Family Leadership
Families and children are the heart of all we do as a Network of early childhood champions.
Parents and caregivers are experts on what their children, families and communities need – and we are proud to partner with them in learning and building a future where all young children can thrive. One thing that is absolutely essential in creating this future? Family leadership.
What is family leadership?
We define family leadership as equitable opportunities for parents and caregivers of young children to:
- Hold roles of influence and power from the start
- Support others
- Shape decisions
- Drive change, and
- Make lasting impact in their families, schools and communities.
As a Network, we believe that more equitable outcomes for children and families will only be achieved when early childhood policy efforts include the voices and expertise of, and focus on priorities identified by, the parents and caregivers of young children. With over a decade of experience supporting parents as they step into their power as advocates for their families and communities, the Educare Network continues to grow in our family leadership efforts.
Last year, a group of Educare staff and family leaders developed a Network strategy and next steps to build on existing efforts and strengthen family leadership across the Network. Results of this process include our shared definition of family leadership, values and guiding principles, and priority recommendations for both Network and school-level family leadership efforts.
Access the report, an interactive suite of resources and digital content around supporting family leadership, and more by visiting our Building Family Leadership site.
Introducing Building Family Leadership: tools, resources and recommendations to guide and inform family leadership efforts of schools across the Educare Network.
