From All to Each and Every: Using Your Leadership to Support Each Young Child

Evidence-Based Practices

Model the use of words, images and interactions that reflect each child and family

People First Language by Kathy Snow

Favazza, P. C., La Roe, J., Phillipsen, L., & Kumar, P. (2000). Representing young children with disabilities in classroom environments. Young Exceptional Children, 3(2), 2-8.

Children’s Books

  • 10 Books That Empower Kids to Stand Up and Speak Out
  • 12 Children’s Books that Challenge Traditional Gender Roles
  • African-American Experience Children’s Literary Reference Guide (2011-2016)
  • Children’s Books About Bullying
  • Children’s Books that Break Gender Role Stereotypes
  • Children’s Books that Support Social-Emotional Development http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/documents/booklist.pdf
  • Culturally Relevant Books in the ELL Classroom
  • The End of Bullying Begins with Me: Bullying Prevention Books for Young Children
  • Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books
  • Looking at Gender Identity with Children’s Books
  • Recommended Children’s Books on Bullying/Friendship Issues
  • Selecting and Using Culturally Responsive Children’s Books

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/fcp/docs/selecting-culturally-appropriate-books.pdf

  • Top 100+ Recommended African-American Children’s Books

Fully Embrace the Concept of Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Developmentally Appropriate Practice Resources

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, DC: Author.

Contextually Appropriate Practice Resources

America’s Hispanic children: Gaining ground, looking forward.

Being black is not a risk factor: A strengths-based look at the state of the black child.

Catch a Bubble video https://

Highlighting the positive development of minority children

Importance of Home Language series

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/home-language.html

National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic

Phonological awareness is child’s play!

Responding to linguistic and cultural diversity: Recommendations for effective early childhood education. (English)

(Spanish)

Same, Different, and Diverse: Understanding Children Who Are Dual Language Learners

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/docs/same-different-diverse.pdf

Screening and assessment of young English Language Learners (English)

(Spanish)

Individually Appropriate Practice Resources

DEC. (2014). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education.

video:

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center. (2016). Recognizing and performing the DEC Recommended Practices.

Performance Checklists

Illustrations

Practice Guides for Practitioners

Practice Guides for Families

National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (2011). Research synthesis points on practices that support inclusion. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, FPG Child Development Institute, Author. http://npdci.fpg.unc.edu/sites/npdci.fpg.unc.edu/files/resources/NPDCI-ResearchSynthe sisPointsInclusivePractices-2011_0.pdf

Partner with Each Family in Supporting Their Young Children

  • CONNECT Module 4: Family-Professional Partnerships

http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-4

  • Early Childhood and Family Homelessness Resource List

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/occ/acf_homeless_resource_list.pdf

  • Halgunseth, L. C., & Peterson, A. (2009). Family engagement, diverse families, and early childhood education programs.
  • Harvard Family Research Project. (2006, Spring). Family involvement makes a difference: Evidence that family involvement promotes school success for every child of every age. Harvard Family Research Project: Harvard Graduate School of Education.
  • My Beautiful Woman
  • National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family

  • Supporting Parent and Caregiver Involvement in Early Literacy Practices with Young Children from Diverse Backgrounds and Abilities http://depts.washington.edu/hscenter/sites/default/files/01_15m_inclusion_inservice/08_family_
    literacy/documents/family_literacy_research_brief.pdf

Share Information with Colleagues and Families to Support Each Young Child

  • Share the importance of reading and stories
  • Books and reading make a difference
  • Daily reading supports language acquisition and literacy

(article)

(policy statement)

  • Share the value of play
  • Convey the importance of maintaining each child’s home language
  • Williams, C. P. (2014). Chaos for dual language learners: An examination of state policies for exiting children from language services in the PreK-3rd grades. Washington, DC: New America Foundation.
  • Importance of Home Language series

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/home-language.html

  • Model effective ways to use praise
  • http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/february/talking-to-baby-021213.html (news article)
  • (research article)
  • Six words you should say today
  • Emphasize the importance of human interaction
  • Share information about great, FREE resources
  • Baby Talk (attached)

Discover and share free evidence-based resources

1. Center on Early Literacy Learning

2. Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/

3. CONNECT http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners

1: Embedded Interventions http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-1/

2: Transition http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-2/

3: Communication for Collaboration http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-3/

4: Family-Professional Partnerships http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-4/

5: Assistive Technology http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-5/

6: Dialogic Reading Practices http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-6/

7: Tiered Interventions http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect-modules/learners/module-7/

4. SCRIPT-NC Landing Pads http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resource-search

5. Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Development for Young Children

Every Kid Needs a Champion
Checklist of Effective Partnerships with Families

What Should You See? / Did You See It?
YES / NO
Enhanced Communication
  • Asking families open-ended questions about the people, places, and activities that are important to them
  • Listening to families’ perspectives without sharing your own opinions first
  • Learning about how families prefer to communicate (e.g., phone, email, in person)
  • Using an interpreter to support interactions with family members who speak another language
  • Learning and using key words and phrases in the languages of the children
  • Seeking families’ input on topics when there are differences that need to be openly addressed
  • Being persistent about communicating with each family, even when they have not been responsive thus far
  • Demonstrating how disagreements or differences of opinion do not interfere with your commitment to the family and child

High Expectations
  • Asking families what they see as their child’s strengths
  • Focusing on the child’s strengths and not just the child’s needs
  • Asking families about goals for their child
  • Involving families in all decisions about their child
  • Celebrating with families as children meet new milestones

Respect
  • Asking families what is important to know about their culture, language(s), celebrations, and customs and showing genuine interest
  • Listening to families with particular attention to insights and information about cultural and linguistic preferences and priorities
  • Asking how you should address members of the family
  • Asking families how they have been involved in their child’s program in the past and how they would like to be involved in the future
  • Reflecting the cultures and languages of families in each classroom or program

Commitment
  • Holding meetings at times and places suited to the families’ needs and availability whenever possible
  • Reflecting the cultures, language(s), celebrations, customs and values of the families in environments, interactions, and curriculum
  • Discussing ways to find options that are responsive to families’ cultural values
  • Developing and using a process for regularly soliciting and implementing input from families to inform program decisions

Adapted from: CONNECT Module 4; Teaching at the Beginning: Partnering with Parents ; Language Castle ; NCLR Core Qualities for Successful Early Childhood Education Programs

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INTENTIONAL APPROACHES TO SUPPORTING EACH CHILD AND FAMILY
IN EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS
Ask yourself… / What are examples of intentional practices?
Do your policies reflect your intentionality? /
  • Do your efforts have an explicit and intentional emphasis on young children who are culturally diverse (includes racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and other aspects of diversity)? On young children who are dual language learners? On young children with disabilities?
  • Do you have agreed upon definitions of key terms to use in your work (e.g., cultural competence, inclusion)?
  • Do you have guiding principles to underscore your shared commitment to diversity in all aspects of your work?

Do your family engagement efforts reflect your intentionality? /
  • Have you incorporated an explicit and intentional emphasis on authentically engaging families who are culturally and linguistically diverse? Are you also engaging families who have young children with disabilities?
  • Is input from family members shaping the quality of your work? Are you building the capacity of diverse families to support the capability and success of their children?
  • Are family members helping you to intentionally and effectively support practices that connect home cultures and experiences to their learning?

Do your programs and practices with young children reflect your intentionality? /
  • Are you intentionally and effectively supporting practices that connect children’s cultures and experiences to their learning?
  • Are you shaping teachers’ personal capacities and attitudes to support each child’s achievement?
  • Do program characteristics (e.g., teacher-child ratios, time for small groups or one-on-one interactions, materials in multiple languages) support individual children?
  • Do environments authentically reflect the children, families, and communities you serve?

Are your professional development efforts growing the capacity of early childhood professionals to support young children who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse? /
  • Do early childhood professionals have a strong knowledge base about evidence-based practices for supporting young children who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse? For example, do they understand the process of second language acquisition? Are they familiar with evidence-based practices that support inclusion? Promoting bilingual development of young DLLs?
  • Have you identified specific competencies related to evidence-based practices for supporting young children who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse and their families?
  • Do you have explicit requirements for early childhood professionals in developing their capacity to support young children who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse?
  • Are you using intentional strategies to increase the diversity of the individuals who work with young children?

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