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Strong families and thriving children start with you! Build the foundation for meaningful, lasting relationships with the families you serve. This course will equip you with practical strategies to engage families, strengthen partnerships, and create a supportive community for every child in your program. Whether you’re new to Head Start or renewing your CDA, this beginner-friendly course gives you the tools to make family engagement a cornerstone of your classroom success.

At its core, Head Start and Early Head Start are here to serve the children and families in our community. It is important to strive for strong, healthy relationships with your families in order to have a successful space for the children you serve. This course will prepare you to build long-lasting relationships in your program.

Course Information:

• Start Date: On-Demand
• Course Level: Beginner
• Target Audience: All staff/staff renewing their CDA
• Requirements/Prerequisites: n/a
• Course Meeting Times: n/a
• Completion Timeline/Duration: 30 days

Topics:

• Families

Learning Objectives:

• Learn what a family is and the different types of family structures
• Know the importance of establishing a positive, responsive, cooperative relationship with each child’s family
• Know how to encourage their involvement in the program and support the child’s relationship with her/his family

Head Start Alignment:

This course supports programs in meeting Head Start Program Performance Standard 1302 – Program Operations, which “covers the full range of operations from enrolling eligible children and providing program services to those children and their families, to managing programs to ensure staff are qualified and supported to effectively provide services.”

Course Authors:

Zuly Vazquez

Zuly Vazquez is the Senior Manager of Online Professional Development at the National Head Start Association (NHSA), where she leads leadership courses and both the 5-star review CDA program for Head Start and early childhood educators —a multiple-time Apex Award winner by Training Magazine—and the groundbreaking CDA Pathway to Purpose for High School students. As an innovative educator and professional development expert, she is transforming entry paths into early childhood education. Drawing from her experience as a classroom teacher, trainer, curriculum developer, to Head Start leadership, her expertise in bilingual instruction and curriculum design ensures all programs maintain rigorous, high-quality professional standards while offering flexible online delivery. Through her comprehensive approach to professional development, she strengthens the early childhood workforce pipeline by supporting current educators and creating pathways for high school students to discover their calling while building a more diverse, qualified, and passionate generation of educators committed to shaping the future of our youngest learners.