Advanced Course on Emotional & Social Development and ...nceln.fpg.unc.edu/.../files/resources/Mod3AllHandouts.pdfNC Foundations for Early Learning and Development: Advanced Course

NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development:

Advanced Course on Emotional & Social Development and Family Engagement

Module 3: Promoting Positive Relationships

Set of Handouts

Pre-Learning Activity Module 3: Promoting Positive Relationships

Effective Teacher Practices Supporting High Quality Supportive Environments and Nurturing & Responsive Relationships

NC Early Learning Network, a joint project of NC-DPI and UNC-FPG, 2014

Read the article titled The Power of Positive Adult Child Relationships: Connection is the Key by Dr. Jean Clinton. It is available in the handouts section and at the following link: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/Clinton.pdf. This article explores a creative ratio termed ‘C:D:C Ratio.’ This is the amount of time a teacher spends ‘Correcting and Directing’ compared to ‘Connecting’ with young children in their daily care.

• Read this article and reflect on the questions at the end. • Complete a 30 minute cycle of C:D:C. Use your cell phone (or other device) to record your verbal

interactions with your children for 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes, determine how many minutes (including % of time) you spent correcting, giving directions, and connecting with the young children in your classroom. As the article emphasizes, there is no correct answer for this equation.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/Clinton.pdf

The Power of Positive Adult Child Relationships: Connection Is the Key

Written by Dr. Jean Clinton McMaster University

Connection Is the KeyAs you begin this article, think about what it means to make a “connection” to another, and think about the strong connections you have with the children in your care. In our hearts and minds we are likely to feel connected to those we spend our days with, but routinely, we may find ourselves spending more time on Correcting and Directing, leaving little time for Connecting. On a daily basis, what is your C:D:C Ratio?

The Connection to LearningHow do children learn? For many years, the focus in research has been on how children learn to think and how they develop language and communication skills. Much less research has investigated how children learn to feel and express emotions, and how they develop the ability to become the “boss” of those feelings. This ability to manage emotions is part of self-regulation (see Dr. Shanker’s research brief on self-regulation). It is strange to consider now, but for a long time emotional development was considered unimportant, secondary to “higher order” functions such as reason (Damasio, 1994). We know now that all areas are interconnected and developing together – emotions, language, thinking – rendering it ineffective to focus on one area without the others.

Children learn best in an environment that acknowledges this interconnectivity and thus focuses on both emotional and cognitive development. There is now an explosion of knowledge that tells us that healthy development cannot happen without good relationships between children and the important people in their lives, both within

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the family and outside of it. As Dr. Jack Shonkoff states, “young children experience their world as an environment of relationships, and these relationships affect virtually every aspect of their development” (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004). Relationships are the active ingredient in healthy development, especially brain development.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is a term used to describe the process through which children (and adults) develop skills to support their success in learning, forming good relationships, solving problems, and adapting to new situations - skills such as self-awareness, self-control, the ability to work cooperatively with others and to be caring and empathetic (Goleman, 2006).

Social and Emotional Learning How do children learn about the world? Babies are born learning. When they interact with others, babies are like little scientists, observing faces and gestures and noticing everything around them. Dr. Andy Meltzoff has shown that babies as young as one month begin to imitate faces (Meltzoff, 1977). By one year of age they turn to see mom’s reaction when they are shown something new— “If there’s a smile, they’ll crawl forward to investigate; if there’s horror, they’ll stop dead in their tracks” (Gopnik, A., Meltzoff, A. N. & Kuhl, P., 2008, p. 33). They learn to soothe themselves by being soothed. It’s a two way street of serve and return (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004). We are wired to connect to others.

Infant, Toddler and Preschooler’s WorldThis holds true for other age groups as well. The world of infants, toddlers and preschoolers is one of extraordinary brain activity and learning. We all learn by observing others and we seek connection and relationship. Our brain is a social organ – wired to reach out and help others. Why is that so – likely for survival. Our babies and young children need far more protection than other mammals. A couple of very interesting experiments illustrate that we start to show empathy and a desire to help very early in life. Dr. Karen Wynn’s research at Yale is fascinating. She has 6-month-old babies watch animated circles and squares or puppets act out a mini drama. Some help a little character up a hill, some push him down. When given the choice to play with either puppet, most babies prefer the helper (Bloom, 2010). In another experiment, an adult tries to put books in a cupboard but instead of opening it he just keeps banging against it. The 18-month-old children in the study spontaneously come and open the cupboard for him. He never looked at them for help, they just knew. How? From all of the observing and relationship cues they had been receiving and responding to all their lives (Warneken & Tomasello, 2009).

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Implications for Caregivers and Early Childhood EducatorsWhat implications are there for caring for young children? A lot depends on what our mindset is and how we view our role. What do we understand our job to be? What we think, affects how we feel, affects how we act. For example, if we think that our job is to teach children all we can, so that they learn their numbers and letters and how to behave, then we may feel that kids need to do lots of things to learn and keep busy. We may act by setting up a program that mainly consists of adults directing the children through activities. This is concerning for several reasons. An adult-led emphasis on literacy and numeracy means other things need to be left out and what too often gets left out are the opportunities for learning through play.

As the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) so clearly states:

“Experts recognize that play and academic work are not distinct categories for young children: creating, doing, and learning are inextricably linked. When children are engaged in purposeful play, they are discovering, creating, improvising, and expanding their learning. Viewing children as active participants in their own development and learning allows educators to move beyond preconceived expectations about what children should be learning, and focus on what they are learning” (CMEC, 2012).

In reflecting on this, some very well-meaning early learning centres noted they had been putting children through many transitions in the day, in one example, as many as 19. The challenge is, how can you build relationships with children if you are always interrupting their work, directing them to the new activity or routine, and correcting them if they don’t follow your expectations for following the schedule? In contrast, among a growing number of early learning and child care programs, fostering relationships with the children is a top priority. They feel that children learn best in an environment that focuses on relationships, and that if kids are strongly connected to their teachers they will learn more and have less challenging behaviours. They think through the lens of “how will this affect our relationships with the children”. They look at how many transitions children go through and work to reduce transitions, and allow lengthy blocks of time where they can be connecting with the children through individualized care and play (Ministry of Education, 2007).

For babies and children, care and teaching are inseparable. By thinking differently about learning, that is, not as skills and information taught through direction, but rather as a life-long process ignited by connection, we can feel confident that learning is underway as we interact in a warm and responsive manner. With more connection, there is less need for correction and directing. When we truly follow what children are engaged in, we have to connect more with the child and things go more easily for all.


Simple Ways to Build Connections Things we can do are simple, but we need to make them more intentional. Here are some examples of ways to build connections modified from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (Ostrosky, M. M. & Jung, E. Y., 2010):

• Be at the child’s level for face-to-face interactions• Use a pleasant, calm voice and simple language while making eye contact• Provide warm, responsive physical contact• Follow the child’s lead and interest during play• Help children understand your expectations by providing simple but clear explanations

(not by directing)• Take the time to engage children in the process of resolving problems and conflicts,

rather than reiterating classroom rules• When children’s behavior is challenging and disruptive, think about where and how

they might have more success and redirect them there• Foster thoughtfulness and caring by listening to children and by encouraging them to

listen to others and share ideas • Be genuine in acknowledging children for their accomplishments and effort by clearly

saying what it is they have done well

Beyond these specific strategies, adults can speed up the process of relationship-building by:

• Carefully analyzing each compliance task (e.g., “time to go to paints”) and shifting that compliance task to a choice for children (e.g., “Do you want to paint or do puzzles?”); and

• Carefully considering if some forms of “challenging” behavior can be ignored (e.g., loud voice)—this is not ignoring behavior designed to elicit attention but ignoring in the sense of making wise and limited choices about when to pick battles over behaviour.

When there is more connection, there is less need for correction and directing.

As you can probably see by now, this shift in mindset naturally makes the C:D:C ratio better. As the connection goes up, the other C and D go down.

Beware of the “Praise Trap”It is important to reinforce when children have done well and worked hard. Reinforcing this by saying “you really worked hard on that puzzle, didn’t you” or “I see you’ve collected all of the cars and put in them in the basket, that’s wonderful Jack!” is much more informative than “good job tidying” or “you are so smart.”

The first type of praise encourages the child and fosters motivation from within (intrinsic motivation), whereas the second type of praise can lead to children looking for reward or praise which typically means they work less (extrinsic motivation).

5 D r. J e an C l i n t o n

What About School-Aged Children? What about school-aged children? The research shows the same results. Children’s relationships with others are what matter most. Children who are attuned to the adults in their lives value their approval (Ostrosky, M. M. & Jung, E. Y., 2010). In school-age programs it is key to develop this focus right from the start. Too often, when a group comes together, the first thing we do is go over the rules. What does that set up in terms of relationship expectations for the children? Will they start off by seeing you as environment managers (rule keepers) or relationship partners? What would it be like if the first interactions are seen through the lens of relationship building? We can ask children about themselves, what they like to do, what gets them really excited.

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning at Vanderbilt University (www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel) has a wonderful concept. They use a metaphor of a piggy bank for building positive relationships. They believe that “whenever teachers and caregivers engage in strategies to build positive relationships, it is as if they are making a deposit in a child’s relationship piggy bank” and the best way to do this is by “embedding them throughout the day” (Joseph, G. & Strain, P. S., 2004).

Remember Our GoalsWhat is our goal in raising and working with young children? There are many views and many voices, but clearly we are learning that the quality of children’s relationships with the adults in their life has a huge lifelong impact. In fact, evidence is accumulating that when there is an emphasis on social and emotional learning, with a special focus on positive adult-child interactions, children and young people do well.

Durlak, in his large meta-analysis of social and emotional learning showed “that students who receive social and emotional learning instruction had more positive attitudes about school and improved an average of 11 percentile points on standardized achievement tests compared to students who did not receive such instruction” (Durlak et al., 2011). And perhaps even more important for life skills, “it helps students become good commu-nicators, cooperative members of a team, effective leaders, and caring, concerned members of their communities. It teaches them how to set and achieve goals and how to persist in the face of challenges” (Durlak et al., 2011). Who could disagree?

Reflective Questions:1. In this article the words kind, caring, empathetic, warm, responsive and calm have been used

to describe the style of interactions that build connections. Think about these words in relation to the character traits you value in yourself and others. How might you modify your teaching style to foster development of these traits in the children you care for?

2. Would you enjoy your day more if you had more time for connecting with individual children or very small groups in play? Think about how you can change your daily schedule to do so.


3. As you think about this article, what would you consider an ideal Correction: Direction:Connection ratio? 1:2:200? There is no perfect answer but even just observing yourselffor a day will begin an important reflection.

4. Will you share this article with parents and co-workers?

Many thanks to Lois Saunders, RECE and Wanda St. Francois, RECE for their valuable input and insights.

References

Bloom, P. (2010, May 9). The Moral Life of Babies. New York Times, 44.

Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. (2012). Statement on Play-Based Learning. Retrieved from http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/282/play-based-learning_statement_EN.pdf

Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York: Putnam Publishing.

Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D. & Schellinger, K.B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432.

Goleman, D. (2006). Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships. New York: Random House.

Gopnik, A., Meltzoff, A. N. & Kuhl, P. (2008). The Scientist in the crib: What early learning tells us about the mind. New York: HarperCollins.

Joseph, G. & Strain, P. S. (2004). Building positive relationships with young children. Young Exceptional Children, 7(4), 21-29.

Meltzoff, A. N. & Moore, M. K. (1977, Oct 7). Imitation of Facial and Manual Gestures by Human Neonates. Science, 198(4312), 75-78.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young children develop in an environment of relationships. Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/library/reports_and_working_papers/working_pape1/

Ontario Ministry of Education (2007). Early Learning for Every Child Today: A Framework for Ontario’s Early Childhood Settings. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/oelf/continuum/continuum.pdf

Ostrosky, M. M. & Jung, E. Y. (2010). What Works Briefs: Building Positive Teacher-Child Relationships. Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning. Retrieved from http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/briefs/wwb12.pdf

Warneken, F. & Tomasello, M. (2009). The Roots of Human Altruism. British Journal of Psychology, 100, 455-471.

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http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/282/play-based-learning_statement_EN.pdf

http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/282/play-based-learning_statement_EN.pdf

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/library/reports_and_working_papers/working_pape1/

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/library/reports_and_working_papers/working_pape1/

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/oelf/continuum/continuum.pdf

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/oelf/continuum/continuum.pdf

Building Partnerships:Guide to Developing Relationships with Families

[email protected] http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family

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Positive Goal-Oriented RelationshipsExplore the role that Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships play in effective parent, family, and community engagement. This guide offers definitions, tools, and reflective practice and supervision strategies to help program staff develop positive, ongoing, and goal-oriented relationships.

This resource is intended for the entire Head Start and Early Head Start community and professionals in the early childhood field. Individuals, groups of staff, and supervisors can use this tool as part of training and reflective practice and supervision. This guide is aligned with the Office of Head Start (OHS) Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework and Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS).

Getting Started Learn about family engagement and Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships.

Tools Explore tools to develop Strengths-based Attitudes and Relationship-based Practices.

Reflective Strategies Discover reflective practice and supervision strategies.

Additional Resources Find more resources on family engagement and related topics.

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2

3

4

Discover definitions, tools,

and strategies for reflective practice and supervision

to help program staff develop positive goal- oriented relationships

with families.

This resource was prepared under Grant #90HC0003 for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, by the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement.

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Family Engagement and Positive Goal-Oriented RelationshipsThe Office of Head Start (OHS) Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework is a road map for progress. It is a research-based approach to program change designed to help Head Start, Early Head Start, and early childhood programs achieve outcomes that lead to positive and enduring change for children and families.

When parent and family engagement activities are systemic and integrated across PFCE Framework Program Foundations and Program Impact Areas, better family outcomes are achieved. These activities contribute to children’s health and school readiness. Parent and family engagement activities are grounded in positive, ongoing, and goal-oriented relationships with families.

Getting Started

OHS PFCE Framework

1

Program Environment

Family Partnerships

Teaching and Learning

Community Partnerships

Family Well-being

Parent-Child Relationships

Families as Lifelong Educators

Families as Learners

Family Engagement in Transitions

Family Connections to Peers and Community

Families as Advocates and Leaders

Children are ready for school and sustain development and learning gains through third grade

PROGRAM FOUNDATIONS

PROGRAM IMPACT AREAS

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT OUTCOMES

CHILD OUTCOMES

Program Leadership

Continuous Program Improvement

Professional Development

Positive & Goal-Oriented Relationships

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What are Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships?The goal of parent and family engagement is to work with families to build strong and effective partnerships that can help children and families thrive. These partnerships are grounded in positive, ongoing, and goal-oriented relationships with families.

Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships are based on mutual respect and trust and are developed over time, through a series of interactions between staff and families. Successful relationships focus on families’ strengths and a shared commitment to the child’s well-being and success. As relationships between staff and families are strengthened, mutually respectful partnerships are built. Strong partnerships with families contribute to positive and lasting change for families and children.

Why Do Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships Matter?Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships support progress for children and families. These relationships contribute to positive parent-child relationships, a key predictor of success in early learning and healthy development. Through positive interactions with their most important caregivers, children develop skills for success in school and life. They learn how to manage their emotions and behaviors, solve problems, adjust to new situations, resolve conflicts, and prepare for healthy relationships with other adults and peers.

Healthy relationships between parents and children develop over time through a series of interactions that are primarily warm and positive. There may also be brief disconnections or misunderstandings in relationships. For example, there will be times when parents and children are not perfectly in sync. A toddler may be laughing and playing with her mother and be surprised when her scream of delight is met with her mother’s raised voice, telling her to be quieter. An older infant may be enjoying his breakfast of rice cereal but he may be confronted by an unhappy face when he smashes the cereal into his grandmother’s work clothes. These temporary disconnections are natural and necessary, and they build a child’s capacity for resilience and conflict resolution. As long as interactions are primarily positive, children can learn important skills from the process of reconnecting.

Disconnections and challenges can occur in our relationships with families and colleagues as well. A father arrives to find his toddler fingerpainting and immediately becomes upset with the caregiver. He is in a hurry and doesn’t have time to change her clothes. A mother is frustrated that her child is not making more progress learning her numbers and letters and blames the caregivers. Imperfect interactions help us learn how to tolerate discomfort and how to resolve challenges. These are important skills for building strong partnerships.

Getting Started1

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Positive relationships between parents and providers are important as families make progress toward other goals, such as improved health and safety, increased financial stability, and enhanced leadership skills. Strong partnerships can provide a safe place where families can explore their hopes, share their challenges, and let us know how we can help. Staff, community partners, and peers can be resources as families decide what is important to them and how to turn their goals into realities. Parents help us enhance their children’s learning and healthy development. When we focus on families’ strengths and view parents as partners, we can work more effectively to support parent-child relationships and other outcomes for families and children.

Everything we do is intended to give families the emotional and concrete supports they want and need to reach better outcomes. When a family makes progress, parents have more capacity to give to their children. For example, a family may be struggling financially and constantly worried about where the next meal will come from. The parent may be overwhelmed or embarrassed, unsure of how to ask for help. If the parent trusts the program or a staff member, the parent might share their distress and worry. The program can work with the parent to find and access food and nutrition resources in their community.

As the family stabilizes, the parent might work with staff to identify how to improve the situation in the long term. The parent may decide to go back to school to increase his or her earning potential or might join a group to talk with other families about educational goals. The parent might work with the program and peers to find and access educational resources. As families take steps to reach their goals, they can engage in relationships with their children. Strong relationships between parents and caregivers contribute to better outcomes for children and families.

Getting Started: Why Do Relationships Matter, cont.1

Positive Goal-Oriented

Relationships with families lead to positive parent-child relationships, a key predictor

of success in early learning and healthy

development.

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Recognize What Families, Staff, and Children Contribute

Building a relationship is a dynamic and ongoing process that depends on contributions from everyone involved: families, program staff, and children. Families have a set of beliefs, attitudes, and perspectives that affect relationships with staff. Likewise, providers have a set of beliefs, attitudes, and perspectives, both personal and professional, which affect our relationships with families. Children live and learn in specific environments and are influenced by the parents, families, and other adults and peers in their lives. They also bring their own unique contributions to relationships in the form of behavior, temperament, emotion, and stage of development.

Understand and Appreciate DifferencesSuccessful partnerships are created when families and staff value the perspectives and contributions of one another and care about shared goals and positive outcomes. Programs can partner with parents to understand the child’s and family’s strengths, goals, interests, and challenges. In each interaction we can learn more about each other and about ourselves as professionals. When we understand and appreciate the family’s perspective, we are more likely to set aside our own agenda and create a shared agenda with the family.

Getting Started: Perspective Taking1

Programs can partner with

parents to understand the child’s and family’s

strengths, goals, interests, and challenges.

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Meet Families Where They Are: Cultural Perspectives

Understanding cultural beliefs and priorities is key to building relationships with families. Each family comes to early childhood programs from unique cultures that give meaning and direction to their lives. Cultural influences are complex and involve family traditions, country of origin, ethnic identity, cultural group, community norms, experiences, and home language. The cultural beliefs of individual family members and the entire family affect caregiving behaviors and inform decisions made about the child and the family.

Culture affects our view on key issues such as education, family roles, child-rearing practices, what constitutes school readiness, and how we think children should behave. When we reflect on families’ unique history and perspectives we have the opportunity to think about how cultural beliefs and values influence choices and goals. In addition, we need to fully understand our own perspective and how it is shaped by our experiences, biases, and cultures.

The ways that cultural beliefs affect relationship building can be obvious or subtle. Regardless, cultural perspectives inform the choices families and professionals make. The following questions can help you discover how culture can influence perspectives, decision-making, and child-rearing practices:

•Communication. How do the parents want their child to address a teacher, grandparent, doctor, or neighbor? Is saying “hello” important when meeting someone new? Is eye contact a sign of respect or disrespect?

•Role of Professionals. Is it acceptable for parents to disagree with their child’s teacher? Are there specific areas of development and behavior that are seen as the responsibility of the professionals? Of the family?

•Caregiving (e.g. sleeping, eating, toileting). Will a child sleep alone or with her parents? Will she be breast-fed or bottle-fed when she is an infant? Will she be expected to use a spoon to eat her food or will she be encouraged to eat with her hands? When will she be expected to start using the toilet?

•Discipline. How will he be disciplined if he is in danger? What if he bites a friend? What if he throws a temper tantrum at the grocery store? Are there specific discipline strategies that parents think are more or less effective?

•Language. Is there a home language that is important to the family? Do family members want her to speak English at school and speak the home language with family? Are there important cultural traditions that rely on an understanding of the family’s home language?

•Learning. Do family members see themselves as important teachers, or is learning something that only teachers are responsible for? What kind of activities does the family like to do at home? Is there a certain age when the family expects him to be reading?

Getting Started: Cultural Perspectives1

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Culture is an important influence when building relationships with families. However, understanding a family’s culture is not necessarily simple or easy. It takes patience, commitment, and a willingness to feel uncomfortable at times. It also takes courage and humility to look at our assumptions and biases to see how they affect our attitudes toward families.

Program leadership can encourage these types of reflections as part of regular professional development, reflective practice, and reflective supervision. Activities that encourage new insights can support the development of strong partnerships with families. Respectful partnerships are created when families and staff care about shared and positive outcomes and when they value the perspective and contributions of one another.

Getting Started: Cultural Perspectives, cont.1

Understanding cultural beliefs

and priorities is key to building

relationships with families.

Explore guides for working with families from diverse cultures at the Office of Head Start National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness at http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic.

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Tools2Strengths-based Attitudes and Relationship-based PracticesWe all know how important families are in the lives of their children. When we have strong relationships with families, we are helping to promote healthy child development and school readiness. Strong relationships with families also make it easier to have conversations involving uncomfortable feelings or challenging topics. In this section, we will explore tools that we know work well when building relationships with families.

Strengths-based Attitudes for Building Positive Goal-Oriented RelationshipsAn attitude is a way of thinking or feeling about someone or something that is often reflected in a person’s behavior. Our attitudes create a frame of mind that shapes how we behave in our personal and professional life. Attitudes are shaped by experiences, beliefs, and assumptions. When we begin our interactions with positive attitudes, we tend to see families in a more positive light, giving us a strong foundation to build an effective partnership. In contrast, when we approach our interactions with negative attitudes, we are more likely to see fault, make negative judgments, and expect a negative outcome. Adopting a positive attitude does not mean avoiding challenges and only talking about positive observations and ideas. Instead, it includes adopting a frame of mind that begins with a family’s strengths. We begin with Strengths-based Attitudes to express our belief that all families can make progress and that we are ready to strive for better outcomes together.

Our attitudes create a frame

of mind that shapes how we behave

in our personal and professional life.

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• Families are the first and most important teachers of their children.

• Families are our partners with a critical role in their family’s development.

• Families have expertise about their child and their family.

• Families’ contributions are important and valuable.

Sample Interactions Reflecting these Attitudes

Your ReflectionsReflect on a time when you used a Strengths-based Attitude with a family. Which attitude did you use? What did you say or do that reflected that attitude?

Reflect on a time when a Strengths-based Attitude would have helped you build a relationship with a family. Which attitude would have been useful? What could you have said or done to reflect that attitude? How might the outcome have been different if you had used this attitude?

Tools: Strengths-based Attitudes2

Intake Meeting• Tell me how you think your child learns best. How can you

tell when he is really interested in something?

• What ideas do you have for how we can best support her when she is here?

• What do you do to comfort her when she is upset?

• Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you and your family?

Follow-up during Informal Discussion• You mentioned that she’s a smart girl. Can you tell me more

about that?

Home Visit• You know him best. What do you imagine it will be like for

him when he’s in the program with other children?

• Can you tell me what you would like for us to know about him?

Challenging Behavior• Can you tell what has worked at home when you have seen

this behavior?

Within an Established Relationship• Can you tell me about your hopes for yourself and your

family?

• What are your wishes and dreams for your family?

Strengths-based Attitudes

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When you engage with a family, you help strengthen the partnership with that family. There are six Relationship-based Practices that can help promote family engagement. These practices are intended to guide what we say and do with families to support open communication and promote better understanding. Reflecting on how we apply Relationship-based Practices can improve our efforts to strengthen our relationships with families.

• Observe and describe the child's behavior to open communication with the family

• Reflect on the family’s perspective

• Support competence

• Focus on the family-child relationship

• Value a family’s passion

• Reflect on your own perspective

Tools: Relationship-based Practices2

Intake Meeting• Invite the family’s input and use it in making decisions

about the child and family.

• Be aware of your own biases.

Follow-up During Information Discussion• Use simple, clear, and objective descriptions of the

child’s behavior.

• Acknowledge and share child and parent behavior that demonstrates something about the parent-child relationship.

Home Visit• Use the family’s observations and interpretations to

inform how you support the child’s development.

• Invite parents to share their perspective on the child’s behavior and development.

Challenging Behavior• Recognize the child’s strengths.

• Reframe the family’s emotions as passion for their child.

Within an Established Relationship• Share positive and specific information about the child

with the family.

• Attribute the child’s progress to the family’s efforts.

Sample Interactions Reflecting these PracticesRelationship-based Practices

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DescriptionThe child is the common focus for families and programs. When staff ask for parents’ observations of a child’s behavior and share their own, they create opportunities for discussion.

Simple, clear descriptions of a child’s behavior, without interpretations or judgments, give families and staff the chance to make meaning of that behavior together. This creates a starting point for discussion that can help identify common ground and differences.

This practice invites families to guide the conversation about their child. Often families react and respond to the program’s ideas or agenda. This strategy gives families the freedom to volunteer and share what they see, know, and want for their child.

Observe and Describe the Child’s Behavior to Open Communication with the Family

Actions• Share positive, genuine, and specific

information about the child with the family.

• Recognize the child’s strengths and share them with the family.

• Use simple, clear, and objective descriptions of the child’s behavior.

• Ask for the family’s observations and listen to what they think these mean about their child.

• Begin challenging conversations by asking parents about what they see, what behaviors concern them, and what they think these behaviors may mean. It's important to know what kind of meaning parents make of their child’s behavior. Follow up with a description of what you see, and give parents a chance to offer their ideas.

• Wait before asking too many questions. Instead, start with a description of the child’s behavior or a specific situation from the day.Leave time for the parent to share their ideas rather than be guided by a specific question based on your own agenda. Instead of sharing your interpretation, listen to how the parent makes meaning of the behavior.

Examples “You and Elizabeth are always ready when the bus arrives. We really appreciate that.”

“I saw that Victoria looked at you and grabbed onto your shirt as I came into the house.”

“I’ve been watching Abdul explore with paint and get used to the different brushes. He also tells stories about his paintings. You told me you want him to paint more realistic paintings. I wonder if he’ll begin to do that once his painting skills catch up to his ideas. Abdul is really sticking with it, and he loves it! I think we both want to help him work toward the same goal.”

“I notice that Christina often pats other children when they are crying.”

“I notice that every time you begin a conversation with me, David begins to tug at your arm.”

Tools: Relationship-based Practice #12

13

Your ReflectionsReflect on a time when you used this practice with a family. What did you say or do?

Reflect on a time when this practice would have helped you build a relationship with a family. What would you have said or done?


Observe and Describe the Child’s Behavior to Open Communication with the Family

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Reflect on the Family’s Perspective

DescriptionFamilies share their children and themselves as soon as they join our program. They trust us with their hopes, fears, and challenges. We can work toward strong partnerships by showing genuine interest in families – their goals, values, and dreams for their family.

We can gain a better understanding of the child and family if we listen to the family’s perspectives. Both the staff and the family benefit from taking the time to consider each other’s perspectives.

This practice is particularly useful when cultural differences in child-rearing and family roles emerge. Issues such as education, discipline, social behavior, and even the goals of learning vary a great deal within a multicultural society. All families bring their beliefs and values to discussions about their child.

Actions• Invite families to share their perspectives on

their child’s behavior and development.

• Use the family’s observations and interpretations to inform how to foster the child’s healthy development.

• Before sharing data about a child, consider why you think the information is important and whether it will be important to the child’s family in the same ways.

• Ask families if there is anything in particular they want to share. Invite families to share insights about their child. Partner with families to set goals and make decisions.

• Ask family members what they would like to know about the program and other services in the community.

Examples “I wanted to talk with you about Michael’s progress in learning to get along with the other children. I’ve seen a lot of changes. I wondered what you’ve been thinking about this.”

“Jacqueline is working so hard to learn to do things by herself. This morning she wanted to put her coat on all by herself. She got very frustrated and started to cry. I wanted her to be successful and, at the same time, I needed to go outside to help supervise the other children. She was very determined. I want to learn from you about what you do if you see Jacqueline struggling with this. We’d really like to work together on this with you. What do you do at home?”

“Last month you mentioned that you were going to learn more about the community center in your neighborhood. I’m curious if you found any programs that your family is interested in?”

“I wanted to follow up with you on our conversation about toilet training last week. Can you tell me how you think it’s going for Felipe?”

2 Tools: Relationship-based Practice #2

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2 Tools: Relationship-based Practice #2Tools: Relationship-based Practice #2



Reflect on the Family’s Perspective

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Support Competence

DescriptionThis practice helps us to recognize and celebrate a family’s successes, progress, and efforts in accomplishing their goals for their child and themselves. We share in their successes, encourage them to recognize their competence, and join them as they aspire to new goals.

Sometimes, because of our training, we think we know best and want to show or teach families how to do things better. We need to be careful not to interfere with their sense of competence by suggesting that we know more than they do. We have expertise to share and we want to choose the right time to share our ideas and suggestions. Follow their lead. Ask if they want feedback or suggestions before jumping in with advice.

This practice reminds us to embrace the strengths of the cultures and home languages of families. We can tailor opportunities to build on each family’s individual strengths and interests. Invite parents to share their home language with children, staff, and families by teaching a song, sharing familiar words, or telling a story.

Actions• Recognize and acknowledge family

strengths.

• Celebrate each step taken toward a goal as progress.

• Help families identify and access personal and community resources.

• Attribute a child’s progress to the family’s efforts whenever possible.

• Build on the family’s understanding with new ways to look at the child’s behavior.

• Wait until you establish a relationship with a family, or until they ask, before you share your expertise and knowledge.

• Ask them for ideas about how your program can help them achieve the goals they have for their family.

Examples “You are doing a great job navigating the bus system to get Teegan to school. Would you be willing to share what you’ve learned with other parents?”

“I noticed that while we were talking, José and Leila worked together to separate the crayons and markers by color. Look how they separated them into four piles—blue, yellow, green, and red. I remember when they started at the program it was important to you that they be successful in math and science. You must have been working on sorting things with them at home.”

“I noticed Christopher gave a make-believe cupcake to another little boy who was sad because he had fallen and scraped his knee. It reminded me of when you brought me flowers when I had been out sick. You both are so thoughtful of others.”

“Last time we met you said you wanted to get your General Educational Development (GED) and we came up with some ideas for making that happen. Your husband mentioned that you seemed excited about these ideas. Is there anything I can do to support you in your progress?”


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Tools: Relationship-based Practice #32Tools: Relationship-based Practice #3

Support Competence



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Focus on the Family-Child Relationship

DescriptionStrong parent-child relationships link with positive learning and social outcomes for children. Staff efforts to strengthen these relationships can help.

Parents need to know that their relationship with their child is valued and supported by program staff. Sometimes parents worry that their child may feel closer to program staff than to them, or they may feel that program staff judge their relationship with their child. When you share observations of positive parent-child interactions, you provide reassurance that the relationship between them and their child is more important than any other.

This practice reminds us that everything we do is meant to strengthen the relationships between children and their families. When you tie a family’s efforts to make progress in their lives to the positive effect it has on their children, it reminds them how working toward their goals benefits the entire family.

Actions• Share observations of parent-child

interactions that demonstrate something positive about the relationship.

• Share what you learned about the child from your observations of family-child interactions.

• Welcome families to visit and volunteer in the classroom.

• Talk with parents about the things you see them do and say that are responsive to their child’s individual temperament and that positively impact the child’s development.

• Acknowledge how a parent’s progress positively affect the child’s well-being. Discuss how setting and reaching goals models important skills and qualities for their children.

• Discuss information that reinforces how much the family means to the child (e.g., pictures the child draws that include family members, times when you’ve observed the child acting as one of the family members in dramatic play, etc.).

Examples “I noticed when I arrived that Sam ran over to you and hugged your leg. I can see he is really connected to you.”

“I understand you are concerned that when you pick Abdullah up at the end of the day, he often seems upset or angry. I wonder if it is his way of saying how much he missed you all day. He manages his emotions all day and then gets to let go when he sees you. Maybe it’s his way of saying how glad he is that you’re back. ”

“Since you have been reading stories at bedtime together, Sara is spending more time with the books I bring on our home visits. Today she chose the book about dinosaurs. Would you like to borrow that book to read at bedtime this week?”

“I think Fatuma knows that school is important to you. She sees you going back to school, and it makes learning that much more exciting for her because she wants to be like her mom.”


19

2

Focus on the Family-Child Relationship



Tools: Relationship-based Practice #4 Tools: Relationship-based Practice #4

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Value a Family’s Passion

DescriptionRaising children and working with families always involves emotions. We can expect parents to have feelings about what is happening in their families, whether they are celebrating a child’s successes, worrying about how to pay bills, or showing anger at a child’s behavior. And, no matter how professional program staff are, emotions are also part of how we react to the families we work with in our programs.

It is important to understand that these emotions—both positive and negative—are parents’ and staff’s passionate concern for the child and family. Sometimes sharing emotions can be uncomfortable, but it is also a way to deepen the partnership with families.

This practice helps us remember that even when parents and staff have very different ideas about what a family needs, they all want what is best for the family. When our shared goal is positive outcomes, families and staff can work together to determine how to celebrate successes, share worries, and resolve disagreements.

Actions• Accept and acknowledge the family’s

emotions, both positive and negative.

• Reframe the parent’s emotions as passion for their family.

• Listen for what is behind the emotions and work with the family to understand them.

• Genuinely acknowledge and accept these feelings.

• Recognize and remember the family’s passion from past conversations, and then build on it to provide focus when setting goals.

Examples “It is so important to you that Jack succeeds. All of these small successes with potty training don’t always seem like enough when you are still facing wet laundry at the end of a long day. I want Jack to succeed too, and we can work together to make sure it happens!”

“You certainly want what’s best for Jayda. What about you? Are there things you would like to do?”

“Last time we talked you were very concerned that Hiromi is not learning the alphabet as quickly as the other children in her classroom. I wonder if you have thought more about that.”

“I can see that you’re upset that the bus was late this morning. You’ve told us that it is important to you that Madeline gets to school on time so that you can get to your class at the college on time.”

“I understand why you are upset about Francesca getting bitten today. We’re sorry she was hurt and want to reassure you that no skin was broken. We cleaned the area and put on a bandage. We gave her lots of hugs. We know her safety is the most important thing to you.”


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2Tools: Relationship-based Practice #5

Value a Family’s Passion




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Reflect on Your Own Perspective

DescriptionBoth the family’s perspectives and the staff’s perspectives shape the conversation between families and staff. Our own perspectives include many elements—what we have been trained to do, what our agency wants from us, our feelings about working with children and families, and, most importantly, the personal beliefs and values gained from our own cultural upbringing. All of these elements, both conscious and unconscious, affect our relationships.

It’s important to consider our own views when working with families. Although we often are told to put aside our feelings in our work, the reality is that we bring our own beliefs and values into everything we do. Rather than put them aside, we can increase our awareness of them so we are more effective in our relationships with families.

This practice encourages us to reflect on our interactions with families, so that we can choose what we say and do to promote positive family and child outcomes. Each decision affects the success of our partnerships and the positive impact we can have.

Actions• Be aware of your own biases, judgments,

and negative assumptions.

• Identify how biases, judgments, and assumptions may affect your interactions with families.

• Choose to approach families by holding aside biases, judgments, and assumptions. Adopt one of the strengths-based attitudes to guide you.

• Identify common perspectives and work together to understand differences.

• Ask for help from co-workers and supervisors if you need help doing things differently.

• Make time to reflect on your perspective and how it is affecting your work and your attitudes toward families.

• Before sharing your views, ask the family to share their perspectives. Share your own when it can help you both come to a common understanding.

Examples “Sebastian’s family says it’s our job to teach him letter recognition and they don’t have time to do extra at home. They want him to read by the time he is four and that’s just unrealistic. I want to partner with them and I’m angry they won’t work with us. Can you help me think about how to approach this?”

“I’m excited for Julia to learn English and Spanish, her family’s home language. Her family is concerned that learning Spanish will affect her English negatively. I’d like to find a way to share my passion for multiple language learning and the positive effects it has on brain development and still honor their concern.”

“I’m so frustrated with Rebecca’s family. They tell me all the time they are going to follow through on the referrals I give them; and then they always have excuses. It feels like a waste of time to be working with them on this. I don’t understand what they want from me.”

“David had a really hard drop-off again this morning. If his mom would just get here earlier and read with him like I suggested, the transition wouldn’t be so difficult. She is always running late, and it just makes it harder for him and for us. I don’t know what to do.”


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2Tools: Relationship-based Practice #6

Reflect on Your Own Perspective




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Sustaining Effective PracticeOne key to building relationships is taking the time to reflect on our work with families. When we look at what’s working and what’s not, we can make changes that strengthen our relationships with families. Individual and shared reflective practice helps us work more effectively with families and contribute to better outcomes for children and families.

Reflective PracticeTaking the time to reflect—to stop and think about what has happened, what is happening, and what should happen next—is essential to creating and maintaining Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships.

Reflection on our work with families allows us to:

•Understand how our own experiences and beliefs influence our work

•Sharpen our observation and communication skills with children and families

•Improve our skills in building mutually respectful partnerships with families

•Enhance our ability to communicate and build relationships with peers and community partners

3 Reflective Strategies

Individual and shared reflective

practice helps us work more effectively with

families and contributes to better outcomes

for children and families.

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Self-ReflectionReflection is an important part of our own continuous improvement process to understand why and how we make the choices we do. Taking the time to look at ourselves and our work gives us the opportunity to acknowledge strengths and challenges to improve our skills. In this section, we will explore reflective practice strategies to support our work in building relationships with families.

•Observe and remember what happens with children, families, and staff. We see and experience so much with children and families every day. It can be hard to keep track of every moment. You can record children’s progress, staff-parent interactions, and the information shared among staff. This creates an opportunity for staff to understand what does and does not work. Remembering and reflecting on our observations is useful for improving what we do. Recording our reflections in a confidential notebook can be a valuable learning activity.

•Think about how your own experiences affect you and your work. Each of us has personal and professional experiences that shape who we are. We often act in ways that are familiar and comfortable. It can be difficult to question what we already know and think is right. Through self-reflection, we allow ourselves to understand our personal reaction (how a professional situation makes us feel) and our professional action (how we choose to respond professionally) as two separate things. Because caring for children and families is so important, and at times very emotional, we need to be aware of how our personal perspectives influence our work. This strategy is aligned with the relationship-based practice of “reflect on your own perspective.”

•Think about the perspectives of others. Each family in our program is unique. Take the time to wonder about how the experiences of families may influence how they behave or respond in certain circumstances. However, keep in mind that sometimes wondering about others can be similar to making assumptions about them. We tend to rely on what we have learned and experienced in the past. Acknowledge that you may not know what is motivating someone to think or act in a certain way.

When there are opportunities to respectfully communicate about these circumstances with families, it can open us up to a greater understanding of others and of ourselves. Reflecting on the perspectives of families helps us make better sense of where they are coming from. This gives us insights about what strategies might be most effective for engaging them. This strategy is aligned with the relationship-based practice of “reflect on the family’s perspective.”

Reflective Strategies: Self-Reflection3

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•Identify stressors. Working with children and families can be highly demanding. Professionals may experience high levels of stress when working with families who face hardships such as poverty, community violence, social spending cuts, and a shortage of jobs and affordable housing. This can lead to increased risk of job dissatisfaction and professional “burnout.”

A unique aspect of Head Start and Early Head Start is that many professionals are also parents in the communities they serve. Staff may feel stress from their own lives, as well as from their experience working with families in the community. It can help to identify these stressors and talk about them with co-workers and supervisors.

Programs can create opportunities for staff to get the support they need and help them feel valued for the work they do every day. Leadership can prioritize regular times for individual, paired, or group reflection. Promoting self-care among staff in this way can have a positive effect on their skill and productivity.

Reflective Strategies: Self-Reflection, cont.3

Taking the time to look at

ourselves and our work gives us the opportunity

to acknowledge strengths and challenges and

to improve our skills.

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Reflective SupervisionHead Start, Early Head Start, and early childhood program staff strive to engage parents and families in healthy, trusting, and respectful relationships. It is equally important for program staff to have strong relationships with their colleagues and supervisors. Supervision involves the commitment to nurture and guide staff so that they have the tools to engage children and families successfully. Effective relationships between supervisors and staff help staff reflect upon and cope with the stresses and demands of their work. Reflective supervision is an important aspect of building a safe and healthy climate for staff, families, and children.

Supervision is more than a program requirement for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Like the relationship between a professional and a family, the relationship between a staff member and supervisor can offer qualities of mutual care and respect. Reflective supervision is an opportunity for leadership to use the strategies of reflection to foster growth, reinforce strengths, and encourage resilience. In addition to giving staff the encouragement and guidance they need, it also keeps leadership in touch with the real issues that programs face.

Reflective Strategies: Reflective Supervision3

Supervision is an opportunity

for leadership to use the strategies of reflection

to foster growth, reinforce strengths,

and encourage resilience.

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3 Reflective Strategies: Reflective Supervision, cont.

Confidentiality is essential for effective supervision. It’s important for supervisors to help staff feel safe enough to take risks within the relationship. An effective strategy for establishing safety is using messages like those we use with our families, such as “You have strengths,” “Let’s talk about what you need to be successful,” and “Take care of yourself.” These messages can build resilience among staff and let them know that they are valued partners in the program.

As the supervisory relationship develops over time, supervisors and staff can share the responsibility for the quality and content of the relationship. You can discuss questions such as: How does the relationship feel? How is the time used? What topics require more attention? Shared responsibility begins with scheduling regular time for supervision. Time spent building teams and brainstorming about how to develop the work is important to everyone’s efforts. That time should be valued, built into schedules, and prioritized.

Structured supervision ensures that there will be times when staff may not know what to do, but that there is someone—and a time and place—dedicated to helping them express their feelings, problem solve, and strategize. If staff feel judged and constantly evaluated, then everyone misses out on opportunities for reflection, creative discussion, and meaningful growth.

Supervision ensures that there is a time and place

dedicated to helping staff express their feelings, problem solve, and identify

action steps.

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When we provide supervision, we also have the opportunity to model effective strategies to build relationships with families. It is a parallel process. How we behave with staff models how we want staff to interact with families. The Strengths-based Attitudes and Relationship-based Practices for working with families can also be adapted to build relationships with staff.

Strengths-based Attitudes for Effective Supervision

•Staff deserve the same support and respect we are asking them to give families.

•Staff are our partners with a critical role in achieving outcomes.

•Staff have expertise about their own fields of practice.

•Staff’s contributions are valuable and important.


The relationship

between supervisors and staff can model how we want staff

to interact with families.

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Relationship-based Practices for Effective Supervision1. Reflect on your program staff’s perspective.

Have an ongoing dialogue with your staff that allows them to have input about the structure, content, process, timing, and tone of supervision. This offers an opportunity for staff to reflect on what type of supervisory relationship they would like to have and how to negotiate goals and needs together. Ask staff to consider with you how you can work together to respond to complex situations. This can provide staff with an opportunity to consider different viewpoints within a system and reinforce teamwork.

2. Support your program staff’s competence. Accentuate the positives among staff members and in the work that they do. Staff need to be reassured about their knowledge and expertise. Strengths-based supervision helps staff feel that they are valuable members of a team. Staff may feel encouraged to reflect on their own professional competencies and goals, recognize their contributions, and feel safe to explore their challenges.

3. Focus on the family-staff relationship. Work with staff to learn new skills for building partnerships with families. Use strategies that help you look at what’s working and what’s not and how they can use what they discovered to determine next steps with the family.

4. Value your programs staff’s passion. Listen to what the staff is experiencing without judging. This may include how different situations affect their mood, concentration, motivation, ability to connect with others, and what they need from you. By creating a safe and professional space where staff can talk about their real emotions, you help each other to better understand the roots of problems and strategize about how to address them.

5. Make time for your own reflection. Make time to reflect on your own experiences, goals, and challenges. As a supervisor, you often put your staff’s needs before your own. Reflection allows us to consider our reactions, responses, and options. Reflection on a past situation can help us prepare for similar events in the future. This is emotional work, and self-care is essential for you and your staff. You will need to take time for yourself to rejuvenate, reflect, and focus on your own professional development. Explore what helps you feel refreshed and inspired to learn and grow. What role can your supervisor play in your growth? How can your supervisor give you the best chance at success?

One of the joys of working with families of young children is that it creates an opportunity for everyone’s growth: the child, the parent, the provider, team members, and program leadership. Reflective supervision is one way in which programs can attend to the growth of staff. The shared experience of supervisor and staff ensures that no one is alone in doing this very important work. Just as staff feel that their work is meaningful when families grow, supervisors can find satisfaction in knowing that staff are expanding their skills and finding meaning in their work.


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4 Additional ResourcesOHS NCPFCE Resources on Positive Goal-Oriented RelationshipsBuilding Partnerships: Guide to Developing Relationships (Interactive Tool)http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/pgor/

Head Start and Early Head Start Relationship-Based Competencies for Staff and Supervisors Who Work with Familieshttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/foundations/ohs-rbc.pdf

Understanding Family Engagement Outcomes: Research to Practice Serieshttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/center/rtp-series.html

Best Practices in Family and Community Engagement Video Serieshttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/center/video-series.html

PFCE Simulation Series—Boosting School Readiness through Effective Family Engagementhttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/center/pfce_simulation

National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagementhttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family

Related OHS ResourcesRevisiting and Updating the Multicultural Principles for Head Start Programs Serving Children Ages Birth to Fivehttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/resources/ECLKC_Bookstore/PDFs/Revisiting%20 Multicultural%20Principles%20for%20Head%20Start_English.pdf

Cultural Backgrounders (Bhutanese Refugee Families, Refugees from Burma, and Refugee Families from Iraq)http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/refugee-families/cul-backgrounders.html

Family Connections Materials: A Comprehensive Approach in Dealing with Parental Depression and Related Adversitieshttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/health/center/mental-health/adult-mental-health/FamilyConnection.html

News You Can Use: A Circle of Support for Infants and Toddlers—Reflective Practices andStrategies in Early Head Starthttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/ehsnrc/comp/program-design/NewsYouCanUse.htm

OHS Professional Development: Foundations for Staff Developmenthttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/pd/fsd/staff.html

Raising Young Children in a New Country: Supporting Early Learning and Healthy Developmenthttp://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/docs/raising-young-children-in-anew- country-bryc5.pdf

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Positive Goal-Oriented RelationshipsStrengths-based Attitudes for Building Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships

•Families are the first and most important teachers of their children.

•Families are our partners with a critical role in their family’s development.

•Families have expertise about their child and their family.

•Families’ contributions are important and valuable.

Relationship-based Practices for Family Engagement

•Observe and describe the child’s behavior.

•Reflect on the family’s perspective.

•Support competence.

•Focus on the family-child relationship.

•Value a family’s passion.

•Reflect on your own perspective.

The OHS PFCE Framework is a research-based approach to program change that shows how HS/EHS programs can promote family engagement and children’s learning and development.

Positive Goal-Oriented Relationships are the foundation of successful partnerships with families. These partnerships lead to better outcomes for families and children.

Appendix A: Building Partnerships

OHS PFCE Framework

Program Environment

Family Partnerships



Family Well-being

Parent-Child Relationships







PROGRAM FOUNDATIONS

PROGRAM IMPACT AREAS

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT OUTCOMES

CHILD OUTCOMES

Program Leadership

Continuous Program Improvement

Professional Development

Positive & Goal-Oriented Relationships

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Appendix A: Building Partnerships Appendix B: Building Partnerships

Reflective StrategiesReflective PracticeA key to building positive, goal-oriented relationships is taking the time to reflect on our work with families. When we look at what’s working and what’s not, we can make changes that strengthen our relationships with families. Self-reflection is also an important part of our own professional growth.

Strategies for Effective Self-Reflection

•Observe and remember what happens with children, families, and staff.

•Think about how your own experiences affect you and your work.

•Think about the perspective of others.

•Identify stressors.

Reflective SupervisionIt is also essential for staff to have healthy, trusting, and respectful relationships with colleagues and supervisors. Reflective supervision helps to nurture and guide staff so that they have the tools to engage children and families successfully.

Strategies for Effective Supervision

•Reflect on the staff’s perspective.

•Support the staff’s competence.

•Focus on the family-staff relationship.

•Value the staff’s passion.

•Make time for your own reflection.

Strengths-based Attitudes for Effective Supervision

•Staff deserve the support and respect we are asking them to give families.

•Staff are our partners with a critical role in achieving outcomes.

•Staff have expertise about their own fields of practice.

•Staff contributions are valuable and important.

Instructional Practices to Promote Positive Relationships Observer Checklist Module 3: Promoting Positive Relationships



To what extent does the teacher/staff person: Almost

always Occasionally Not yet Not observed

1. Call children by name and engage in brief and extended conversations throughout the day (i.e.; routines, teacher-led activities, student-led activities, etc.); modeling conversational strategies that support relationship building and overall communication development?

2. Identify, use, and model strategies for joining children’s play that will support their development of social interactions and will assist them in expanding their ideas during play sequences?

3. Use and model a positive, calm, and supportive tone in conversations with children?

4. Respond to children’s comments and ideas by asking open-ended questions and by making comments that expand their learning and encourage critical thinking skills?

5. Use and model alternative strategies when communicating with children who are non-verbal, language delayed, or dual language learners (DLL) that will assist other children in implementing these strategies for successful peer relationships?

6. Provide multiple and creative opportunities for families and caregivers to interact with the children and their families/caregivers in the classroom, including opportunities to participate in classroom activities and share cultural diversity?

7. Have a bi-directional process of communication with families/caregivers using a variety of methods (text, e-mails, phone calls, communication logs, and face-to-face) which supports the families’ choice of communication and includes sharing information on about activities and celebrating children’s accomplishments?

8. Have open and supportive communication with other staff members that supports their understanding of early childhood development by providing strategies on working with young children, planning classroom activities collaboratively, and recognizing and utilizing staff members’ contributions to the success of the classroom community?

9. Report the use of reflective strategies to question their own instructional practices in order to enhance, implement, and model nurturing, responsive relationships within the classroom community?

Instructional Practices to Promote Positive Relationships Teacher/Staff Self Checklist Module 3: Promoting Positive Relationships



To what extent do I: Almost always Occasionally Not yet 1. Call children by name and engage in brief and extended conversations throughout the day (i.e.; routines,

teacher-led activities, student-led activities, etc.); modeling conversational strategies that support relationship building and overall communication development?

2. Identify, use, and model strategies for joining children’s play that will support their development of social interactions and will assist them in expanding their ideas during play sequences?

3. Use and model a positive, calm, and supportive tone in conversations with children?

4. Respond to children’s comments and ideas by asking open-ended questions and by making comments that expand their learning and encourage critical thinking skills?

5. Use and model alternative strategies when communicating with children who are non-verbal, language delayed, or dual language learners (DLL) that will assist other children in implementing these strategies for successful peer relationships?

6. Provide multiple and creative opportunities for families and caregivers to interact with the children and their families/caregivers in the classroom, including opportunities to participate in classroom activities and share cultural diversity?

7. Have a bi-directional process of communication with families/caregivers using a variety of methods (text, e-mails, phone calls, communication logs, and face-to-face) which supports the families’ choice of communication and includes sharing information about classroom activities and celebrating children’s accomplishments?

8. Have open and supportive communication with other staff members that supports their understanding of early childhood development by providing strategies for working with young children, planning classroom activities collaboratively, and recognizing and utilizing staff members’ contributions to the success of the classroom community?

9. Use reflective strategies to question my own instructional practices in order to enhance, implement, and model nurturing, responsive relationships within the classroom community?


Effective Teacher Practices Supporting

High Quality Supportive Environments and Nurturing & Responsive Relationships NC Early Learning Network, a joint project of NC-DPI and UNC-FPG, 2014

1

‘Instructional Practices Observed IN Teaching Standards’

For Administrators

Promoting Positive Relationships Practice 1: When I observe a teacher call children by name and engage in brief and extended conversations throughout the day (routines, teacher-led activities, student-led activities, etc.), modeling conversational strategies that support relationship building and overall communication development….

What early learning and development standards is that teacher addressing? • Children demonstrate a positive sense of self-identity and self-awareness. (ESD-1) • Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and

responsive to their needs. (ESD-3) • Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and large-group

interactions. (LDC-2)

What teaching standard is that teacher demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students.

Practice 2: When I observe a teacher use and model strategies for joining children’s play that will support their development of social interactions and will assist them in expanding their ideas during play sequences…

What early learning and development standards is that teacher addressing? • Children engage in increasing complex play. (APL-3) • Children are willing to try new and challenging experiences. (APL-5) • Children use a variety of strategies to solve problems. (APL-6) • Children form relationships and interact positively with the other children. (ESD-4) • Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups.

(ESD-5) • Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and larger group

interactions. (LDC-2) • Children speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. (LDC-4) • Children recall information and use it for new situations and problems. (CD-2)

What teaching standard is that teacher demonstrating? • Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.




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Promoting Positive Relationships Practice 3: When I observe a teacher use and model a positive, calm, and supportive tone in conversations with children…

What early learning and development standard is that teacher addressing? • Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and

responsive to their needs. (ESD-3)

What teaching standard is that teacher demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students.

Practice 4: When I observe a teacher respond to children’s comments and ideas by asking open-ended questions and by making comments that expand their learning and encourage critical thinking skills…

What early learning and development standard is that teacher addressing? • Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and


What teaching standard is that teacher demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. • Teacher Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

Practice 5: When I observe a teacher use and model alternatives strategies when communicating with children who are non-verbal, language delayed, or dual language learners (DLL) and assist other children in implementing these strategies for successful peer relationships…

What early learning and development standards is that teacher addressing? • (LDC-1) Children understand communications from others. (LDC-1) • (LDC-2) Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and larger

group interactions. (LDC-2) • (CD-8) Children identify and demonstrate acceptance of similarities and differences between

themselves and others. (CD-8)

What teaching standard is that teacher demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment: An environment in which each child has a

positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults; treat students as individuals. • Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.




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Nurturing and Positive Relationships Practice 6: When I observe that a teacher provides multiple and creative opportunities for families and caregivers to interact with the children and their families/caregivers in the classroom including opportunities to participate in classroom activities and share cultural diversity…

What early learning and development standards is that teacher addressing? • Children demonstrate knowledge of relationships and roles within their own families, homes,

classrooms, and communities. (CD-6) • Children recognize that they are members of different groups (e.g. family, preschool class, cultural

group). (CD-7) • Children identify and demonstrate acceptance of similarities and differences between themselves and

others. (CD-8)


positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults; treat students as individuals

Practice 7: When I observe a teacher have a bi-directional process of communication with families/caregivers using a variety of methods (text, e-mails, phone calls, communication logs, and face-to-face) which support the families’ choice of communication and includes sharing information on classroom activities and celebrating children’s accomplishments…



Practice 8: When I observe that a teacher has open and supportive communication with other staff members and supports their understanding of early childhood development by providing strategies for working with young children, planning classroom activities collaboratively, and recognizing and utilizing staff member’s contributions to the success of the classroom community…

What teaching standard is that teacher demonstrating? • Standard I: Teachers demonstrate leadership.

Practice 9: When a teacher reports that he or she uses reflective strategies to question his or her own instructional practices in order to enhance, implement, and model nurturing, responsive relationships within the classroom community…

What teaching standard is that teacher demonstrating? • Standard V: Teachers reflect on their practice.




1

‘Instructional Practices Observed IN Teaching Standards’

For Teachers

Promoting Positive Relationships Practice 1: When I call children by name and engage in brief and extended conversations throughout the day (routines, teacher-led activities, student-led activities, etc.), modeling conversational strategies that support relationship building and overall communication development….

What early learning and development standards am I addressing? • Children demonstrate a positive sense of self-identity and self-awareness. (ESD-1) • Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and

responsive to their needs. (ESD-3) • Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and large-group

interactions. (LDC-2)

What teaching standard am I demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students.

Practice 2: When I use and model strategies for joining children’s play that support their development of social interactions and assist them in expanding their ideas during play sequences…

What early learning and development standards am I addressing? • Children engage in increasing complex play. (APL-3) • Children are willing to try new and challenging experiences. (APL-5) • Children use a variety of strategies to solve problems. (APL-6) • Children form relationships and interact positively with the other children. (ESD-4) • Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups.

(ESD-5) • Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and larger group

interactions. (LDC-2) • Children speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. (LDC-4) • Children recall information and use it for new situations and problems. (CD-2)

What teaching standard am I demonstrating? • Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.




2

Promoting Positive Relationships Practice 3: When I use and model a positive, calm, and supportive tone in conversations with children…

What early learning and development standard am I addressing? • Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and


What teaching standard am I demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students.

Practice 4: When I respond to children’s comments and ideas by asking open-ended questions and by making comments that expand their learning and encourage critical thinking skills…

What early learning and development standard am I addressing? • Children form relationships and interact positively with familiar adults who are consistent and


What teaching standards am I demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. • Teacher Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

Practice 5: When I use and model alternatives strategies when communicating with children who are non-verbal, language delayed, or dual language learners (DLL) and assist other children in implementing these strategies for successful peer relationships…

What early learning and development standards am I addressing? • Children understand communications from others. (LDC-1) • Children participate in conversations with peers and adults in one-on-one, small, and larger group

interactions. (LDC-2) • Children identify and demonstrate acceptance of similarities and differences between themselves and

others. (CD-8)

What teaching standards am I demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment: An environment in which each child has a

positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults; treat students as individuals. • Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.




3

Nurturing and Positive Relationships Practice 6: When I provide multiple and creative opportunities for families and caregivers to interact with the children and their families/caregivers in the classroom, including opportunities to participate in classroom activities and share cultural diversity …

What early learning and development standards am I addressing? • Children demonstrate knowledge of relationships and roles within their own families, homes,

classrooms, and communities. (CD-6) • Children recognize that they are members of different groups (e.g. family, preschool class, cultural

group). (CD-7) • Children identify and demonstrate acceptance of similarities and differences between themselves and

others. (CD-8)

What teaching standard am I demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment: An environment in which each child has a


Practice 7: When I have a bi-directional process of communication with families/caregivers using a variety of methods (text, e-mails, phone calls, communication logs, and face-to-face) which support the families’ choice of communication and includes sharing information about classroom activities and celebrating children’s accomplishments…

What teaching standard am I demonstrating? • Standard II: Teachers establish a respectful environment: An environment in which each child has a


Practice 8: When I have open and supportive communication with other staff members and support their understanding of early childhood development by providing strategies on working with young children, planning classroom activities collaboratively, and recognizing and utilizing staff member’s contributions to the success of the classroom community…

What teaching standard am I demonstrating? • Standard I: Teachers demonstrate leadership.

Practice 9: When I use reflective strategies to question my own instructional practices in order to enhance, implement, and model nurturing, responsive, positive relationships within the classroom community…

What teaching standard am I demonstrating? • Standard V: Teachers reflect on their practice.

Positive Parent-Child Relationships

PARENT, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORKWhen parent and family engagement activities are systemic and integrated across program foundations and program impact areas, family engagement outcomes are achieved, resulting in children who are healthy and ready for school. Parent and family engagement activities are grounded in positive, ongoing, and goal-oriented relationships with families.

Program Environment

Family Partnerships



Family Well-being








PRogRAm FoundATions

PRogRAm imPACT AREAs

FAmiLy EngAgEmEnT ouTComEs

ChiLd ouTComEs

Program Leadership

Continuous Program improvement

Professional development

Positive & goal-oriented Relationships

Understanding Family Engagement Outcomes: Research to Practice Series

The National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (NCPFCE) has created a Research to Prac-tice Series on the Family Engagement Outcomes of the Office of Head Start (OHS) Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework. One in the series, this resource addresses the “Positive Parent-Child Relation-ships” Outcome: “Beginning with the transition to parent-hood, parents and families develop warm relationships that nurture their child’s learning and development.” Aligned with related Head Start Performance Standards, this resource presents a selected summary of research, proven interventions, and program strategies intended to be useful for the Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) community.

OHS PFCE Framework

The PFCE Framework is a research-based approach to pro-gram change that shows how HS/EHS programs can work together as a whole – across systems and service areas – to promote family engagement and children’s learning and development.

IntroductionPositive parent-child relationships provide the foundation for children’s learning. With parents’ sensitive, responsive, and predictable care, young children develop the skills they need to succeed in life. Early parent-child relationships have powerful effects on children’s emotional well-being (Dawson & Ashman, 2000), their basic coping and problem-solving abilities, and future capacity for relationships (Lerner & Castellino, 2002). Through these interactions, children learn skills they need to engage with others and to succeed in different environments (Rogoff, 2003). They learn how to manage their emotions and behaviors and establish healthy relationships with adults and peers. They also learn how to adjust to new situations and to resolve conflicts. When parents have warm, trusting, and reliable relation-ships with peers, family, community members, and service providers, they are more likely to have positive relationships with their children. To work toward the PFCE Positive Parent-Child Relationships Outcome, providers and programs can:

• provide emotional and concrete support to parents,

• respect diverse parenting styles,

• value cultural differences and home languages,

• reinforce the importance of fathers and other co-parents,

• help parents connect with other parents and community members and resources, and

• model warm, responsive relationships by engaging in these relationships with parents and other family members.

This document was prepared under Grant #90HC0003 for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, by the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (NCPFCE).


Research to Practice Series on Family Outcomes 2

or pregnancy to their children can also develop positive relationships and strong attachments with their children (Golombok et al., 2006).

Creating a safe and healthy prenatal environment is another early step to fostering a positive parent-child relationship. The research on prenatal substance exposure is complex. It is difficult to tease out the effects of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol from the effects of poverty, trauma, malnutrition, and inadequate access to healthcare that often accompany substance use during pregnancy. These challenges should be addressed with appropriate services and policies (Lester, Andreozzi, & Appiah, 2004).

Even after birth, protective supports for parent-child interac-tions can reduce the effects of these exposures. For exam-ple, breastfeeding is a protective factor for closer positive parent-child relationships throughout childhood (Britton, Britton, & Gronwaldt, 2006). Sensitive and responsive feed-ing – whether by breast or bottle – contributes to reciprocal parent-child relationships and fosters the development of secure attachments (Satter, 1990).

Attachment is the process through which caregiver and baby sensitively interact with each other from birth. They use visual gaze, facial expressions, body language, and vocalizations to build powerful, lasting ties (Bowlby, 1969). For example, when a tired baby cries, if a parent responds with quiet rocking and a lullaby, the baby reinforces the parent’s response by relaxing and falling asleep. Through the attachment process, parents grow confident and deeply dedicated to their child’s well-being. Babies learn their world is a safe and reliable place where they can express their needs and expect predictable responses.

Research in attachment and interaction has led to a large body of knowledge and resulted in an entire field of study, infant mental health. The work of Mary Ainsworth and her colleagues (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978) dem-onstrated how responsive parenting supports the emotional health and security of infants and young children. It also showed how different parenting styles contribute to differ-ent types of relationships.

Parents do not have to be perfectly attuned to their child at every moment, nor do they need to respond perfectly to each of the child’s cues. Regular, sensitive responses when-ever possible are enough. When parent and child misun-derstand each other’s signals, as they will from time to time, there will be a temporary disruption in their interaction. This gives them both a chance to learn how to handle brief moments of distress and to reach out for each other and reconnect again (Tronick, 1989; Tronick & Beeghly, 2011). When misunderstandings become the norm, however, and

Positive Parent-Child Relationships: What We KnowPositive Parent-Child Relationships Boost Child Development and School ReadinessThe day-to-day interactions between infants and young children and their parents help drive their emotional, physical, and intellectual development (Brazelton & Cramer, 1990). When parents are sensitive and responsive to chil-dren’s cues, they contribute to the coordinated back and forth of communication between parent and child (Tronick, 1989). These interactions help children develop a sense of self (Tronick & Beeghly, 2011), and model various emotional expressions as well as emotional regulation skills (e.g. self-calming and self-control skills).

Families can engage in everyday learning activities, even with very young children, and help them to develop lifelong motivation, persistence, and a love of learning (Dunst, Bruder, Trivette & Hamby, 2006). For example, parents can participate with their children in early literacy activities such as pointing to and naming objects, storytelling, and read-ing. In EHS programs, stimulating play interactions between mothers or fathers and their children predicted children’s 5th grade math and reading abilities (Cook, Roggman, & Boyce, 2011).

As school approaches, parents can promote successful transitions and persistence by engaging children in joint literacy activities such as reading together and sharing exciting conversations about educational topics (McWayne, Fantuzzo, Cohen, & Sekino, 2004).

Warm, sensitive, and responsive caregiving provides the foundation for healthy brain development and increases the odds for success in school (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004; Wolff & Ijzendoorn, 1997).

Building Positive Parent-Child Relationships from the BeginningFor many parents and co-parents, the transition to parent-hood can be a time of excitement, stress, and uncertainty. Before their baby is born, many parents prepare themselves for their caregiving interactions by putting a lot of energy into thinking about the baby they are expecting (Brazelton & Cramer, 1990). Expectant parents begin to shift into their role as parents when they see themselves growing and developing with their unborn infant.

People who begin to view themselves as parents during pregnancy, and strengthen their bond with their co-parent during that time, show higher levels of sensitivity with their child, are more involved in everyday caregiving, and report higher relationship satisfaction (Bryan, 2000). Of course, single parents, as well as adoptive parents, foster parents, and other parents who do not have a link through genetics



the child cannot count on a parent’s responsiveness, the child’s development may be thrown off course.

Parent-child interactions are also affected by each child’s in-dividual qualities, and by the fit of the child’s temperament with the parent’s (Kagan & Snidman, 1991). For example, a very shy child may be challenging for an extroverted parent to understand. A very active child may be exhausting for any parent, especially one who is already stressed. These as-pects of children’s temperament and other traits influenced by genetics, along with their unique reactions to particular parenting behaviors and styles, also affect the parent-child relationship (Deater-Deckard & O’Connor, 2000).

Different Families, Different Kinds of Positive Parent-Child RelationshipsPositive parent-child interactions may look quite distinct in different families. A wide range of caregiving styles, playful interactions, and emotional responses support healthy child development. Parents’ responses to children’s cues and be-haviors differ. This may depend on their own temperament, personal history, current life situation, and their cultural goals and beliefs (Small, 1998). Their responses also may vary with their gender. Mothers and fathers influence their child’s social-emotional development and future academic success in unique ways (Cook, et al., 2012).

Families of all types can raise thriving children. This includes two-parent families, single parents, and families with mul-tiple family members involved in caregiving. It also includes parents with the same and different genders, fathers, or grandparents as primary caregivers. It is the nature and the quality of the relationships in each family that is most important for children’s healthy development.

ChallengesBoth directly and indirectly, poverty impacts children’s development, parent-child interactions, and family func-tioning. Families living in poverty are more likely to have limited education, to be unemployed, dependent on public assistance, and raising their children as single parents. When families are isolated, lack resources, and live with greater stress and instability, the risk of negative child health and behavioral outcomes is higher (Duncan & Brooks-Gunn, 2000). Children’s development can be thrown off track when parents are highly stressed, lack social support or when they see their child’s temperament as difficult (Hess, Teti, & Hussey-Gardner, 2004).

Any one of these risks can pose a challenge. When risks are combined, family caregiving is threatened. This build-up of risk factors can negatively affect parent-child interactions. It can also negatively affect children’s language, cognitive, and social-emotional development (Ayoub et al., 2009; Ayoub, Vallotton, & Mastergeorge, 2011). But when protective factors exist, for example, concrete support, social connec-tions, and enhanced communication skills, and programs

such as HS/EHS that provide these, they can help balance the risks.

Promoting Positive Parent-Child Relationships from the BeginningThe Role of HS/EHS ProgramsHS/EHS programs provide concrete supports that pro-mote positive parenting outcomes by addressing families’ needs. For example, programs help parents find jobs and safe housing, enroll in education programs, and connect to community agencies for additional supports. This kind of help can strengthen parents’ relationships with their children by reducing stress.

HS/EHS programs also provide social supports for parents that positively influence parent-child relationships and children’s social-emotional outcomes (Ramey et al., 2000). With increased social support and less stress, parents engage their children more often and are more sensitive (Ayoub et al., 2011). HS/EHS home visiting services can provide social support while promoting trust in both chil-dren and parents, and supporting positive developmental outcomes (Love et al., 2005; Peterson, Luze, Eshbaugh, Jeon, & Kantz, 2007).

Social support is one of the greatest protective factors against parental stress, depression, and low self-efficacy (sense of competence) (Simpson & Rholes, 2008). Social supports, along with a general sense of emotional secu-rity, strongly predict positive parent outcomes such as:

• feeling capable as a parent (parenting self-efficacy), • positive ways of understanding children’s tempera-

ment and development, and• overall parenting satisfaction.

Effective parent engagement can also help parents feel less stressed, more effective, and less alone. Parents’ feel-ings of competence can be strengthened when program staff invite parents to:

• share their knowledge about their child and family, • spend time in the classroom to play and learn with

their child, • engage with their children during home visits, and • share experiences from home.

Staff can also learn from families about the cultural values and norms that shape their goals for their children at different ages. These goals may mold the ways in which parents are sensitive and responsive to their infants, tod-dlers, and children.



By engaging parents in programs in all these ways, HS/EHS staff reinforce parents’ relationships with their chil-dren. This increases program success, parental satisfac-tion, and improves children’s developmental outcomes (Trumbull, Rothstein-Fisch, & Greenfield, 2000).

Key strategies for improving and sustaining positive parent-child relationships include:

• noticing and supporting the many ways that parents support school readiness, and

• reducing parental stress through warm parent-staff relationships, peer-to-peer support, and assistance in addressing concrete material needs.

Another way that HS/EHS programs promote Positive Parent-Child Relationships is by helping families when children show problem behaviors or are diagnosed with developmental delays. HS/EHS staff members are often the first people to discuss such developmental concerns with families. They play a vital role, providing expertise and social support, and connecting families with early intervention services (Brophy-Herb et al., 2009).

HS/EHS staff may not necessarily have the training or exper-tise to provide certain treatments for children with severe problem behaviors or developmental delays. Yet they can act as advocates, help families develop their own advocacy skills, and partner with parents as they work together with other professionals. Staff can also help parents to access community resources to support their children’s health and development.

InterventionsThe following approaches are not the only useful, evidence-based interventions in the field but represent some good examples of options for programs to consider.

Parents as Teachers (PAT) is one evidence-based home visiting model designed to expand parental knowledge of child development and encourage positive parent-child relationships (Wagner, Spiker, & Linn, 2002). Parent educa-tors deepen parents’ sense of competence by observing parent-child interactions and commenting on parents’ responsiveness and sensitivity to their child’s behavior. Children who participated in PAT scored higher on stan-dardized tests of intelligence and social development than those who didn’t (Pfannenstiel, Lambson, & Yarnell, 1996). Parents liked the educators’ family focus, and found them to be concerned about the entire family. Educators worked to tailor the program based on each parent’s feedback (Wool-folk & Unger, 2009).

The Incredible Years is a classroom-based intervention designed to promote emotional and social competence, and to prevent, reduce, and treat emotional and behavior

problems. Although teachers conduct most of this evi-dence-based model in the classroom, it leads to increased parent involvement (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004). Parent-teacher relationships actually improved the most for parents who originally were the least involved (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004).

Brazelton Touchpoints is a strengths- and relationship-based model that uses strategies such as careful observa-tion of children’s behavior and parents’ strengths to improve parent-provider and parent-child relationships (Brazelton, 1994; Singer & Hornstein, 2010). Positive parent-provider relationships reduce parenting stress and isolation, and increase parents’ sense of competence. This, in turn, strengthens parent-child relationships. A quasi-experimental study compared parents of children in childcare with Touchpoints-trained staff to parents of children in childcare without Touchpoints-trained staff. Parenting stress levels rose among parents who worked with non-Touchpoints staff while parenting stress levels did not continue to increase among parents who were working with Touchpoints-trained staff. Parents’ perceptions of their relationships with pro-viders were enhanced when providers were Touchpoints-trained, especially for parents with less education and lower income (Jacobs, Swartz, Bartlett, & Easterbrooks, 2010).

The Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) focuses on increasing positive interactions between parent and child, and decreasing behavior problems and emotional disorders in children. It reduces negative parental behaviors, child maltreatment, and improves parents’ mental health and sense of competence. As a result, children’s behavioral and emotional problems, including hyperactivity, are lessened. These impacts have been shown to last as long as 12 months after the intervention ends (Sanders & Woolley, 2005). One major focus of Triple P is effective discipline. Developmentally appropriate discipline can lower parenting stress and improve social-emotional outcomes in children.



Programs can think about how the Positive Parent-Child Relationships Outcome con-nects to the other PFCE Framework Family Outcomes. For example, Positive Parent- Child Relationships encourage successful Family Engagement in Transitions, giving children a better chance to succeed in new learning settings.

Conclusion: Bringing It All Together When HS/EHS programs support Positive Parent-Child Relationships, children are more likely to be ready for and succeed in school. These positive child outcomes are more readily attained when interventions that promote Positive Parent-Child Relationships are system-wide, integrated, and comprehensive.

Every HS/EHS staff member who works with parents and children can help strengthen the parent-child relationship. Depending on their roles, staff members can partner with parents to understand their children’s temperaments, re-spond sensitively to their children’s behavior, clarify develop-mental expectations, decrease parental stress, provide social support, and reinforce parents’ feelings of effectiveness. All of these help parents to engage in positive relationships with their children that prepare children for success in school and in life.

What Can Programs Do?Use a Strengths-Based Approach to Create and Sustain Partnerships with Families. When programs and providers focus on families’ strengths and view parents as partners, they can work more effectively to support positive parent and child outcomes. For example, use strengths-based men-tal health practices (such as focusing on emotional wellness) that make it easier for families to seek help for problems that can interfere with positive parent-child relationships. These kinds of partnerships are built over time and are based on mutual respect.

Celebrate Succes ses and Share Challenges. Partner with families to recognize accomplishments and progress. Talk with parents about what you see them say and do that positively impacts their children. Support parents as they re-spond to challenges like developmental delays and behavior problems.

Partner with Parents to Help Their Children Develop the Skills to Succeed in School. Parents can help children un-derstand and manage their emotions, a key skill to learning in school. When children are interested in a topic, parents can follow their lead in ways that expand their interests and initiative.

Bring what Parents Learn in Parent Groups to Classrooms and Home Visits. Learning in parent education classes can be reinforced through children’s projects at the HS/EHS center, home-based program or in home visiting activities. For example, the same songs and stories that portray secure and trusting parent-child relationships can be introduced in parent classes, the child’s classroom, and in home visits.

Build a System-wide Approach and System-wide Services to provide social and material supports for families. Help staff members know that each of them has a role to play in supporting positive parent-child relationships. Provide pro-fessional development opportunities for staff to learn about community resources and how to help families access them.

Learn About Each Family’s Cultures, Traditions, and Home Languages. By learning more about the culturally-rooted goals that parents have as they raise their children, program staff can more easily understand and reinforce the unique ways in which parents interact with their children in order to achieve these goals. Recognize families’ cultural and community-based values in everyday discussions and interactions with their children in order to reinforce children’s connections with their families and their cultures.

Enroll Families in Services as Early as Possible so that positive parenting relationships can grow from the start, beginning in the prenatal period whenever possible. This is a unique time when service providers can support expectant co-parents as they transition to parenthood, increase their knowledge of child development, and decrease risks for child maltreatment (Love et al., 2005).

Offer Parent Group Programs that promote parent engagement, reduce parental stress, expand knowledge of child development, and deepen overall parenting sat-isfaction (McIntyre & Abbeduto, 2008). Provide programs for mothers, fathers, co-parents, and other caregivers that encourage families to work together as a team. Programs may need to be offered in different packages and schedules to meet the needs of all families.

Related Head Start Performance StandardsI1304.20 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (1-5) Child health and develop-mental services1304.23 (a) (1-4) Child nutrition1304.24 (a) (1-3) Child mental health1304.40 (e) (3), (f) (1-4), (i) (6) Family partnerships



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Ayoub, C., O’Connor, E., Rappolt-Schlichtmann, G., Raikes, H., Chazan-Cohen, R., & Vallotton, C. (2009). Losing ground early: Protection, risk and change in poor children’s cognitive performance. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24, 289-305.

Ayoub, C., Vallotton, C. D., & Mastergeorge, A. M. (2011). Developmental pathways to integrated social skills: The roles of parenting and early intervention. Child Develop-ment, 82 (2), 583-600.

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Britton, J. R., Britton, H. L., & Gronwaldt, V. (2006). Breastfeeding, sensitivity and attachment. Pediatrics, 118 (5) 1436-43.

Brophy-Herb, H. E., Horodynski, M., Dupuis, S. B., London Bocknek, E., Schiffman, R., Onaga, E., . . . & Thomas, S. (2009). Early emotional development in infants and toddlers: Perspectives of Early Head Start staff and parents. Infant Mental Health Journal, 30 (3), 203-222.

Bryan, A. A. (2000). Enhancing parent-child interaction with a prenatal couple interven-tion. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 25 (3), 139-145.

Cook, G. A., Roggman, L. A., & Boyce, L. K. (2011). Fathers’ and mothers’ cognitive stimulation in early play with toddlers: Predictors of 5th grade reading and math. Family Science, 2 (2), 131-145.

Dawson, G., & Ashman, S. B. (2000). On the origins of a vulnerability to depression: The influence of the early social environment on the development of psychobio-logical systems related to risk for affective disorder. In The Effects of Adversity on Neurobehavioral Development: Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology (Vol. 31, pp. 245-278). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.

Deater-Deckard, K., & O’Connor, T. G. (2000). Parent–child mutuality in early child-hood: Two behavioral genetic studies. Developmental Psychology, 36 (5), 561-570.

Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). Family poverty, welfare reform, and child development. Child Development, 71 (1), 188-196.

Dunst, C. J., Bruder, M. B., Trivette, C. M., & Hamby, D. W. (2006). Everyday activity settings, natural learning environments, and early intervention practices. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 3 (1), 3-10.

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[email protected]

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Acknowledgements: This document was developed by the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement for the Office of Head Start under grant # 90HC0003. Authors are Ann Mastergeorge, Katherine Paschall, John Hornstein, Catherine Ayoub, Mallary Swartz, and Jayne Singer. Editorial oversight for this project was provided by Catherine Ayoub and Joshua Sparrow. We would like to thank Kiersten Beigel, OHS; Lisa Desrochers, NCPFCE; NCCLR; EHSNRC; Nancy Geyelin Margie, OPRE; Early Childhood Staff, Children’s Aid Society; Ann Broach, Carolina Community Actions, Inc.; Eurnestine Brown, Winthrop University; Laverne Davis-Gaye, Region III TA Network/ ICF International; Monica Ortiz, Family Services, Inc.; Thomas Rendon, Iowa HS Collaboration Office; Weyling White, Carolina Commu-nity Actions, Inc. and Amy Dombro for their insights in reviewing this brief. © 2013 Boston Children’s Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

Post-learning Activities: Extension into the Classroom Module 3: Promoting Positive Relationships



Instructions 1. Using Formative Assessment Reflection: Select a child in your classroom who is having difficulty forming

relationships with other children (such as difficulty entering play, turn taking, sustaining play with peers, etc.). Observe the child interacting over multiple days and sessions and record descriptive notes on your observation of the child. Use these notes to document the skill level of the child in a specific area of relationship building. Record the skill and determine the ‘next steps’ in the learning progression in order for this child to move to the next skill level. Record several strategies and/or activities that could assist the child in acquiring the next skill(s).

2. Family Engagement and Communication: Once you have completed the formative assessment reflection, communicate this information to families and caregivers. Share your observation, explain why this skill is critical for overall development and, in collaboration with the family, develop targeted activities that will help the child develop skills that can be used at school and at home. Agree to share information with the family using a bi-directional form of communication that will support family input and document the child’s development of these skills in his or her naturally occurring settings.

3. Communication with Staff Members: After strategies have been developed with the family, communicate with staff members about the child’s skill you are targeting, why the skill is important, and what behavior could be observed in the classroom to document the development of the skill. Determine ways you and other staff members will collect data that document the child’s development of the targeted skill. Data collection strategies may include observations, video clips, pictures, etc. Agree to share and discuss with all staff members, on a daily or weekly basis, the information and artifacts you’ve collected that demonstrate the child’s progress.

Module 3 – Promoting Positive Relationships: References and Resources

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Cook, G.A., Roggman, L.A., & Boyce, L.K. (2011). Fathers' and mothers' cognitive stimulation in early play with toddlers: Predictors of 5th grade reading and math, Family science, 2(2), 131-145.

Dombro, A. (2015). Powerful Interactions. Retrieved from http://www.powerfulinteractions.com/

Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2001). Early teacher–child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72(2), 625-638.

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Noddings, N. (2014). The ethics of care and education. London, ENG: Innovation in Youth Work Conference.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (n.d.). K-12 standards, curriculum and instruction. Retrieved from http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/

North Carolina Foundations Task Force. (2013). North Carolina foundations for early learning and development. Raleigh: Author. Retrieved from http://ncchildcare.nc.gov/pdf_forms/NC_foundations.pdf

Perry, B. D. & Pollard, R. (1997). Altered brain development following global neglect in early childhood. Society for Neuroscience: Proceedings from Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA. Retrieved from http://www.juconicomparte.org/recursos/Altered_brain_development_ruu6.pdf

Pianta, R. B. (2008). Classroom effects on children's achievement trajectories in elementary school. American Education Research Journal, 45(2), 365-397.

Ritchie, S. & Gutmann, L. (Eds.). (2014). FirstSchool: Transforming PreK-3rd grade for African American, Latino, and low-income children. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Shonkoff, D. J. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

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https://center.ncsu.edu/ncfalcon/

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and Office of Head Start. (n.d.). Partnering with Families. Arlington, VA. http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/practice/individualized/iss/partnering-families.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and Office of Head Start. (2011). The Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework. Arlington, VA: Head Start Resource Center. Retrieved from: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/resources.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and Office of Head Start. (n.d.). Positive Parent-Child Relationships. Arlington, VA: Head Start Resource Center. Retrieved from: (http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/parent-child-relationships.pdf)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and Office of Head Start. (n.d.). Building Partnerships: Guide to Developing Relationships with Families. Arlington, VA: Head Start Resource Center. Retrieved from: (http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/building-partnerships-developing-relationships-families.pdf)

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/practice/individualized/iss/partnering-families.html

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/practice/individualized/iss/partnering-families.html

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/resources.html

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/parent-child-relationships.pdf

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/building-partnerships-developing-relationships-families.pdf

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/building-partnerships-developing-relationships-families.pdf

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