Checklist of Effective Family Partnership Practices

Young children’s social-emotional outcomes are enhanced when teachers and families partner to support the

Pyramid Model practices. This checklist can help programs reflect on the classroom team’s relationships and

communication with the families that they are working with.

Practice Never Sometimes Often Always

1. I am aware of my own biases and I use strategies with

all families to affirm culture, language, and identity.

2. I make efforts to personally connect with all families

by learning information about the family and their circumstances.

3. I make home visits.

4. I represent each child’s family in the classroom in

multiple ways.

5. I offer a variety of opportunities for families to be

involved in the classroom.

6. I use in-person, paper, and electronic strategies to

communicate with families, based on their preferences.

7. I engage in formal and informal bidirectional

communication with families that includes information about the good things their children are doing.

8. I use a data collection system to ensure that I have regular,

personalized communication with all families.

9. I send home practical suggestions for supporting children’s

social-emotional development and addressing challenging behavior at home and in the community.

10. I provide families with support as needed so that they are

confident and comfortable supporting their children’s social-emotional development.

11. I share information with families about community

resources related to social-emotional development and challenging behavior.

Adapted from Chapter 6 of Unpacking the Pyramid Model: A Practical Guide for Preschool Teachers edited by Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ph.D., Michaelene M. Ostrosky, Ph.D., & Lise Fox, Ph.D. © 2021 Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.