Due to structural and systemic issues, students and families may have a difficult time meeting their basic needs. This can impact their overall wellbeing and their academic progress. This training will teach educators how to help families access services including food, housing, health and mental health resources. We will also cover child care and after-school programming to discuss how these supports will strengthen students and their families. In addition, educators will learn how to recognize when resource referrals might be needed to support a family's wellbeing. Finally, it is important to note that appropriate resource referrals have been shown to reduce the likelihood of future child welfare and juvenile justice involvement. By supporting families that are working to overcome systemic injustices, we can prevent future system involvement.

Programs that actively seek out and embrace learning from families are able to create learning contexts that are responsive and meaningful to children. The cultural wealth of families includes their language, their values, and their lived experiences. In this session, participants will learn how children’s understanding of their selves, family, community, and place can be used in the early education classroom. Additionally, how the formative assessment process can be used to support developing meaningful partnerships with parents in which everyone is working together to ensure that children gain optimal benefits from their early learning experiences.