We developed this guide for course instructors who may adopt some or all of this text for their traditional college- or -university-based course, as well as professional learning facilitators in clinical and educational settings. In this guide, you will find suggestions for modular course design that correspond to each chapter, as well as ideas for assignments and activities to extend and apply learning.

To those of you using this in your courses for the first time: Please send your ideas and contributions to this guide. We will happily credit you and add to this evolving resource.

Preface

In these very few pages, we introduce the purpose of the text and our (the authors’ backgrounds). We highly recommend reading this first, regardless of your choice to read the entirety of the text or to select one or a few chapters.

Part 1: Foundational Principles of Family Engagement & Partnership

We suggest selecting part one for everyone as we lay the foundation of this work. We introduce key terms, describe important concepts, and introduce existing, evidence-based frameworks that all educators and clinicians should have familiarity with as professionals in clinical and school settings.

Learning Extension:

• What are the key terms in your field? Create a class / program glossary so that everyone uses terminology in the same way. If you have direct interaction with families at this time, create a glossary for families.
• Create an overview of your program, with relationship to families. What other frameworks exist in your field to describe and discuss partnerships with families? Do you have a mission or vision statement for your program? What does this say? How do you live it out? Were families part of the team that created or revised it? How do you gather input and have partnerships with families?

Part 2: Challenges and Barriers to Effective Family Partnerships

Part two begins with vignettes. The first describes an interaction that was well-intended on the part of the professional but was received differently by the parent. We then explore why the parent may have received the information differently than intended, and then re-imagine the scenario. A local example of problem-solving through a potential barrier to partnership is highlighted.

Learning Extension:

• You may have students describe an interaction with a family that did not go as intended. Have peers problem-solve, with the presenting student, alternate ways to approach the interaction.
• Consider the different ways that families are asked to give of their time to your organization / agency / school. How can you change some of these to be more aligned with partnership practices?

Part 3: Virginia’s Families and Communities

Part three focuses on Virginia’s context, but Virginia shares many characteristics with other regions and states in North America. For those reading this chapter while working elsewhere, this may present an opportunity for a comparative analysis. For example, learners may compare the following:

• Overall demographic data across states in the U.S. using census.gov
• School and community data shared within this chapter to schools and centers where they are placed for practicum/ internships or currently work
• State or local (jurisdiction) policies regarding various aspects of identity and diversity (for example, schools closed on varied religious holy days beyond federally-recognized Christian holidays or access to facilities and activities for members of the LGBTQ+ community

Learning Extension:

• You might assign each learner to conduct a comparative analysis individually or in groups, where each group member examines a different aspect of policy and practice across states or regions. This group assignment could be particularly beneficial as a means to prepare future educators and clinicians to work in teams to solve a problem or prepare a rationale/ report in service of advocacy efforts.

Part 4: Family Structures, Identities, & Cultures

Part four focuses on the diverse and varied family structures, identities, and cultures present in our communities. By structures, we refer to those who live in a home together as well as those who comprise an extended family, looking after one another’s children, co-parenting across households, or interacting in additional caregiving ways.

Early in this part of the book, we include a footnote where we draw a distinction between an assets-based mindset for working with families and cases of abuse or neglect. Depending on your learning goals and curriculum framework, this may be an opportune time to revisit or to introduce the Department of Social Services’ Guide for Mandated Reporters. We particularly want to encourage helping learners to make distinctions between roles. While we are mandated reporters, we are not all trained social workers, police detectives, or other professionals highly skilled in this area. Knowing what our roles are and are not is valuable as we want to ensure that we don’t do additional harm.

Learning Extension:

• Create an identity map. Consider all of your identities and what each means for you in your professional workspace. How do these identities impact your interactions with families?
• Create a profile of your community and the communities in which the families of the children you work with reside. What public entities exist that welcome children (e.g., library, park)? What low- or no-cost activities are available? Is there public transportation to the public entities? What resources are available for families who have children with disabilities or other support needs? Once you have created the profiles, examine for similarities, differences, and discrepancies.

Part 5: Creating and Sustaining Positive Relationships with Families

In part five, we introduce ways to engage families and to communicate effectively and inclusively. We link to resources focused on accessible and effective communication.

Learning extensions:

• Create an initial, succinct welcome to new families. Focus on what they need to know (and remove what is simply nice to know) as well as a quick way to invite them to share information.
• Design a newsletter for families that can be distributed in hard copy and online. You might focus on accessibility basics, such as the WCAG standards and other resources and tools included in this text.
• For those preparing classroom teachers, this is an opportune part of the text to delve into student-led or family-led conferences. 

Part 6: Difficult Conversations with Families

Learning Extension:

• Using role play is a great way to practice how to approach a difficult conversation. Work with peers to identify a situation in which you may have to have a difficult conversation. Role play that conversation with individuals taking on roles as: 1) professional; 2) family member; 3) observer. After the conversation, have the family member describe what it felt like to them to be in that role and have the observer describe times where there were missed opportunities for partnership within the conversation. Role play the conversation again, taking the feedback into consideration. Then, switch roles so each person has the opportunity to be in each role.