Family Engagement: Establishing a System to Support the Parent-Teacher Partnership

Abstract

The Family Map Inventories were developed to support programs in their efforts to engage parents and understanding family needs and strengths. The Family Map Inventories are supportive of the framework put forth by Office of Head Start’s National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement (NCPFCE) and were developed with the Head Start performance standards as a guiding principle. This study provides evidence of the feasibility and usefulness of the Inventories used with parents of Infants and Toddlers. Parents and teachers were accepting of the Inventory. The Infant – Toddler Family Map Inventory appeared to provide an accurate assessment of the risks and strengths in the home and parenting environments of young children. The potential for use by educators is discussed.