The Infant/Toddler & School-Age Child Care Institute

Engaging Infant and Toddler Families in

Quality Infant/Toddler Family Child Care

Saint Louis, MO
May 10, 2017

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Introducing the State Capacity Building Center

 Ensures the effectiveness of

programs implemented under Infant/Toddler
the Child Care and Specialist Network
Development Fund (CCDF)
 Develops strategies to improve
the quality and increase the
supply of infant and toddler
services
 Advances the development of
early childhood systems

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 National Center on Early Head Start-Child
Care (EHS-CC) Partnerships
 Our Purpose
 To support the effective implementation of the new Early
Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnership grantees to
deliver high-quality comprehensive services to low-
income infants, toddlers, and their families

 Our Approach
 To provide training, resources, and materials to federal
staff, Office of Head Start (OHS) and Office of Child Care
(OCC) Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA)
providers, Head Start Collaboration Offices, and CCDF
Administrators so that all are equipped to meet the needs
of new EHS-CC partnerships

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Session Goals
Explore key messages on family engagement to
consider the implications for family child care (FCC)

Identify the link between relationship-based care

and family engagement

Consider opportunities and challenges for

promoting family engagement in FCC programs

Share how States/Territories are supporting family

engagement in FCC programs
 Family Engagement - Key Messages
Positive parenting and States and
family engagement are territories should
key to promoting affirm family
children's engagement as a
healthy development and Level 4 crucial element in
well-being. promoting
Level 1 children’s learning,
Level 2 The experiences development, and
of young children wellness; and
are connected develop specific,
with the measurable family
Effective family experiences of engagement
engagement their families. implementation
opportunities in early goals for early
care and education childhood systems
settings are an Level 3 and programs.
indicator of quality
early childhood
programming.

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Family Engagement is defined as:
 The systematic inclusion of families as
partners in children’s development, learning, and
wellness.

 Parent and family engagement activities are

grounded in positive, ongoing, and goal-oriented
relationships with families.

How does family engagement differ from

parent involvement/parent education?

Source: Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework

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Relationships
the state of being connected

Share a time when

you felt connected.

Why did you feel

connected?

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Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC)

Essential Program Practices
Individualized
care

Inclusion of
Culturally
children with
sensitive care
special needs

Relationship-
based care

Small group Continuity of

size care

Primary care

Source: Program for Infant/Toddler Care https://www.pitc.org/pub/pitc_docs/policies.html 8

 Challenges in Implementing
Family Engagement - Systems
Level
The perception that Ineffective engagement
family engagement is with diverse families
supplemental

A need to integrate family Insufficient workforce

engagement into state and preparation and a lack of
program policies and resources to support
requirements implementation

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 Characteristics of Family Child Care
(FCC) Providers
What do
 Work long hours you know?

 Serve mixed age groups

 Balance multiple roles
 Work in isolation

FCC has a history of

being undervalued.

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Strategies to Promote Family Engagement
in Family Child Care Settings

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Strategy: Build Collaborations

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Strategy: EHS-CC Partnerships

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Building Partnerships and Family Child Care

Source: EHS-CC Partnership Center

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 Strength of Family Child Care
Strength of Family Child Care Partnerships
Partnerships
FCC is often the choice families make when:
 They have infants and toddlers (Laughlin, 2013)
 They are people of color (Laughlin, 2013)
 They have low income (Johnson, 2005; Layzer & Goodson, 2006;
NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 2004)

FCCs bring to the partnership:

 Established relationships with families in the community
 Varying levels of motivation for change
 Commitment to learn and collaborate on defining “high quality”
 Access to high-quality services that accommodate the unique and
changing needs of children and their families
 Culturally and linguistically responsive practices
 Video Clip
TEAM interview-David Family Child Care Partnering

Source: EHS-CC Partnership Center

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 Promising Practices Highlights:
Partnerships in Family Child Care

Source: EHS-CC Partnership Center

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Strategy: Embed Family Engagement Elements
into All Levels of the Child Care System

QRIS

Licensing

Core Knowledge & Competencies

Infant/Toddler Credentials & Pathways

Professional Development
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Example: Promising Practices of Family
Engagement Elements in QRIS

Arkansas
Idaho Vermont
Better
STARS STARS
Beginnings

Washington
Delaware
Early
STARS
Achievers

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 QRIS with Selected Family Partnership
Indicators for Family Child Care

Written
Parent Surveys
Communication

Activities with Community

Families Resources

Source: Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) and Family-Sensitive Caregiving in Early Care and Education Arrangements:
Promising Directions and Challenges,, Issue Brief OPRE 2011-11d October 2011 20
 Promising Practices
Vermont’s Child Care Licensing Regulations for Family
Child Care Homes (FCCH)
Section 4 ‐ Parent/Family Engagement in Their
Children’s Care:
http://dcf.vermont.gov/sites/dcf/files/CDD/Docs/Licensing
/FCCH_Final.pdf

Michigan’s Core Knowledge and Core Competencies for

the Early Care and Education Workforce
Competency Area: Workforce-Family and Community
Engagement:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/MI_CKCC_6-
19-14_Revisions_461813_7.pdf
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 Professional Development & Infant/Toddler
Credentials
Professional development
providers and higher education
can ensure family child care
providers have the
• knowledge
• skills
• support
• resources
needed to build strong
partnerships with families.

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Strategy: Embed Family Engagement Elements
into All Levels of the Child Care System

QRIS

Licensing

Core Knowledge & Competencies

Infant Toddler Credentials & Pathways

Professional Development
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 Strategy: Develop Staffed FCC Networks
and Collaborate with FCC Associations
FCC Network FCC Association
FCC networks are funded FCC provider associations
programs that provide are membership
supports and services to organizations composed of
meet the unique needs of FCC providers and other
FCC providers through members of the early care
staffed network personnel and education field who join
who have specialized together to enhance family
education and expertise child care professionalism.
specific to FCC providers. Associations may be local,
state, or national.

*Source: “Staffed Family Child Care Networks: A Strategy to Enhance Quality Care for Infants and Toddlers” 24
2012, ZERO TO THREE
Opportunities - Table Talk
 Review the Opportunities Handout.
 Share one strategy that your State/Territory
could use or currently uses to support
family engagement in
FCC programs.

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Resources
 Haitsma, M., & Daley, K. (2009). Staffed support networks and quality in family child care: Findings from the Family Child
Care Network Impact Study (Executive Summary). Chicago, IL: Erikson Institute. Retrieved from
http://www.erikson.edu/wp-content/uploads/Full_report_web.pdf

 Building Partnerships: Guide to Developing Relationships with Families,

ncpfce@childrens.harvard.eduhttps://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhStrengthening Families Self-Assessment Tool for Family Child Care
Programs http://www.cssp.org/reform/strengthening-families/resources/body/Family_Child_Care_Self_Assessment.pdf

 Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care Project- Promote Family Engagement. CLASP, 2013
http://www.clasp.org/babiesinchildcare/recommendations

 Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.) Family engagement as
parent involvement 2.0: Understanding the difference in terms & concepts. Retrieved from:
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/revised-parent-engagement-as-pi.pdf

 López, M., Hofer, K., Bumgarner, E., & Taylor, D. (2017). Developing culturally responsive approaches to serving diverse
populations: A resource guide for community-based organizations. Retrieved from National Research Center on Hispanic
Children & Families website:http://www.hispanicresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Cultural-Competence-
Guide.pdf

 Comparison of State Licensing and QRIS Standards for Infants and Toddlers in Child Care Centers: Family Engagement
https://childcare-stage.icfwebservices.com/resource/comparison-state-licensing-and-qris-standards-infants-and-toddlers-
child-care-centers-1

 Bromer, J., & Bibbs, T. (2011, May). Improving support services for family child care through relationship-based training.
Retrieved from the Zero to Three website: http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/31-5_Bromer__2_.pdf?docID=12582

 Bromer, J., Van s.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/building-partnerships-developing-relationships-families.pdf

 Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework, ncpfce@childrens.harvard.edu

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/docs/policy-im/pfce-framework.pdf

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Resources
 Schmit, S., & Matthews, H. (2013). Better for babies: A study of state infant and toddler child care policies. Center for Law
and Social Policy. Retrieved from
https://forourbabies.org/2013/08/better-for-babies-a-study-of-state-infant-and-toddler-child-care-policies/

 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education. (2016.) POLICY
STATEMENT ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT FROM THE EARLY YEARS TO THE EARLY GRADES. Retrieved from
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/16_0152reportclean_logos.pdf

 Head Start, Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, Administration for Children and Families. Parent, Family, and
Community Engagement Simulation: Boosting School Readiness through Effective Family Engagement Series [Online tool].
Retrieved from
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/pfce_simulation

 Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2015).
Consumer education: Full diversity of support services for families. Retrieved from
https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/public/consumer_education_family_support.pdf
 Mayoral, M. V. (2015). Supporting Babies Through QRIS: A Self-Assessment Tool for U.S. States and Other Jurisdictions
[Online tool]. Retrieved from Zero to Three website:
https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/191-supporting-babies-through-qris-a-self-assessment-tool-for-u-s-states-and-other-
jurisdictions
 Office of Child Care and Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. (n.d.) A guide to effective consultation with settings serving infants, toddlers, and their families: Core
knowledge, competencies, and dispositions. Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/resource/effective-consultation

 Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013).
Infant-Toddler Consultant Self-Assessment Tool [Online tool]. Retrieved from https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/resource/infant-
toddler-consultant-self-assessment-tool

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Thank you for all you do to
support infants, toddlers and
families!
Tina Jiminez
Infant/Toddler Specialist, Region VIII
tjimine@wested.org
State Capacity Building Center

Randi Hopper
Senior Training/Technical Assistance
Specialist
rhopper@zerotothree.org
National Center for Early Head Start Child
Care Partnerships (Partnership Center)

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SEE NOTES FOR HANDOUT

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