Family Engagement Community of Practice

2020-21 Cohort

Introduction

2020-21 Family Engagement Community of Practice

The Family Engagement Community of Practice is a collaborative effort between MDE, PACER, and UM-Extension. It is designed to be an informal, unstructured time and space for family professionals to meet together virtually to:

• Learn from each other
• Network and share experiences
• Share ideas, strategies, resources, etc.
• Provide collegial support and guidance
• Develop personally/professionally, and advance the practice of family engagement

The FE Community of Practice is an informal group comprised of those interested in the practice of family engagement. The focus is on making connections between educators, advancing our knowledge and practice, and building and advancing family engagement work. We rely on participants to determine topics with the goal of having resources and/or specialists/experts available to help us dive deeper into the work.

Click Here for FE CoP flyer

Meeting Dates & Times

Meeting Dates & Times

Dates and Times

There are five days scheduled for the 2020-21 school year. In order to build community and momentum, it is ideal if practitioners are able to participate in all five, but please know that this is not required.

1. Friday, Oct. 2, from 1:00 to 2:30
2. Friday, November 13, from 1:00 to 2:30
3. Friday, January 8, from 1:00 to 2:30
4. Friday, February 26, from 1:00 to 2:30
5. Friday, April 23, from 1:00 to 2:30

The same Zoom link is used for each session: Click Here

Connect via Zoom

Connect via Zoom

Link to join: https://z.umn.edu/FamilyEngagementCOP

Participants

Participants

Those who work with families in an educational setting or provide education (formal or informal) to parents/families. Participants may hold a variety of titles, like parenting educator, family life educator, family service worker, family support specialist, family liaison, and so on. Participants may come from a variety of organizations and programs, like school districts (early childhood programs and K-12), Head Start, child care, community-based organizations, etc.

Presentations

Presentations

October 2, 2020
Click here

Surveys & Results

Surveys & Results

Session 1, October 2, 2020

• Click here for survey link
• Click here for survey results

Connected Educators

Connected Educators

In their book, What Connected Educators Do Differently, Whitaker, Zoul, and Casas (2015) state that connected educators develop a mindset characterized by some of these examples (p. xxiii):

• Educators become connected “educators” by first becoming connected and constant “learners,” ones who reach out to learn, share, and collaborate with a network of fellow learners interested in education.
• Educators can and should establish networks to share practices, access experts, and solve problems.
• Educators must live not just as readers or viewers, but as active participants in ongoing discussions, planning, and problem solving.
• Educators can have access to a large collective brain trust consisting of diverse ideas and perspectives.

2020-21 Family Engagement Community of Practice - Resources

Family Engagement Resources

Family Engagement Resources

Minnesota Head Start COVID-19 Response Fact Sheet
Click Here

Supporting Children and Ourselves: Coping during COVID-19
Click Here, Kevin Plummer, Ph.D.

The Perry Preschoolers and Late Midlife: A Study in Design-Specific Inference
Click Here

Time Well Spent: Home Learning Activities and Gains in Children’s Academic Skills in the Prekindergarten Year
Click Here

Links

Links

PACER - Family Engagement
Click Here, or go to https://www.pacer.org/learning-center/family-engagement/

Professional Development Opportunities

Professional Development Opportunities

Helping Your Children Manage COVID-19 Realities: Beyond the Facts and Into the Effects on our Lives
Click Here, Free Webinar, Anne Gearity, Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health

The Holistic Approach to Engaging Fathers - October 29, 2020
Click Here, Minnesota Fathers & Families Network

Providing Distance Family Support: What do I say? How can I help? A Conversation with NCPMI Faculty
Click Here, National Center on Pyramid Model Innovations

Radical Family Engagement
A Journey Like No Other, ACF’s Office of Early Childhood Development (ECD) is hosting a series of conversations with key cross-sector partners and targeted engagements to bring new insights for how RADICAL family engagement could change the landscape of education and early childhood systems.

• What do Parents Need and What Can They Do?, October 26, 12:30 PM
• What do Schools Need and What Can They Do?, October 27, 12:30 PM
• What Does Government Need and What Can They Do?, October 28, 11 PM
• What Do Organizations Need and What Can They Do?, October 29, 12:30 PM
• What Actions Can We Take Together?, October 30, 12:30 PM

Professional Learning Modules

Professional Learning Modules

Go to Family Engagement page