COMMUNITY RELATIONS .

Our Family Engagement and Partnerships work builds trusting relationships between home, school and community as well as hosts culturally specific events and workshops to build the intellectual, social, and human capital of families.

Early Learning Network.

The KairosPDX Early Learning Network is focused on providing direct and indirect, culturally competent programming and resources to early childhood providers and families/friends and neighbors who serve under-represented youth ages 0-5, specifically low-income youth and youth of color.

We aim to leverage our individual and collective relationships to strengthen the current network of providers by offering the following:

Community – Quarterly meetings led by experienced early-childhood facilitators who nurture a community of practice, coordinate and synthesize needs, and assist in the articulation of policy change that can help providers and caregivers be most effective in their practice.
Training – Offer expertise through partnerships with organizations such as the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI).
Research-based methodology - Neuroscience shows the developmental impact of approaches such as Reggio Emilia among others. We seek to bring this research and information to caregivers and providers so they can apply it appropriately in their own settings.
Policy dialogue and input sessions – The national and statewide focus on early childhood has catalyzed an increase in legislation aimed at ensuring quality early childhood is accessible to all children. This legislation often lacks an equity lens. KairosPDX seeks to work with our network in establishing a voice that can inform such policy.
Capacity building - KairosPDX will leverage its partnerships to foster additional partnership and training opportunities to providers, aimed to help improve their business and meet certification requirements, or help them grow as professionals who serve children.

Benefits

We believe that creating a network of providers and friends/family/neighbor caregivers will greatly benefit the system of early childhood, by enhancing the quality of early childhood education, as well as expanding the policy and practice dialogue to those serving under-represented youth. By strengthening and reflecting the service delivery within the network, we will strengthen the system itself, ensuring more of our kids are ready for Kindergarten and life beyond.

Family Engagement

The Family connections program is born of the belief that families are first teachers and children exist in the context of their families. As such, if we are supporting children to thrive, we need to support families as well. The family connections program is also predicated on the belief that Portland has a wealth of family resources and our goal/job is to be a broker and connector to these existing resources.

Recruitment/Enrollment

Any programming that occurs outside of the classroom environment that supports children and families is designated as our family connections programming. The family connections program also exists to support families with children who are at three main age levels:

The majority of the Family Connections program to start is focused on Early Childhood to ensure that all children have access to quality early learning experiences.

" Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot wait. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer ‘Tomorrow.’ His name is ‘Today.’ “ ~ Gabriela Mistral

Stronger Together

To learn more and attend programming through our Community Relations work please email us at familyconnect@kairospdx.org

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