A Systemic Approach to Family Engagement

These 7 components are needed to integrate and sustain a meaningful family engagement framework throughout any system that serves families and children, such as early childhood care and education, community supports and services, special education, pediatric healthcare, and more.

  • The term “system” is defined as a formal infrastructure working towards a collective mission. Systems exist and operate at various levels.
  • Each of the components listed in the inner circle is described below. Use the descriptions and the questions that accompany them to evaluate or envision what your family engagement framework could look like at every level of your system or organization.
  • The outer circle contains the conditions that must be present for full integration of your family engagement framework across your system or organization.

Leadership & Governance

Family engagement is prioritized across a collaborative governance structure that includes all stakeholders

Questions to Consider

Policies, Regulations, & Standards

State and local policy, regulations, and standards are leveraged to integrate family engagement at all levels of the system to achieve specific goals and outcomes.

Questions to Consider

Infrastructure & Funding

Systems leaders allocate resources to efforts that have the greatest potential impact on reaching family engagement goals.

Questions to Consider

Continuous Learning & Quality Improvement

Continuous learning and quality improvement goals drive family engagement decisions throughout the system. Decisions are data-driven, apply lessons from past family engagement efforts, and contribute to desired outcomes for children and families.

Questions to Consider

Professional & Workforce Development

Family engagement resources, training, coaching, and other supports are provided for professionals at all levels and in all sectors of the system. These resources are informed by families, front-line workers, and relevant data and are accessible in various ways.

Questions to Consider

State, Regional, & Community Partnerships

Leaders at every level work to communicate effectively and transparently, remove barriers, and support partnerships so that local groups can collaborate for maximum impact in addressing the strengths and needs of children and families in their communities.

Questions to Consider

Consumer Education & Engagement

Accessible, easy-to-understand information and resources are provided to families so they can make informed decisions.

Questions to Consider

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Adapted from PFCE Framework for Early Childhood Systems, National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement, 2018 and Dual capacity-building framework for family-school partnerships (Version 2) Mapp, K. L. & Bergman, E. (2019). This project was made possible by the NH Preschool Development Grant, grant number 90TP0060. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.”