Aligning Strategies for Partnering with Families and Communities to Support Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging from Preschool to 3rd Grade
Introduction
The purpose of this toolkit is to support a shared understanding of what it means to partner with families and encourage preschool through third grade (P-3) leaders, educators and staff to build upon the lived experiences and cultural assets of families and communities to create welcoming environments in their schools and programs. This toolkit focuses on supporting UPK programs and elementary schools to engage families in decision-making processes that impact their children. To enable effective family engagement and partnership, this toolkit provides specific strategies for leaders, educators, and staff working with families from historically marginalized communities to partner actively with them in their children’s educational journeys.
This toolkit supports local educational agencies (LEAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to engage in a process of inquiry and reflection related to family engagement and partnership as well as their approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Ultimately, the goal of this toolkit is to support leaders, educators and school or program staff, who are faced with many competing priorities, to partner with families openly and effectively in service of the well-being of young children. This toolkit was developed with input and feedback from key interest holders and offers best practices, strategies, and resources for improving engagement of California’s youngest learners and their families.