Family Engagement Toolkit: Home-School Activity, Survey & Checklist

Build Stronger Home-School Connections and Meaningful Family Partnerships! Create a more welcoming, inclusive, and collaborative early childhood environment with this 6-page Family Engagement Toolkit! Designed for preschool teachers, child care providers, early childhood educators, and program administrators, this resource provides three practical tools for strengthening communication between families and educators. Featuring a home-and-school learning connections activity, a detailed family input questionnaire, and a family partnership conversation checklist, this toolkit helps educators recognize families as valuable partners in children's learning and development. Whether you are planning classroom activities, preparing for field trips, connecting home and classroom experiences, or communicating with families, these printable resources offer practical ways to encourage respectful collaboration. What's Included? 1. My Home-and-School Learning Connections — 2 Pages A child-friendly drawing, discussion, and matching activity that helps children recognize relationships between learning experiences at home and in child care. Includes: Two drawing or response spaces for children to share what they enjoy learning or doing at home and at child care. A matching exercise featuring three pairs of everyday experiences: Helping stir or mix at home and mixing ingredients at child care Looking at books at home and sharing stories at child care Putting toys away at home and tidying the classroom play area An optional family participation section where family members can contribute a note or drawing. Guidance for allowing children to draw, dictate responses, or make marks instead of writing independently. How to Use: Invite children to share something they enjoy learning in each environment, then help them connect similar experiences. Families may contribute if they wish, but participation is optional. This activity encourages children to recognize that meaningful learning happens in different places. 2. Family Input Before an Activity or Trip — 3 Pages A detailed family questionnaire designed to gather relevant information before a planned classroom activity, meal, or outing. Includes: Activity or trip name and date Response deadline and return instructions Child's name and family member's information Preferred contact method Relevant allergies and food-related considerations Dietary, cultural, or religious food restrictions Accessibility needs and individual supports Child's interests, preferences, and activity-specific needs Suggestions for helping children feel comfortable and prepared Items families may need to provide Requested adjustments that could support participation Additional family comments and questions Contact information for private conversations with staff How to Use: Complete the activity details and share the questionnaire with families before a planned event. Review responses privately and follow up when adjustments or additional information are needed. The form encourages educators to consider individual family perspectives while preparing inclusive learning experiences. 3. Family Partnership Conversation Checklist — 1 Page A quick-reference communication tool that supports respectful, collaborative conversations with parents and caregivers. Includes 7 practical communication reminders: Show genuine interest and speak respectfully. Ask open-ended questions that invite family perspectives. Listen without interrupting. Allow families time to respond. Share specific, positive observations about the child. Invite family questions, ideas, and concerns. Agree together on useful next steps. Additional features include: Seven interactive checkboxes for tracking communication practices Space to document an agreed next step A field for recording follow-up timing Guidance for arranging private conversations when appropriate How to Use: Keep the checklist available during drop-off, pick-up, family meetings, or parent conferences to support thoughtful communication and shared decision-making. Perfect For Preschool and early childhood classrooms Child care centers and family child care programs Home-school connection activities Family engagement initiatives Parent-teacher conferences Family communication and relationship building Planning classroom activities and field trips Gathering family input before special events Inclusive classroom planning Back-to-school family engagement Professional development related to family partnerships Why Educators Will Love It Strengthens family partnerships: Encourages educators to seek family perspectives, recognize their expertise, and include them in classroom planning. Connects learning across environments: Helps children identify similarities between everyday experiences at home and in child care. Supports inclusive participation: The family questionnaire provides opportunities to identify relevant preferences, cultural considerations, accessibility needs, and accommodations. Makes communication more intentional: The conversation checklist offers practical reminders for respectful listening and collaborative problem-solving. Saves preparation time: Provides ready-to-use materials for common family engagement situations. Flexible across age groups: While the child-facing activity is particularly suited to preschool learners, the family questionnaire and conversation checklist can be used with families of children at different developmental stages. Encourages meaningful follow-up: Helps educators document agreed next steps and maintain ongoing communication with families.