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Our program hosts a diaper bank drive to provide local families in need of diapers. It is in correlation with the National Diaper Bank Network that we are able to assist in getting the necessary supplies to families in need.

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Our program has a housing resource binder that assists families in finding a reasonable housing opportunity within our community. Communication throughout the year gives staff the chance to discuss if this type of support is needed.

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Each week the Placer County Food Bank drops off bags of staple food for our program to give to families. These bags are helpful resources for families to create healthy, sustainable meals.

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If a family is not eligible for our grant program, the next step would be for referral to Placer County Office of Education for their subsidy program. We accept their subsidy care at our program, the only difference in certification is that it goes through their agency rather than ours (PCOE, 2023).

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There is a desire to have state oversight in curricula. However, these agendas do not support the needs of local community contexts (Little & Gragson, 2023). It is important that the teachers in a classroom are explicitly involved in the decision-making processes that directly affecting their teaching strategies. Before I attend our department's leadership meetings, I will make sure to have a staff meeting to highlight their needs and concerns. There is typically a section of the meeting timed out for anything not on the agenda. This would be a great way to allow their concerns to be heard by upper management.

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After the initial family survey, our program creates a calendar that outlines the dates for our holiday pancake breakfasts. The celebrations reflect what families stated in the survey in regard to holidays. It gives families the opportunity to explore our program activity celebrations while also creating meaningful connections with their students and other families.

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Our Title 5 Subsidized Care Program is offered to every prospective parent based on eligibility. Prior to enrollment, parents are given a grant application to determine family size and monthly income. If eligible, a certification meeting will be established with the required documentation to acquire subsidized care (CDSS, 2023).

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Attachment is a strong focus during the first part of a baby's life. Play time may be minimal, but it is during this time that attachment is developed. Adults can practice being responsive to their cues and contribute to the attachment needs of an infant. For example, an infant may be interacting with a caretaker by making smiling facial expressions. This may illicit a positive responsive from the caretaker in a similar facial reaction. It allows the infant to understand that their cues are being accurately acknowledged by the caretaker (Gonzales-Mena, 2017, p.26)

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Building an environment that is appropriate to a child's needs is a subtle interaction that often get overlooked. Because it is not a reciprocating interaction, many may not see this as involvement in children's learning. However, creating an environment that is based on their skillset is an important aspect that families can contribute in. Adults can be responsive to needs by including materials that assist with mastering skillset and developing new ones.

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Defining words through visual representation is a great way for families to engage in language development. Playing " I-Spy" using words that describe an objects position allows the child to visually see what is being represented with oral language (Reading Rockets, 2017).

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During enrollment, program educators can start building connections through getting to know families in a survey format. Survey tools can assist with program responsiveness and strengthen context connections (Wilder Foundation, 2015)

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A child's home language is just as important as the language they learn in school. Children develop language skills through social interaction. Active use of a first and second languages in children can be advantageous in other parts of their life. (Gonzales-Mena, 2017, p. 169). Families should continue to use their home language to raise bilingual learners.

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Informal Communication @ drop-off or pick-up

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Informal Communication @ drop-off or pick-up

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Drop-off or pick-up is a great opportunity for family engagement with staff. Since the timing is limited and others may be nearby, it should only be a method of communication for less serious discussions, reminders or updates about the program.

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To elicit deeper conversations with children, families can ask open ended questions. Doing this extends their learning experiences and expands their thinking of the subjects (Stewart-Henry & Friesen, 2018).

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Using the RERUN process is a teaching strategy that is helpful for families in developing problem solving skills. The first step (Reflecting) involves validating feelings. From there, caretakers can aid with understanding of the situations at hand (Explain). The process then involves giving reasons for needing to use these skills (Reason). Next (Understand), caretakers can help the child take both perspectives. Lastly, there will be time to discuss alternatives to solving the problem (Negotiate) (Gonzales-Mena, 2017, p.211). Problem solving skills will be carried with the child throughout their life.

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Many behaviors that are present in classrooms/programs, are also consistent with the behaviors seen at home. It is important for families to define what prosocial behaviors that they want to see within their child in any context. To do this, they must identify to the child the behaviors they want to see. Affirmations of the positive behaviors sends messages to the child that their decision-making skills are being noticed (Gonzales-Mena, 2017, p. 112-113).

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Young children learn through exploration and experience. In order to do so, they must have a safe base that builds their confidence in the big world around them. Adults display social referencing skills to interpret their surroundings and make decisions on situational reactions. (Gonzales-Mena, 2017, p.200).

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Meetings between educators and families allow time to be dedicated to discussing developmental levels, challenges and needs of students. There are a few things to keep in mind when scheduling these meetings. It must be flexible to accommodate the differentiations in family schedules and adaptable to methods such as in person or online.

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A newsletter pertaining to updates and important information is a system of communication that has worked well for classrooms and programs. It should be accessible in multiple formats and posted in the classroom or group Facebook page.

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It is not only important for educators to communicate with the families enrolled, but also to establish a system for families to be in contact with each other. A contact list with names and preferred contact methods sent out to classroom families is a great way for families to communicate. They may also be added to the class Facebook page where families can post concerns, questions or any information that is needed to be discussed with others.