Family Connection

Prekindergarten
Family Connection 

 Overview

The purpose of the Family Connection session is to develop a positive educational relationship between the family and the school community. Family Connection is a process where one or more family members engage in a session with a teacher to help:

• include families as part of the decision-making process;
• foster confidence, competence, collaboration, and capacity;
• increase awareness;
• provide differentiated support;
• address concerns and discussing solutions; and,
• develop school readiness skills in all domains of learning.

Additionally, the Family Connection values parents for their role as their child's first teacher. In some cases, Family Connection may take place in the small group so families can build a support network and discuss shared concerns and solutions with each other (e.g., families with similar needs such as interpreters, instructional supports, etc.).

 Expectations

All students will be offered Family Connection sessions based on the following guidance.

Frequency

Offered once a month for all families:

• August (see Establishing the Home-School Connection, includes Initial Prekindergarten Parent/Guardian Questionnaire)
• September
• December
• January (Mid-Year Check-In, includes Family Connection Mid-Year Survey)
• March
• April
• May

Additional sessions are offered to students with IEPs based on program placement and individual student needs.

Format

Family Connection is a required component of the HCPSS Pre-K program and aligns to best practices for family engagement, Maryland Accreditation, and Maryland EXCELS. Teams can select from the following format options:

• 1:1
• Pairs
• Small Group (3-5 families per group)

Other options can be considered; please consult with your school's Resource Teacher Links to an external site..

Setting

Family Connections can take place virtually, in-person, or over the phone. For families that require a device to access a virtual session, they may request a device during the Beginning-of-Year Family Conference. See Mid-Year Check-In for more information.

 Establishing the Home School Connection

September

The Beginning-of-Year Family Conferences and Screenings are the topic of the first Family Connection session. All families of prekindergarten-age students (Pre-K general education students, special education students, and Learning Together Program (LTP) students) are invited to participate. 

See the Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Requirements page for process steps.

Ongoing

Teachers will continue to offer monthly Family Connection sessions throughout the year. It is suggested that the session occur at a consistent time and date. Meetings may take place in the small group so families can build a support network and discuss shared concerns and solutions with each other (e.g., families with similar needs such as interpreters, instructional supports, etc.). 

Parent-Teacher Conferences

November and February parent-teacher conferences replace the monthly Family Connection session. Teachers may decide to offer an additional session to some families during these months, depending on the need. 

Mid-Year Survey

To ensure Family Connections are responsive to individual needs, families will be asked to identify any updates to their preferences for topics, setting, and group size preferences during the January Family Connection: Mid-Year Check-In.

Families that requested a device at the beginning of the year, they will also be asked if they wish to keep the device for the remainder of the year or return it during February conferences.

If a family does not attend the Mid-Year Check-In, they may complete and return the mid-year survey:

  Mid-Year PK Family Questionnaire (English) Links to an external site.

  Mid-Year PK Family Questionnaire (Chinese) Download Mid-Year PK Family Questionnaire (Chinese)

  Mid-Year PK Family Questionnaire (Korean) Download Mid-Year PK Family Questionnaire (Korean)

  Mid-Year PK Family Questionnaire (Spanish) Download Mid-Year PK Family Questionnaire (Spanish)

 Planning for Family Connection

Planning Templates

Session plans are provided for use, with a suggested timeframe and focus. You may choose to use these options or develop your own, based on the needs of your families and school community. 

Establishing the home/School Connection: Initial Parent/Guardian Questionnaire

Teams should use the results of the Initial Parent/Guardian Questionnaire to plan Family Connections that are meaningful and responsive. This may mean a small group of families from different homerooms attend a session focused on a specific topic of interest (e.g., self-care, toileting, routines). Multiple sessions may be offered for high-interest topics, and teams are encouraged to leverage one another's strengths. For example:

• An occupational therapist may lead a session focused on grip-strengthening activities.
• A special educator may lead a session focused on developing and maintaining nighttime routines.
• A general educator may lead a session focused on phonemic awareness.

 Interpreters

Requesting Interpreters

In addition to leveraging school-based liaisons, schools may request interpreters.Schools have a designated staff member who is responsible for requesting interpreters through the Fluency platform. Please contact Jennifer Williams if ​you are not sure who is the designated staff member at your campus.

IMPORTANT

• When submitting interpreter requests to your school site's designated Fluency requester(s), please note the request is for Family Connection.
• If your school site's designated Fluency requester(s) have questions about submitting recurring dates, they should contact Jennifer Williams (jennifer_williams1@hcpss.org).

It is suggested that, to the greatest extent possible and based upon family availability, meetings that use interpreters should be small groups.

Requesting Interpreters for Special Education Processes

For Special Education processes (IEP meetings, parent conferences) or Family Connections that are Individual and related to IEP needs, please continue to use the DSE guidelines for requesting an interpreter (accordion section at bottom of the Canvas page).

• When requesting a Spanish Interpreter for either an IEP Meeting, parent conference, or home visit, please email Spanish IEP at spanishiep@hcpss.org.Interpreter requests are processed within 48 hours of receipt. You will receive an email confirming when an interpreter has been assigned. Please note that a two-week notice is required to guarantee interpreter availability.
• Please use the List of Interpreters for All Languages other than Spanish, to request an interpreter. Please note that an interpreter should be arranged at least two weeks in advance of the IEP meeting or parent conference to secure his or her services.

Virtual Meetings

If you are conducting Family Connection sessions virtually and requesting interpreters, you must create your Meet links in Google Calendar. Nicknames will not work for interpreters that use outside email addresses. Directions for scheduling recurring events in Google Calendar are found below.

  Creating a Meet Code in Google Calendar Links to an external site.

 Resources

Family Connection Professional Learning Slideshow

The self-paced professional learning will allow participants to:

• Describe the HCPSS Family Connection model;
• Understand the updated components of Family Connections to include a tiered system of implementation;
• Describe the purpose and process of reflective questioning;
• Build the capacity of parents using reflective questioning; and,
• Access resources for implementing Family Connection.

   Family Connection Professional Learning Slideshow

   Supporting Families with Suicidal Ideation during Home Visits and Family Connections (Prekindergarten Staff) Links to an external site.

Family Connection Planning Template

Used to plan for Family Connections sessions based on identified priorities. Please refer to the updated Initial Prekindergarten Family/Guardian Questionnaire Links to an external site. to guide initial planning.

  Family Connection Planning Template Links to an external site.

  Family Connection Session: Morning Routines Links to an external site. *NEW*

  Family Connection Session: Playing with Your Child Links to an external site. *NEW*

  Family Connection Session: Transitions Links to an external site. *NEW*

Family Connection Recording Form (Optional)

Used to document your Family Connection sessions. The link will make a copy of the form for your own use.

  Family Connection Recording Form Links to an external site.

IN-PERSON VISITING GUIDELINES and FORMS

Used by providers when an in-person family connection session is scheduled to be at the child's home.  This includes overall guidelines for maintaining safety.  Please review the forms and share with families, as appropriate.

  EIS Health Safety in Home Visiting Guidelines Links to an external site.

  EIS Family Health Agreement Links to an external site.

  EIS Passive Health Screening Links to an external site.

After School Hours

If a teacher chooses to plan Family Connection sessions after the contracted workday, workshop wages are available at the rate of $46.01 per hour. Please use the Early Childhood Programs Timesheet Links to an external site. to submit hours. Please note this is optional.

Questions about Family Connection?

Please reach out to your Point of Contact in Early Childhood Programs and Early Intervention Services with any questions, support with planning for Family Connection, or any additional needs.

You may also submit any questions you have about the Family Connection model. If you need support or clarification, please include your name and school so curriculum staff can contact you directly. Other questions will be answered in an FAQ.

  Family Connection Question/Support Request Links to an external site.