Family Partnership Agreements & Procedures

 Approaches to Partnership Agreements 

GHC Early Childhood Program believes that each family has unique strengths, dreams, desires, and needs, and exists within the context of the community.  It is through a partnership process that staff and families share and celebrates the strengths of each family and embraces diversity and a variety of cultural backgrounds.  GHC builds stronger families and communities by focusing on parent-child relationships and enhancing community supports such as wellness, enhanced parenting skills, financial stability, and life-long learning. 

 Family Partnering Goals: (aligns with the Parent, Family & Community Engagement Framework)  Partner with families and community-based service providers to assure parent access to and participation in services that will support family well-being, safety, health, economic stability and enhance parenting skills.  

Develop meaningful relationships with parents in order to support child and family outcomes, engaging families in individualized goal-setting aligned with the Family Engagement Framework.   Support parents to observe, guide, and promote the learning of their children at home, school, and in the community.  

All members of an enrolled child’s family may be considered in the Family Partnership process, including both mother and father figures, biological and non-biological.    

 Foster opportunities for parents to make and maintain supportive and appropriate social connections and expand their social support structures. 

 Foster opportunities for parents to individually, and with the program, participate in personal and community advocacy, impacting service design, program governance, and policy development.   

Offer to meet with families a minimum of two times a year for center-based options and weekly for home-based options to discuss school readiness and family engagement goals with the family.   Questions related to the unique family structure, including cultural background and language preferences are asked in order for the program to work with the family in the most supportive and respectful manner possible.  If needed, translators are provided and/or arranged.  For more information see Cultural and Linguistic Policy.    

Review individual progress, revise goals, evaluate and track identified needs and goals met, adjust strategies as necessary and prioritize services to families based on the intensity of identified family needs and goals.  

Intentionally engage parents in the transition planning process for their children, including Early Head Start to Head Start and Head Start to the public schools.  

Infuse culturally responsive family services throughout curriculum and program design in an integrated manner. 

Service Delivery Responsibility:  In the center-based model, each family works with a Family Support Specialist  who has access to support from the Family Support Specialist Manager when additional information or resources are needed.  In the Home Based/Home Visiting model, Home Visitors are cross-trained to deliver services in both education and family services and also have access to support from the Family Engagement Coordinator when additional Family Engagement information or resources are needed.