Research and experience demonstrate that parent engagement in their children’s education results in better academic, social, and health outcomes for children. Engaging parents in early childhood collaborations is no exception.

When parents are meaningfully engaged in collaborations, they:

• Gain knowledge of available early childhood programs and resources
• Build skills, knowledge and leadership (self-determination/parent empowerment)
• Develop a support network
• Strengthen relationships with community
• Trust the early childhood system to be responsive to family and community needs

Equally important, early childhood systems that engage, listen to, and act on parent input are better positioned to address early childhood system problems. Parent engagement in community systems and policy work leads to early childhood programs and systems that work for all children and families.

Parent engagement is an integral component of community systems works. These modules were created to provide Illinois’ early childhood collaborations and early childhood stakeholders in general with the knowledge, resources, and tools to deepen their parent engagement practices.

Users can adapt the resources offered in this course to meet the unique needs of their collaboration and community to:

1. Deepen their understanding of parent engagement.
2. Draft a shared understanding of parent engagement and the core beliefs that will guide their collaboration’s efforts.
3. Examine the four parent engagement roles in the Community Systems and Policy level and learn how to strengthen partnerships with parents.
4. Develop a plan for engaging parents at their collaboration.

A certificate of completion will be generated for individuals who complete the course as well as a survey. We have partnered with The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning to offer ISBE Professional Development Hours (PDH) and with INCCRRA to offer this as a Gateways approved training.