父母，使他们感到与该计划相连。正如他们关心孩子欢迎如何，他们关注父母的方式不仅在下降和拾取时间内容，而是在他们的孩子的下面。

重要的是，T＆CS或计划经理要求父母希望如何参与，并提醒家庭成员，他们是该计划的重要部分。父母应该能够选择涉及许多方式 - 特别是对军事家庭，在父母如何能够参与的情况下具有灵活性至关重要。同样重要的是，T＆CS应该与计划人员进行对话，并遵守与家庭的互动，以确保家庭受到适当的欢迎，并有多种方式参与其孩子的特殊课堂。

家长们想就这个项目和他们的孩子进行有意义的对话。作为T&C或经理，您必须帮助确保在课程级别和每个教室内都能做到这一点。特别是，T&C应花时间观察接送互动，并在儿童保育计划中审查家长-教师会议文件，以帮助员工反思他们如何与孩子沟通，以及他们如何利用这些机会更多地了解家庭，并与每个孩子的家庭形成合作关系。当家长在教室或更大的项目中做志愿者时，他们需要有明确的方向、目标，并知道对他们的期望是什么。在项目咨询委员会工作的父母需要知道，他们的声音和委员会其他人的声音一样重要。

此外，家庭手册可以帮助T＆CS和计划管理员与父母交谈，了解计划任务，哲学，政策，程序，角色和职责。对于节目经理，这可以是与您在您的程序中注册时与家庭分享的伟大信息项目，并打开门，以便您分享有关该计划的更多信息，并回答家庭的问题。要求父母在家庭手册中添加或包含的想法是另一种证明家庭是重要决策者和部分计划社区的方法。

的另一个核心方面确保家庭感觉welcome in your program, is confirming that program staff update families about their child's day and week. Ongoing communication, including two-way communication, where parents and the child's caregiver exchange information about the child, is important. Working together on behalf of the child benefits all parties. Program staff must also be able to reach out to T&Cs or program managers when they are unsure how to approach particular issues or topics with children's families. T&Cs and program managers should be prepared to help program staff learn how to sensitively approach families. Sometimes T&Cs or program managers may be part of meetings between caregivers and parents, or they may help staff members prepare for meetings and ensure they have the appropriate time and space to communicate with families.

T&Cs and program managers may have to explain to families why the program promotes developmentally appropriate practice, how the chosen curriculum supports youth development, and stages of development. Sharing information with families that helps them be better informed as parents is a component of program leadership. You may do this in the form of print resources, family workshop nights, and in one-on-one, or team meetings with individual families.

程序经理应该有明确的反馈机制，以了解该计划如何满足家庭的需求。重要的是要提出问题并提供具有不同方法的家庭，以提供领导团队的反馈（问卷，建议框，一个关于一个对话，家庭活动）。

T＆CS和计划经理还应专注于家庭的优势。Allfamilies have strengths and全部的families have challenges. Model for others a focus on each family's strengths. T&Cs and program managers can engage staff in forming relationships with families and set the tone for a warm, welcoming program atmosphere. T&Cs and program managers serve as models and leaders who demonstrate the true spirit of caring for families.

观看下面的视频，听T&C和项目经理介绍每天与每个家庭联系的重要性以及与父母建立伙伴关系的好处。

Program Management: Welcoming Families

帮助家庭为孩子获得服务

Meeting families' needs, ensuring they feel welcome, and providing assistance when there is a concern are all essential aspects of a T&Cs and a program manager's work. In many cases, the T&Cs is the first person a staff member talks with when they have concerns about a child's development. Having an ongoing progress-monitoring system for each child that indicates his or her growth and development provides excellent documentation to share with parents. Keeping observation records at various times of the day is also critical to documenting how children are progressing over time as they learn new information and skills. Families should also be encouraged to share information about what they observe at home. Families often are the first to notice if their children are experiencing difficulties.

条例和程序经理协助项目工作人员和families with documentation and referrals to appropriate agencies when there are questions about a child's development. They should have access to phone numbers, addresses, and other written information concerning vision and hearing screenings, health-care providers, early intervention services, school district special services teams, and mental health service agencies. These can be difficult conversations to have with families and so great care and sensitivity must be used when relaying any concerns with children's families and sharing information about the child. When approaching a family with concerns about their child's development, you should be prepared:

• 询问家庭他们的担忧以及他们对孩子在家经历的关注。
• 通过儿童或青少年在该计划中的经验中获取文档，以帮助解释您的疑虑。
• With a list of resources to discuss together potential next steps.
• 倾听家人的声音。对于一些家庭来说，听到或谈论孩子的成长过程可能是一种非常情绪化的经历，尤其是当他们的生活中有其他压力源时。
• 强调你来这里是为了帮助支持家庭和他们的孩子，你的项目工作人员希望与家庭合作，以尽可能好的方式支持他们的孩子。

When programs enroll children who receive special services, the T&Cs and program managers should ensure that the children and teachers have adequate resources and supports. Teachers need training and consultation to work with children with disabilities. The T&Cs or program manager will need to work collaboratively to ensure that an infant's individualized family service plan (IFSP) outcomes or a preschool child's individualized education plan (IEP) goals are addressed. The child's family, the school district or agency personnel, and the child care program leaders are a team working on behalf of the child with disabilities. Successful inclusion of children with disabilities requires careful planning, intentional teaching, and ongoing communication among all team members. You should follow your Service's procedures for how to support children with special needs and what is needed regarding IFSP or IEP documentation. You can also access the套件资源与计划人员合作开发战略，以支持具有各种特殊需求的儿童。

有优异的资源可用（参见参考文献列表），T＆CS和计划经理可以用于自己和员工成员的专业开发。培训和适当的员工和家庭资源对于成功包容至关重要，并应明确地写入任何参加育儿或课后方案的残疾儿童的任何IFSP或IEP文件。重要的是要记住家庭，或有时儿童的特殊服务提供者（例如，职业治疗师，言语治疗师，物理治疗师，早期干预专家等），可以是如何适当地支持具有特殊需求的孩子的伟大资源。作为T＆C或Program Manager，您可以安排您和相应的计划人员聚集在一起的会议，以了解在课堂上使用的特定技术来支持孩子。适当时，您甚至可以帮助家庭和计划工作人员携手共同努力，他们如何与孩子课堂上的其他孩子谈论他们的特殊能力。请参阅与残疾儿童的Pacer Center Champions学习附件，告诉同学关于您孩子的残疾可能会促进接受, for more information. Although this resource is framed for families, it has many helpful ideas and strategies for how families and staff may thoughtfully approach discussions around children with more significant unique abilities with the larger classroom community.

Watch the video below to hear T&Cs and program managers describe their role in ensuring children with disabilities and special needs receive appropriate care and how to support staff members and families through the journey of caring for these exceptional children.

方案管理：具有特殊需求的家庭

与社区伙伴合作

项目经理向当地机构、学校和企业代表项目。项目经理可能参与当地团体，如儿童保育主任协会、关注青年发展和职业培训的机构间理事会、当地社区大学工作小组、家庭倡导小组以及促进儿童和家庭福祉的其他协会或董事会。项目经理承诺与社区中的其他机构和企业建立伙伴关系。作为项目的代言人，经理以正直和专业的态度行事。

Some community partnerships may involve program managers committing to carrying out policies and procedures as outlined in memorandums of understanding (MOUs). MOUs are sometimes developed between organizations to organize and facilitate agreed-upon services for children and parents. For example, a child-care program may have an MOU with a birth-to-3 early-intervention agency that indicates in writing that the agency will conduct developmental screening for infants and toddlers enrolled in the child-care center at no cost to the parents or child-care organization. An MOU for developmental screening may commit the program manager to obtaining signed permission forms from parents in order to have their infants screened, explaining the screening process, and including parents in the process. Arranging for space at the child-care center for the agency staff to conduct the screenings also may be part of the MOU. Such an agreement means parents learn more about their child's development without the need for families to travel to another agency or take time off work. When program managers work together with community agencies and businesses, the time spent on collaboration can result in enhanced service to the children, families, and staff.

Other community collaboration activities that T&Cs and program managers can engage in include:

• Shared professional development opportunities (workshops, webinars, conferences) for themselves and their staff
• 申请助学金、奖学金、工作人员材料的机会（例如，一些民间团体和服务组织为学校和机构提供资助，以获得特定的想法，例如增加更多与科学有关的材料）
• 受益于志愿者来回的机会m the community who can share their skills and expertise with the staff and children
• 费用援助支持军事家庭，无需访问基地幼儿提供者，例如通过儿童保育意识，https://usa.childcareaware.org/fee-assistancerespite/military-families/. 非军人家属，见：http://childcareaware.org/families/paying-for-child-care/federal-state-child-care-programs/
• Making information about child care subsidies available by sharing resources about the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC -https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44993/7) and the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF -https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/615) by sharing access to resources about them.

建立合作关系需要时间和精力，但在提高儿童和青年方案的整体质量方面，往往会产生有意义的结果。专注于为T&C提供专业支持的团体（例如，教练组）或项目经理（例如，儿童保育主任组）可以为处于领导地位的人提供一个网络，分享他们的庆祝活动和挑战，并在代表儿童和家庭工作的人中建立新的朋友和同事。