The importance of incorporating family voices in early childhood work
Why is it important to incorporate family voices in our early childhood work? Parents and caregivers are the current experts on their children’s education and well-being. They know what’s best for their children and what the current needs are. By providing a space for parents to use their voices within organization committees and policy decision-making, it allows families to get the services and supports they need. In this blog post, you will learn about a project that four organizations in North Texas are undertaking to elevate family voices in early childhood.
In 2023, the idea of conducting a summit for parents in early childhood sparked when ELA and Help Me Grow North Texas (HMGNTX) had a meeting about family engagement. Stephanie Norton, Senior Director for Help Me Grow- Help Me Thrive North Texas, voiced a need in providing a space where parents from all over the North Texas region come together to gain leadership skills and learn from each other in early childhood. Bethany Edwards, Director of ELA, responded by joining forces to plan and execute a family leadership summit. The first North Texas Family Leadership Summit was implemented and hosted in April 2023. Over 30 families participated and child care and live interpretation were provided. Families learned about child development, family engagement, leaning into their strengths, community resources, and more. Read more about what parents had to say in the summit impact report.
How were family voices incorporated during the summit planning? The National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) was invited to participate as an organization partner, along with ELA and HMGNTX. NCFL provided their expertise on creating sessions and activities that were relevant and inclusive of all types of families. In addition, five parent advisors from Tarrant, Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties were invited to serve on the planning committee. The planning committee met on a monthly basis to develop and execute the family summit. The collaboration between parent advisors and organization partners allowed the planning committee the ability to provide meaningful and relatable topics for families in North Texas. The parents on the planning committee were compensated for their time and expertise during the planning phase. A second summit is currently in the works due to the positive feedback that was received from families and partners from our first summit.
ELA and HMGNTX invited Bachman Lake Together (BLT) and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD) to join forces to plan the second summit. In addition, eight parent advisors from Tarrant, Parker, Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties are part of the planning committee to ensure that family voices are incorporated during the planning phase. Through presentations, families will walk away with information and action steps to create more equitable early learning systems. Summit attendees will have an opportunity to exchange innovative ideas, stories, and resources while uplifting families and communities as changemakers and leaders.
The objectives for the summit are:
connect and network with other parents and caregivers;
learn best practices for early childhood care through interactive sessions;
gain resources and services through community resources fair; and
take action by providing input on improving the early childhood system of care.
The parent advisors are leading the planning while the partner organizations are providing support and resources needed to make this event informative and successful. The summit will include keynote speakers, breakout sessions, resources fair, live interpretation, child care, lunch, and more! As event planners and advisors, parents are learning how to lead the work by putting their input, knowledge, and experience into action while collaborating with community partners.
Also, we want to emphasize the importance of involving fathers and paternal relatives in early childhood activities and programs. Historically, these family members have left out by overlooking them or undervaluing their abilities, contributions, and interest. We are proud to have two dads serving on our planning committee to ensure that fathers (and paternal relatives) voices are incorporated and the sessions are also tailored to them.
Having parents as equal partners elevates improvement efforts in services, programs and policy changes for families. The end goal is for parents to become advocates and leaders within their communities and families. We're thrilled to be working with a group of dedicated and passionate parent advisors and organization partners who are helping to shape the summit experience by incorporating family voices.
We are proud to present our Planning Committee 2023-2024 for the North Texas Family Leadership Summit 2024:
Parent Advisors:
Gabriela Gomez - Tarrant County
Omar Aguilar - Tarrant County
Jonathan Gaffney - Tarrant County
Ashley Harris- Parker County
Linda Pemberton - Denton County
Denise Gutierrez - Dallas County
Patricia Vega Carapia - Dallas County
Laura Martinez - Navarro County
Organization Partners:
-SAVE THE DATE-
The North Texas Family Leadership Summit will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at the Hurst Conference Center. Stay tuned for more information!
