The problem
Providers are committed to promoting children’s health and safety, both in the child care setting and at home. However, many providers report that they are uncertain about how to talk to family members about difficult or potentially sensitive issues.
One solution
A Guide to Safety Conversations with Families, a newly updated resource from the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness (NCECHW).
Injuries are a serious health risk to young children, and many injuries happen when children are at home. Fortunately, most injuries are predictable and preventable and children’s safety is an important topic for providers to discuss with families. This nine-page guide offers strategies that providers can use to have ongoing home safety conversations with families.
A Guide to Safety Conversations with Families stresses that it’s important to think about when and how to have these conversations. Providers can best engage families using relationship-based practices that are:
- Family-focused and child-centered: The focus is on the family’s interests and needs.
- Mutually respectful: Conversations involve the two-way sharing of information.
- Culturally responsive: Conversations demonstrate respect for families’ cultural perspectives and traditions.
This resource includes conversation starters, home safety checklists, links to other resources and guidance on what to say if you’re in a family’s home and you notice a hazard that needs to be addressed immediately.
A Guide to Safety Conversations with Families is available on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECKLC) website.
