Abstract
Family-professional collaboration builds opportunities for both relationship building and the active participation of parents and practitioners in achieving mutually agreed-on goals. The collaborative efforts build and strengthen family and professional capacity to provide or mediate the provisions of resources, supports, and services that ensure inclusion of children with disabilities in typical school and community activities (National Professional Development Center on Inclusion, 2011). The resources listed below can support family members and professionals in achieving these desired outcomes.
Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children With Disabilities: A Dance That Matters
The authors (Janice M. Fialka, Arlene K. Feldman, and Karen C. Mikus, 2012) use a dance metaphor to capture the complexities and possibilities of building strong partnerships between professionals and parents of children with disabilities. Family stories are used throughout the book to illustrate the skills needed to form and maintain effective partnerships.
Corwin, a Sage Company
Cost: US$27.95
Fostering Parent and Professional Collaboration: Research Brief
In this article, the authors summarize historical trends in parent-professional collaboration, explain the research behind such collaboration, describe potential barriers to effective partnerships, and provide strategies for successful collaborations.
National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
Visit the website of this National Center to find resources on partnerships, family and community engagement, and other topics of interest.
CONNECT Module 3: Communication for Collaboration
The resources in this online module focus on effective practices for communicating between professionals and families in the context of early education and intervention. The module provides a decision-making process that may be used to select communication practices linked to specific purposes, including attending and active listening, seeking and verifying, and supporting and joining. All module resources (handouts, research, video clips) are available to download at no cost.
CONNECT Module 4: Family-Professional Partnerships
Building on the content of CONNECT Module 3, this online module describes effective practices for developing trusting family-professional partnerships in early care and education programs. A decision-making process to select partnership-oriented practices linked to (a) developing an initial friendly relationship, (b) making shared decisions, and (c) developing a trusting partnership with families to address challenging issues is described and illustrated.
Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework
This framework is a road map for progress in achieving the kinds of outcomes that lead to positive and enduring change for children and families. It is a research-based approach to program change that shows how an agency can work together as a whole—across systems and service areas—to promote parent and family engagement and children’s learning development. The framework is available in English and Spanish.
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/standards/IMs/2011/pfce-framework.pdf (English)
http://espa%C3%B1ol/2011/pfce-framework-spanish.pdf (Spanish)
In the Next Issue
Resources on response to intervention in early childhood
Footnotes
You may reach Camille Catlett by e-mail at