# 6 Strategies for Effective Communication with Families Published October 25, 2023 When parents and other caregivers are involved as active partners in assessment and intervention with AEPS®-3, everyone benefits—families, children, and your program. In today’s blog post, we’re highlighting six important strategies to use when communicating with families of young children. Adapted from the book [**Assessing Young Children in Inclusive Settings, Second Edition,**](https://products.brookespublishing.com/Assessing-Young-Children-in-Inclusive-Settings-P1412.aspx) by Kristie Pretti-Frontczak & Jennifer Grisham with Lynn D. Sullivan, these strategies are key to building an effective and respectful partnership. ### Strategy 1: Active listening **What to do:** - Be willing to listen to the family’s concerns, questions, suggestions, and preferences - Allow for wait time in between comments and questions - Demonstrate active listening through nonverbal communication (nodding head, eye contact) - Engage in reflective listening skills (i.e., repeat what was heard) to affirm understanding - Use nonverbal communication—lean forward and show interest, mirror the other person’s body language ### Strategy 2: Acknowledgment **What to do:** - Share relevant and pertinent data from the family - Recognize family priorities and opinions through both verbal and nonverbal means - Allow for differences in opinions - Mention the child’s strengths to their families often ### Strategy 3: Collaboration **What to do:** - Seek alternative solutions aimed to meet the needs of families - Engage in a two-way process of information sharing and understanding (cultural reciprocity) - Adapt your professional recommendations to the value system of the family - Aim for consensus versus total agreement ### Strategy 4: Participation **What to do:** - Actively participate in conversations and minimize distractions - Respond in a timely manner - Promote a positive and welcoming atmosphere - Allow families to access qualitative and quantitative data ### Strategy 5: Respect **What to do:** - Allow for differences in opinions - Seek alternative solutions that meet the needs of families - Realize the family is the child’s first teacher - Allow families to complete thoughts and sentences before you start responding - Minimize use of jargon with families ### Strategy 6: Sharing **What to do:** - Maximize opportunities to use or enjoy something jointly with others - Communicate the strengths of both the child and family - Keep personal information confidential - Share information in a variety of ways: in person, emails, notes, text, websites Want more guidance on involving families in assessment and intervention? [**Download this free toolkit**](https://brookespublishing.com/campaigns/free-toolkit-on-involving-families/) for tips, tools, and strategies on partnering with families—and working together to help their child learn and grow.