Head Start Announces National Parent, Family Engagement Week with Online Events

Native News Network Staff in Native Health. Discussion »

Navajo Nation Head Start Class

WASHINGTON - Several American Indian tribes in Indian Country operate Head Start programs. The Administration for Children and Families' Office of Head Start has named September 26-30 as National Parent, Family Engagement Week.

During this week, the Office of Head Start will be holding a series of online events for Head Start and Early Head Start programs focused around parent and family engagement and the newly released: Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework.

"Families play a critical role in helping their children prepare for school and for a lifetime of academic success," said George Sheldon, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families. "This new framework provides guidance so that parents, family and the community can more effectively work together to meet the developmental needs of our children."

The Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework released today is a tool that shows how different program areas - from leadership to professional development and community partnerships - can all promote parent and family engagement. The Parent, Family and Community Engagement framework provides a set of family engagement outcomes and offers examples of strategies to meet these outcomes.

"Since 1965, parent and family engagement has been the cornerstone of Head Start," said Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, director of the Office of Head Start. "The Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework provides programs with a research-based, organizational guide for implementing relevant Head Start Program Performance Standards."

The Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework begins the next chapter in Head Start's long history of leading the field in engaging families and supporting children's ongoing learning and development.

posted September 27, 2011 6:30 am edt