Full Participation Segment 1 HandoutsSession ObjectivesParticipants will Explain what is meant by full participation and why it is so important in New Mexico

Describe the concept of personal culture

Describe the benefits of incorporating the cultures, languages, values, and priorities of children and families in all aspects of early childhood programs and practices

Describe respectful, responsive, and effective practices for each family

Guiding Principles for the Full Participation of Young Children,Birth through Age Eight, in New Mexico’s Early Learning System

Every child in New Mexico has diverse strengths rooted in his or her family’s unique culture, heritage, language, beliefs, and circumstances. Early learning programs that support the full participation of every child build on these strengths by promoting a sense of belonging, supporting positive social relationships, and enabling families and professionals to gain advocacy skills that positively impact the life of every child.We believe that . . .Every child has unique gifts and abilities that are to be celebrated and nurturedThe early years hold enormous promise for every child to reach his or her full potentialEvery child learns within the context of relationships and through playful interactions within their environmentEvery child and his or her family deserve equitable access to appropriate services and supports that acknowledge their uniqueness and enable them to reach their full potential

Therefore, we are committed to . . .Valuing and embracing all children and their familiesInvolving families and communities as partners and decision makersSuspending biases to build trust and establish collaborative partnerships that benefit children, their families and the professionals who work with themProviding choice, flexibility, and continuity of services and supports for families within communitiesMaking a variety of services and support available so all children have access to and can participate in opportunities that are both respectful of and responsive to their family experiences, culture, beliefs, abilities, and circumstancesAdvancing advocacy efforts for inclusive practices that build upon unique child, family, and community strengths and are accountable to every child and their family

We will . . .Promote New Mexico’s understanding of the importance of high quality inclusive early childhood programs and practicesSupport interactions and relationships that foster self-reflectionUtilize information about the growth, development, and experiences of individual children and families for program and curriculum development and improvementContinuously improve services and supports by evaluating current practices and incorporating effective methods, models, and research in our work with children and familiesPromote the establishment of aligned services and supports that build on both the unique assets of each child and acknowledge the strengths of children’s and families’ heritage, language, and cultureEnsure that services and supports are provided by people who reflect the diversity of the community, are well educated, and are well compensatedEstablish an integrated, multi disciplinary system of professional development, training, and technical assistance that ‐supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of practices that are respectful of and responsive to each child and family

Do You See the Guiding Principles?

Guiding Principle What did you observe?

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Create a sense of belonging for each childHonor each child’s unique culture, heritage, language, beliefs, and circumstancesCelebrate and nurture each child’s gifts and abilities

Promote learning within the context of relationships

Promote learning through playful interactions within environments

Use evidence-based practices

Use strategies to make sure each child is included

Engage each family; acknowledge their uniqueness and build on their strengths

Educational Services, Inc. (2000). A creative adventure: Supporting development and learning throughart, music, movement and dialogue: A guide for parents and professionals. Alexandria, VA: HeadStart Information & Publication Center. https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/video/creative-adventure (English)https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/es/video/una-aventura-creativa (Spanish)

Available to download from http://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/msd/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/iceburgofculture.pdf

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Available to download from http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/decrp/FAM-1_Fam-Ctrd_Practices_2017.pdf

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Characteristics of Effective Family-Professional Partnerships

What Should You See?Did You See It?

YES NOEnhanced Communication Asking families open-ended questions about the people, places, and activities that are important

to them Listening to families’ perspectives without sharing your own opinions first Learning about how families prefer to communicate (e.g., phone, email, in person) Using an interpreter to support interactions with family members who speak another language Learning and using key words and phrases in the languages of the children Seeking families’ input on topics when there are differences that need to be openly addressed Being persistent about communicating with each family, even when they have not been

responsive thus far Demonstrating how disagreements or differences of opinion do not interfere with your

commitment to the family and child

High Expectations Asking families what they see as their child’s strengths Focusing on the child’s strengths and not just the child’s needs Asking families about goals for their child Involving families in all decisions about their child Celebrating with families as children meet new milestones

Respect Asking families what is important to know about their culture, language(s), celebrations, and

customs and showing genuine interest Listening to families with particular attention to insights and information about cultural and

linguistic preferences and priorities Asking how you should address members of the family Asking families how they have been involved in their child’s program in the past and how they

would like to be involved in the future Reflecting the cultures and languages of families in each classroom or program

Commitment Holding meetings at times and places suited to the families’ needs and availability whenever

possible Reflecting the cultures, language(s), celebrations, customs and values of the families in

environments, interactions, and curriculum Discussing ways to find options that are responsive to families’ cultural values Developing and using a process for regularly soliciting and implementing input from families to

inform program decisions

Adapted from: CONNECT Module 4 http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-4; Teaching at the Beginning: Partnering with Parents http://teachatb.org/partneringwithparents/; NCLR Core Qualities for Successful Early Childhood Education Programs http://docplayer.net/7000687-Core-qualities-for-successful-early-childhood-education-programs-overview.html; Language Castle http://www.languagecastle.com/2014/09/fast-5-gamechangers-really-get-parents-dlls-engage/

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Available to download from http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/decrp/FAM-4_Fam_Capacity-Building_2017.pdf Resources

Adverse Childhood Experiences Aces Too High? https://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score/

https://www.samhsa.gov/capt/practicing-effective-prevention/prevention-behavioral-health/adverse-childhood-experiences

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html

Family Engagement: From the Early Years to the Early Gradeshttp://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/files/policy-statement-on-family-engagement.pdf

Family Engagement Toolkithttp://www.buildinitiative.org/Resources/FamilyEngagementToolkit.aspx

FOCUS: Essential Elements of Quality for State-Funded Preschool Programshttp://ped.state.nm.us/ped/LiteracyDocs/PreK/PED_FOCUS_Criteria_feb_2017.pdf

Guiding Principles for the Full Participation of Young Children, Birth through Age Eight, in New Mexico’s Early Learning System http://nmdev.unm.edu/pages/ocd/facInstMats/docs/GuidingPrinciplesBrochure.pdf

New Mexico Early Learning Guidelines: Birth through Kindergartenhttp://www.earlylearningnm.org/media/files/FINAL%20ELG_English2015%201-8-15.pdf (English)http://www.earlylearningnm.org/media/files/FINAL%20SpanishELG_2015%201-8-15.pdf (Spanish)

New Mexico Resources for Supporting Family Engagement http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/nm-full-participation-each-preschool-child

Recommended Practice: Family Practices http://ectacenter.org/decrp/topic-family.asp Family Centered Practices Checklist

http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/decrp/FAM-1_Fam-Ctrd_Practices_2017.pdf Family Capacity-Building Checklist http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/decrp/FAM-4_Fam_Capacity-Building_2017.pdf

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