A positive relationship with families, along with a program that is committed to family engagement, is vital to a child’s success in school and life. This includes parents, teachers, schools, and the community, and is uniquely important in the earliest years of a child’s education. We know that children need support and guidance as they are developing skills across all domains: motor, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive, both at home and school. Our work has also demonstrated the essential need for educators to build relationships with families. These strong and nurtured relationships will support parents in growing their understanding of how they can support their child’s learning from the classroom and in their home.

Parent engagement and positive relationships between home and school support improvement in children’s health, well-being, and cognitive, academic, and social skills. There is also a positive influence that works to decrease challenging behaviors in children. Family engagement has also been shown to increase parent satisfaction with early childhood services.

We have all heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. This includes the continued support from that village to boost success as the child enters school. When there is a strong partnership between family,school, and community, the child will benefit from a multi-faceted approach for success. Additionally, when early care and education programs encourage parental participation in learning activities, provide opportunities to advocate and guide policies, and form partnership with local organizations, there are life-long benefits to children, families, programs, and communities.

A shared understanding and commitment between families and educators will create the conditions where a love of learning can develop in our youngest students. Children gain the benefit of success advocates when their families and community members are involved in their learning. Advocacy supports children in improving their skills in all areas and gaining advocates that promote their success, thus supporting their social, emotional, and cognitive skills and enhancing their ability to feel more confident at school and in life.