touching hearts, changing minds

Office of Child Development & Early Learningwww.education.state.pa.us | www.dpw.state.pa.us

Touching Hearts, Changing MindsParents as Professional Development Partners

Sarah Holland , Mary Mikus, & Camille CatlettNational Early Childhood Inclusion Institute

May 2014


Pair/Share

• Pick a partner• Identify leadership roles that families play in

your state or region• Discuss with partner• Share highlights with group


Learning Objectives

• Recognize the impact effective family engagement can have on child outcomes and trajectories

• Understand the leadership roles families can play in professional development, pre-service learning and other areas

• Identify potential emotional, informational, and financial supports that enable family participation


Learning Objectives• Be aware of the initial broad based national support

that created this project and the evolution into the current PA model

• Relate the Pennsylvania model to similar approaches in your own state

• Become inspired to increase opportunities for family leadership in state and local programs


• Higher preschool performance and promotion to next grade

• More positive engagement with peers, adults, and learning

• Buffers negative impact of poverty on academic and behavioral outcomes

The Difference You Can Make Through Family Engagement


PA Efforts to Build Family Leadership

Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policy Making for

Families of Children in Early Intervention

(C2P2 EI)



• Parents as Partners in Professional Development (P3D)

• Guide By Your Side (GBYS)

• Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania (P2P)



• State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC)

• Local Opportunities – Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICCs)– Support groups

• Parent Partners


Parents as Partners in Professional Development(P3D)

By partnering with families– We learn from their stories & benefit from their

expertise– Families grow in their leadership skills


History of P3D• FPG Project: Natural Allies

– Originated through Higher Education• Parents as Presenters• Parents as Partners in Professional

Development


P3D Family Roles

• Presentations (presenter, co-presenter, panelist)• Training developers• Contributors to newsletters• Family video profiles• On-line learning• Review policy, procedures and standards• Advisory committees


Opportunities created from P3D• Online chats• Course content - observation and reflection• Guest lecturers in Higher Education settings• Co-instruction• Family scenario• Shared organization and management• Evaluation and development• Advisory groups

– Learning Standards


Why this Partnership?

• Promote sensitivity and awareness• Educate about family centered services• Show audience that KIDS are KIDS• Advocate for Quality programs and

services


Essential Support for P3D• Commitment• Support • Compensation• Tools

http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/parents-partners-professional-development-p3d-touching-hearts-changing-minds






Impact on Students/Professionals

• Change in practice • New perspective• Employment interest• Enhanced knowledge and skills• Positive feedback on evaluations• Excitement!!!


Impact on Families• Increased confidence and collaboration• New perspective • Enhanced knowledge and skills• Positive feedback on evaluations• Excitement!!!


Qualitative Impact

The families’ stories and presence brings our work to life giving it depth and meaning

I learned I had misconceptions about family life with a child with a disability

It was a good experience to have students apply the concepts we’ve been learning in class, i.e., grieving, resources, etc., to a real-life situation


Recruitment Strategies

• Local Early Intervention programs

• Family networking

• Family training

• Local Interagency Coordinating Councils


The Journey – look how far we’ve come1974 2013


Cecilia’s Story


From Team Meeting to State Conference


Meeting the VIPs


What will next year bring?


Thank You!


For More InformationContact

Mary MikusConsultant, Early Intervention Technical Assistance

[email protected] ext.7277

Sarah HollandSpecial Assistant on Family Engagement, Office of Child Development and Early Learning

[email protected] 717-787-8691

Camille CatlettScientist, FPG Child Development Institute University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

[email protected]: (919) 966-6635

mailto:[email protected]



touching hearts, changing minds

Documents

child outcomes

family leadershipparents

family leadershipcompetence

p3d sarahc2p2ei marygbys

leadership roles families

professional developmentp3dby

gbys parent

pennsylvania model