The Family Engagement Collaborative pilots many new initiatives and special projects based on the needs of the community. Current and special projects include:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We are creating a culturally responsive family engagement video series where we come to discuss and reflect on engaging ALL families. Not all families were created equal. As our schools become increasingly more diverse, both linguistically and culturally effectively engaging all families becomes an ever-growing challenge. One answer to this challenge is tearing down the walls that divide us and build relationships that sustain us, all with the goal of boosting student success. In order to do this effectively educators must be willing to engage in reflection of themselves and their practice. Infusing culturally responsive reflection into ones practice will be a positive effect on one's family engagement efforts.
FESSE TRAINING
The collaborative is now offering training on how to use and implement the FESSE in your own setting. FESSE ( Family Engagement Self Evaluation Tool) is also a great hands-on resource for assessing all areas of your Family Engagement programs. This tool can be used to measure the Family Engagement levels of an institution. The Self- Evaluation can also be used to shed light on what needs to be improved family engagement system, as well as prioritize specific principles and strategies of family engagement. The Family Engagement Self-Evaluation also includes an action plan to help set these improvements in motion. This tool can be used in any program where family engagement is present. It can also be a stepping stone to instituting a family engagement system in an organization.
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT SERVICES & TRAINING & PARENT EDUCATION SERIES FOR DAYTON METRO LIBRARY
The services collaboration includes PFACES, LLC (Parent, Family and Couple Education Services), Dayton Metro Library and The Family Engagement Collaborative of Miami Valley. The program goals are to provide family engagement services that include:
Family Engagement Services and Training to staff
Evidence based training and education for parenting and families.
Support Dayton Metro Library and their Rock Your Homework Program
Provide enhanced services to promote and develop an intergenerational family approach with the Dayton Metro Library
SERVICE GOAL: To provide comprehensive services that strengthen and support family, community and school engagement. Build an innovative community model that expands positive parenting skills and increases family capacity to address family wellness, prosocial behaviors, school readiness and economic viability.
Description of services:
Assist with direction of program implementation, promotion and retention
PFACES will provide workshop facilitation of parenting curriculums and family engagement consultant services and training.
Family and community engagement through this partnership will increase the capacity to address family resiliency, enhance social emotional learning competencies with children, enhance academic success and create interaction for healthy child development within families. Family engagement education and services includes staff, mothers, fathers, kinship providers and adults involved the child’s care.
STRATEGIC COMPRESSION PLANNING
The collaborative has been participating in extensive compression planning sessions. The goals are to explore strengths, best practices and success stories of the Family Engagement Collaborative of the Miami Valley, in order to identify key themes, goals and opportunities for improvement.
VIDEO SERIES: DAYTON CULTURE DIALOGUES
To continue to grow and thrive, we must be responsive to changes in our demographics and include individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We are administrating and filming critical conversations about diversity among families and children in early childhood. This video series we will have difficult but necessary conversations about cultural diversity.
Parent relations deepen when childcare staff can explore contrasting perspectives and spark dialogue. These videos aim to depict variations on themes of independence, interdependence and individuality in the delicate issues involved in day-to-day caregiving.
Are there rights and wrongs when it comes to sleeping, eating, playing and learning? How can teachers “educate” parents when there are so many ideas on how to do things?
What we believe about the best learning environment depends on our experience and what we understand about what children need. For some, interdependence – helping others and being helped – matters more than the independence stressed in most programs.
Strong communication and understanding between school staff and families is important in any school and has special relevance for schools committed to anti-bias education. Communication built on misinformation, assumptions or stereotypes can create distance between schools, families and students. If handled with respect and cultural sensitivity, however, school-family communication provides an opportunity to live out the values of inclusiveness and equity, which are at the heart of anti-bias education.
Collaboration with I like my Brown Skin Because... author, Julia Davis which celebrates the heritage of African American children. The book is a conversation launch pad for parents, educators and children of every background. It is for those who want their children to live in a way that honors all people and to understand the history behind todays "racial" tension.
Family Engagement partner, PFACES, LLC hosted a movie viewing and discussion based on the film American Promise.American Promise is a documentary 13 years in the making and provides a rare look into the lives of two middle class black families as they navigate the ups and downs of parenting and educating their sons. The goal of the movie is to empower boys, their parents, caregivers, and educators to help close the black male achievement gap.
The collaborative is constantly striving to expand the growth of members through various initiatives, special projects and through creative media sources. Family engagement benefits all! Parents, teachers, schools and the children! The mission is to support those who support families. Quality family engagement is a continuous process that supports student learning and success in the early childhood and continuing to young adulthood.
READINESS SUMMIT
This spring educators, community leaders, elected officials and representatives of social service organizations from across the Dayton region come together for a day-long Readiness Summit. The event is highly attended with over 500 participants. This year the collaborative will have an informational table set up and will be presenting at 2 breakout sessions. The collaborative hopes to gain awareness and challenge the community with thought-provoking new ideas and share best practices. The collaborative' s attendance will most likely gain new partnerships while celebrating the exciting things that groups and individuals are doing to ensure more of our children start school ready to learn and are reading on grade-level in 3rd grade.