News

June 14, 2023

How Family Engagement Supports Kindergarten Readiness & Early School Success

Family engagement is a critical driver in ensuring that all children enter kindergarten “ready to learn” and experience early school success. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kindergarten readiness can impact how successful a child is in high school and beyond, leading to better grades and lower dropout rates, as well as better health and lifestyle habits. Children who enter school with key readiness skills have an 82 percent chance of mastering basic skills by age 11, compared with 45 percent for young children who are not “kindergarten ready.” Yet, many children nationwide are still unable to reach this pivotal benchmark.

Join the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) at this webinar to hear from education leaders and practitioners who will share the latest research and on-the-ground lessons for how family engagement has improved kindergarten readiness and early school success in their states, districts, and communities.

Moderated by Yolie Flores, President and CEO of Families In Schools, this panel conversation will explore:

  • Why engaging families early matters for children’s long-term success
  • How innovative technologies can be leveraged to support families
  • The role that curriculum, professional development, and supplemental resources play in family engagement

Session Details

Tuesday, June 27 | 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Virtual

Register

Learn More

This webinar is the fifth in a series of conversations designed to boost family engagement practices between school and home. The six-month series, produced by the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with Carnegie Corporation of New York and Overdeck Family Foundation, will explore bright spots in the field and provide education leaders and practitioners with resources and evidence-based strategies to support student success.

Featured panelists include:

  • David Cintron, Superintendent, District 14, NYC Department of Education, New York, NY
  • Rebecca Crouse Kelley, J.D., Executive Vice President of Advocacy, Waterford.org
  • Shawn Foster, Ed.D., Superintendent, Orangeburg County School District, Orangeburg, SC
  • Kai-ama Hamer, Director, ParentCorps
  • Priscilla Hopkins, Executive Director, Denver Public Schools, Denver, CO
  • Deborah Leong, Ph.D., Co-founder and President, Tools of the Mind

To learn more, visit the event page on Eventbrite.

News

November 2, 2022

New Opportunities Available to Families to Help Impact Early Learning in PA

Two new exciting opportunities are available for families to share their experiences and make an impact in Pennsylvania’s early learning.

P3D/PDO Family Voices

Parents as Partners in Professional Development (P3D), with the Pennsylvania Professional Development Organizations (PDO), are recruiting a cohort of families to participate in P3D/PDO Family Voices.

Family members of young children who attend an early childhood program in Pennsylvania are invited to apply. P3D/PDO Family Voices seeks a diverse group of families who have experiences with many aspects of early childhood services in Pennsylvania like child care, PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start, Early Intervention, Home Visiting, etc.

Reimbursement for travel and child care costs are provided to participants.

Learn More about P3D/PDO.

Applications are due Friday, November 18, 2022 and all applicants must agree to attending the full day virtual training on December 6, 2022. Access the P3D/PDO application.

Interstate Family Engagement Leadership Collaborative

Families are invited to serve on the Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE)’s Interstate Family Engagement Leadership Collaborative.

As a critical partner in the early childhood field, families are invited to serve in a leadership capacity on CAFE’s Advisory Board to share their expertise to implement high-impact school, family, and community engagement strategies.

Family Leaders will commit to an estimated two hours a month for meetings, and compensation/reimbursement is provided for a stipend and mileage.

Reimbursement for mileage will be offered for any in-person meetings or training. Please direct any questions to Jessica Webster (Pennsylvania Advisory Council).

Learn more about CAFE Interstate Family Engagement Leadership Collaborative.

Applications are due Friday, November 11, 2022. Access the CAFE application.

 

News

February 16, 2022

Learning to Listen: Conversations for Change

Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) for an virtual webinar series, “Learning to Listen: Conversations for Change.” Hear from luminaries who are working on the frontlines of current and emerging issues for children and families. Registration is required for this event.

Session Information

  • March 2, 2022 | Listening to Children and Families in Court

In this first conversation of BTC’s Learning to Listen: Conversations for Change spring series, the Honorable Judge Erica Yew will share what she has been learning over the course of her convention-shattering career, and the importance of listening to families and partnering with them to improve justice outcomes for all.

  • May 11, 2022 | Listening to Families Resettling in the US

On any given day, there are more than 80 million refugees around the world, nearly half of whom are children. Join Sesame Workshop’s Maria del Rocio Galarza, Vice President of US Social Impact, and Tara Wright, Senior Manager of Content Design for a conversation about how Sesame Workshop aims to support children, families and providers as they arrive and resettle in the US. through creating resilience-building resources and celebrating the unique strengths of different communities.

News

Learning to Listen: Conversations for Change

Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) for an virtual webinar series, “Learning to Listen: Conversations for Change.” Hear from luminaries who are working on the frontlines of current and emerging issues for children and families. Registration is required for this event.

Session Information

  • March 2, 2022 | Listening to Children and Families in Court

In this first conversation of BTC’s Learning to Listen: Conversations for Change spring series, the Honorable Judge Erica Yew will share what she has been learning over the course of her convention-shattering career, and the importance of listening to families and partnering with them to improve justice outcomes for all.

  • May 11, 2022 | Listening to Families Resettling in the US

On any given day, there are more than 80 million refugees around the world, nearly half of whom are children. Join Sesame Workshop’s Maria del Rocio Galarza, Vice President of US Social Impact, and Tara Wright, Senior Manager of Content Design for a conversation about how Sesame Workshop aims to support children, families and providers as they arrive and resettle in the US. through creating resilience-building resources and celebrating the unique strengths of different communities.

News

October 21, 2021

Strengths-Based Family Engagement Workshop Series

Are you interested in connecting with families about their child’s care and development? Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center for their upcoming professional development, “Strengths-Based Family Engagement Workshop Series.” Each workshop is 90 minutes, includes a certificate of attendance, and offers live Spanish translation. Participants may register online to attend live or receive recordings of each session.

Additional Information

Workshop 1: A View from All Sides: Perspective-Taking to Support Family Engagement

Workshop 2: Choosing Your Attitude: Using Strength-Based Family Assumptions

Workshop 3: I Hear You: Active Listening to Engage Families

Workshop 4: The Power of Observation: Connecting with Families Through the Child’s Behavior

Workshop 5: Valuing Passion: Connecting with Families Around What They Care About

About Brazelton Touchpoints Center

The Brazelton Touchpoints Center provides professional and leadership development, organizational learning and change, and research and evaluation for family-facing professionals in pediatrics, early childhood, infant mental health, children’s libraries and museums, home visiting, and child welfare. The Brazelton Touchpoints Center is home to the Touchpoints Approach, the Brazelton Institute (the Newborn Behavioral Observations system and the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale), Family Connections, the Indigenous Early Learning Collaborative, and the BTC Research and Evaluation team.

News

October 20, 2021

Online Toolkit to Support Multilingual Students in Pre-K to Third Grade

Early Edge California and American Institutes for Research (AIR) released the Multilingual Learning Toolkit last month, an online hub of research-and evidence-based instructional resources and strategies on how to best-support multilingual learners (MLs) in grades pre-k to three.

Additional Information

The Multilingual Learning Toolkit website provides an overview of foundational principles of dual language learning and development. Additionally, educators can access a wide variety of instructional strategies and resources related to the following areas:

  • Family Engagement
  • Social-emotional Health and Development
  • Classroom Environment
  • Oral Language Development
  • Literacy Development
  • Bilingual Classrooms
  • Home Language Development
  • Additional ELD Strategies
  • Content Learning
  • Assessment
  • Building Educators’ Capacity

New resources will be added on an ongoing basis. While the Toolkit draws heavily from California-based policies, programs, and resources, practitioners across the country may find value in accessing this online hub of research-based, asset-focused principles.