This topical guide on family engagement and child care will introduce you to important books, videos, and information resources available from the EI Clearinghouse.
Books
Contact us via online form or by phone (1-877-275-3227) to request a resource listed below (or ask your local public librarian).
Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education: Research Into Practice
Prior, J., Gerard, M.R.
Thomson Delmar Learning, 2007
This unique resource offers practical ideas and activities for developing partnerships with families that can be implemented for instant use by classroom teachers.
LB 1139.35.P37 P958 2007 70149231
From Parents to Partners: Building a Family-Centered Early Childhood Program
Keyser, J.
Redleaf Press, 2006
This explores the reasons and basis for developing ongoing partnerships with parents and families of children in early childhood settings and provides the tools and strategies to build the support network within which these partnerships thrive.
LB 1139.35 P37K49 2006 68221075
Parent-Friendly Early Learning: Tips and Strategies for Working Well With Families
Powers, J.
Redleaf Press, 2005
This book is a thoughtful and practical resource for early childhood providers seeking to create positive relationships with the parents of young children.
LB 1139.35.P37 P693 2005 57283947
Understanding Families: Supportive Approaches to Diversity, Disability, and Risk
Hanson, M.J., & Lynch, E.W.
Brookes Publishing, 2013
This book links theory, recommended practices, and research to the daily practice of providing services to young children and their families, with a focus on family-centered services.
HV 697.H35 2013 813690867
Winning Ways for Early Childhood Professionals: Partnering With Families
Schweikert, G.
Redleaf Press, 2012
This book addresses the realities of working with families and provides effective steps to help early childhood professionals initiate and maintain efforts as they build mutually respectful relationships in their program.
LB 1139.35.P37 S4 2012 742234200
Working with Families of Young Children with Special Needs
R.A. McWilliam
Guilford Press, 2010.
This book presents research-based best practices for serving families of children with special needs from birth to age 6. It offers indispensable tools for assessing families; identifying and capitalizing on their strengths; providing information, support, and coaching; collaborating with parents and teachers to address children’s functional needs in the context of everyday routines; and coordinating care.
LC 4019.3 .W67 2010 436028224
Videos
Contact us to request a resource listed below (or ask your local public librarian). Some videos may be viewed online.
Early Childhood Inclusion Training Resources That Work: Supporting Young Children Birth-Five With Disabilities and Their Families in Inclusive Settings
Multi-Media training kit
California Institute on Human Services, Sonoma State University, c2007-2009
Designed for use in a variety of professional development settings, this training library is an easy-to-use, comprehensive training curriculum for individuals working with young children who have disabilities, birth-five, and their families.
LC 4019.2 .S643 2009 537391911
Just Being Kids: Supports and Services for Infants and Toddlers and their Families in Everyday Routines, Activities, and Places
50-minute DVD
JFK Partners and Early Childhood Connections, 2001
This DVD presents six stories that demonstrate recommended practices as a therapist or early childhood specialist works collaboratively with a family to achieve meaningful goals for their children with special needs.
WS 350.6 .J96 sud 2001 163584617
Organizations
We are still adding to this resource guide. Please check back later for additional resources.
Articles
The journal titles linked below will take you to the publisher's homepage. You can ask your local public librarian how to obtain these articles or contact us for more information.
Child & Youth Care Forum, 37, 171-196.
Parent Involvement in Early Childhood Home Visiting
Jon Korfmacher, et al. (2008)
This review provides an overview of an important aspect of early childhood home visiting research: understanding how parents are involved in program services and activities. Factors that influence parent involvement are noted, including parent characteristics, qualities of the home visitor, and program features.
Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers. Paper 113.
Parental Involvement in Early Intervention Programs for Children with Autism.
Alexis Bennett. (2012).
This study explored the perceptions of practitioners of parental involvement in early intervention programs for children with autism. The findings supported other related research on the positive effects of parental involvement and engagement in early intervention services. It also suggests the need for early intervention staff to encourage involvement of families in programming and service provision to improve child outcomes and results.
School Community Journal, 24(1), 37-48
Family Capacity-Building in Early Childhood Intervention: Do Context and Setting Matter?
Carl Dunst, Mary Beth Bruder, Mary Espe-Sherwindt. (2014)
Researchers have identified a number of factors that are associated with variations in parents’ involvement in early childhood intervention. This study added to that knowledge base by demonstrating that where early intervention services are provided is a factor that influences the level of parent involvement in services. It also suggests that using capacity-building, family-centered practices as part of home-based interventions will likely have value added effects on parenting confidence and competence.
Web Resources
The web resources listed below provide quick and easy access to evidence-based online information.
Communicating With Parents During Sensitive or Difficult Situations
This list provides resources to help providers discuss difficult topics with parents. Web articles, books, journal articles, and organizations are listed.
Engaging Families in Early Childhood Education
Collaborative problem-solving will require that parents, educators, specialists, and administrators work together to determine appropriate resources and supports as well as specific information-sharing practices that facilitate parental engagement.
Family Engagement, Diverse Families, and Early Childhood Education Programs:An Integrated Review of the Literature
This paper provided an extensive review of the research on family engagement, clearly supporting the importance of strong partnerships between families and early childhood education programs.
Family Engagement: A Shared Responsibility
The Global Family Research Project is an independent, entrepreneurial nonprofit organization that supports all families and communities in helping children find success in and out of school.
Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Resources
The PFCE Framework was developed in partnership with programs, families, experts, and the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. It is a research-based approach to program change that shows how an agency can work together as a whole—across systems and service areas— to promote parent and family engagement and children’s learning and development.