Family-Friendly Early Care and Education Programs:
Parents as First Teachers, Education Partners for Life
Get acquainted with any learning community, and you will likely find that the early childhood educators are authentically engaging families as respected partners in raising healthy, well-rounded young learners. That’s because early care and education providers recognize that families are the experts when it comes to understanding what makes early learners shine – what their strengths, interests and potential are. Family Friendly Certification for early childhood education programs validates and celebrates the strong family engagement practices that are already rooted in early childhood settings. The certification process is also an opportunity to deepen those trust relationships between educators and families, and to sow seeds for parent engagement and leadership that will last through students’ school years.
In 2024, twelve Early Care and Education (ECE) programs achieved Family Friendly Certification and were honored at a reception at the Kentucky State Capitol on Monday, Nov. 18, during Governor Andy Beshear’s proclamation of Nov. 18-22 as Family Engagement in Education Week in Kentucky.
Growing Together Preschool in Lexington always works to improve communication with families. This certification process aligned with the overarching program goals and was a good fit for the work that was already being done to meaningfully engage families. Listening to family feedback from their annual surveys, the staff discussed how they could help families know more about what their child is doing and learning during their time at the preschool. Dr. Elizabeth McLaren provided parent training on developmental milestones. Because play-based learning is one of the bedrocks of early childhood education, the preschool team also planned a fall festival with learning stations that modeled for families how to initiate and sustain play-based learning with their children. Families shared that they were appreciative of the opportunities and were planning to replicate the activities at home.
Executive Director Denise Menhouse shared that both the lengthier initial certification in 2023, and the recertification in 2024 were worth the time and energy because the process brought awareness to improving practices in the program, enhanced levels of communication with families, and greater trust.
“The staff and families are more knowledgeable and able to help others understand why family engagement is so important to the success of our work,” Menhouse said.
Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission Head Start serves 333 children ages 3-5 and 80 children ages 6 weeks to 3 years in Boone, Campbell, Kenton and Pendleton counties. It now holds the distinction of attaining Family Friendly Certification for six Head Start programs in Northern Kentucky – Boone County Center, Alexandria Center, Elsmere Center, Eastside Child Development Center, Newport Center and Falmouth Center. Head Start program standards require a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of both the young learners and their families.
According to Marie McDine, Family and Community Partnership Coordinator, the Family Friendly Certification process highlighted the great educational, family service and parent engagement work in all of their centers.
“The process strengthens the partnerships with our families by promoting open communication, trust and a shared commitment to supporting each child’s development, “ McDine said. “The families feel supported, heard and engaged in their child’s positive growth and development.”
Once a month, Friday Family Field Trips are held at NKCAC Head Start programs. “Our families have raved about it!” McDine shared. A parent declared, “I think this year has been the best year of family involvement. The field trips and activities have been great!” Recent Friday Family Field Trips included Neltner’s Farm, bowling, Newport Aquarium, Cincinnati Zoo and Children’s Museum.
For other early childhood programs considering this certification process, McDine advises that they start collecting data and evidence immediately and reach out for support from the Prichard Committee and certified programs like hers. McDine believes that the Family Friendly Certification process showcases their centers’ hard work and commitment to family engagement and to their relationships with families, and makes their Head Start program stand out!
Floyd County Schools Early Childhood Program pursued Family Friendly Certification to strengthen their commitment to family engagement in their blended Head Start/preschool program and to recognize their staff’s dedication to families and students. Inspired by insights from the Early Childhood Institute and the two Family Friendly Certified schools in their school district, Chief Early Childhood Officer Kim Grubb began with a self-assessment, then expanded it to a small team of two staff and a parent from their policy committee. After gathering the initial data from these self-assessments, a diverse team across seven schools was assembled to complete modules, gather data and utilize the digital playbook for ideas to enhance current family engagement practices.
The Family-Friendly Certification process demonstrates how much the Floyd County Early Childhood Program values the parents’ role in their child’s education. The process has fostered open communication between staff and families, allowing them to work together to overcome barriers, improve attendance, and increase parent involvement/engagement. Over the past three months, this commitment has helped the Early Childhood program to achieve the highest volunteer and/or parent meeting attendance in the Big Sandy Head Start Region. As a result, the program now provides a more supportive environment that helps children and families from the start.
“For those applying for Family-Friendly Certification, remember—you’re likely already doing much of the work, especially if you’re in Head Start or preschool!” Grubb says. “The key is to document your efforts. Setting up Google folders where staff can add examples and documentation of family engagement activities was incredibly helpful for us. This approach streamlined our process, kept everything organized, and made it easy to showcase our ongoing support for families, as well as any areas where we were going above and beyond.”
The Family-Friendly Certification has helped the program build stronger connections with families. It encouraged staff to use different ways to communicate and reach out more often. Grubb states, “For many families, this is their first experience leaving their little ones with us, and the certification reassures them that we are committed to a welcoming, family-centered environment. This recognition has built trust, making families feel more comfortable and involved in their child’s learning. As a result, we’ve seen increased attendance, better enrollment rate, more volunteers, and higher parent meeting participation.”
