What is FamilyEngagement?

Family engagement is a shared responsibility among families, educators, and communities to support children’s learning and development. Family engagement begins at birth and continues through young adulthood. It happens everywhere children learn—especially at the library.

FFamily engagement is about developing the knowledge, attitudes, values, and behaviors that enable children to be motivated, enthusiastic, and successful learners. In libraries, this means having respectful partnerships with families and providing information, guidance, and opportunities for families to be active in their children’s learning and development. Families support their children’s learning when they believe that they are responsible for their children’s education and feel confident that what they say and do makes a difference. Trusted community educators, including librarians, can encourage and inspire families to be engaged in their children’s learning learning at any point in a child’s lifetime.

Engagement: The Five RsFamily engagement is about relationships and begins with reaching out to all families in a community.

• Reach out: Libraries reach outto families, especially those inspecial circumstances, to promotethe programs, collections,and services that are vital in aknowledge economy.

• • Raise up: Libraries elevate familyperspectives to develop andimprove programs and services.

• Reinforce: Libraries guideand model the specific actionsthat family members can taketo support learning, from birthththrough young adulthood.

• Relate: Libraries offeropportunities for families tobuild peer-to-peer relationshipsand increase social networks.

• Reimagine: Libraries expandtheir community partnershipsto to reimagine ecologies of learningand how to support healthychildren and families.

Resources for Your Library

PUBLIC LIBRARIES A Vi,:al Spa,cc for F.>mily Engagcm<n1

ldeabook Libr:i.riesforFamilies

.... c .. -�-.., -- o ■a .._, ·-·- .. -· ....... ... - -

m

ld�ook Libraries for Families

1,.._LibraryGnrttFomiliff",\l'IOtAfrWlJofi..arnins

, ....... __ ,c-.._ ......

UUAR!ES TRANSF RM'

Call to Action: Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement (2016)

Harvard Family Research Project and the Public Library Association call on libraries to join together with schools and community organizations to establish a system of family engagement that extends throughout a child's life, supports children and families, and prepares children for success. Learn more about how to get your library started with successful family engagement initiatives. Download the pdf here: http://www.ala.org/pla/initiatives/familyengagement

ldeabook: Libraries for Families (2017)

Building on the Call to Action, the ldeabook highlights case studies from more than 50 libraries that are incorporating the five "Rs" of engagement to develop meaningful, lasting relationships with families in their communities. Learn how to use the research-based framework to guide your library's family engagement efforts. Download the pdf here: http://www.ala.org/pla/initiatives/familyengagement

Living ldeabook: Libraries for Families (2017)

The Living ldeabook developed by Global Family Research Project and Public Library Association, is a digital extension of ldeabook: Libraries for Families and is meant to be used as a continuing resource for designing a family engagement system. Find new inspiration for programming ideas at your library! Visit the website here: https:/ /medium.com/idea book

Libraries Transform: Family Engagement Toolkit (2018)

The Public Library Association (PLA) and The American Library Association (ALA)'s Libraries Transform campaign have partnered to create a free toolkit for raising awareness of how libraries promote family engagement in their communities. This toolkit will equip library supporters with adaptable resources to promote family engagement at the library; the tools within can be utilized for such diverse purposes as marketing, fundraising, and legislative advocacy. View the toolkit here: http://www.librariestransform.org/family-engagement-toolkit