This course will provide students with an overall of family systems and the central role families play in children’s development in the early childhood years, 0-9. Students will gain an understanding of the legal rights of families within the general and special education process, as well as knowledge of laws relating to family and student confidentiality. Students will develop strategies for becoming cross-culturally competent, including identifying potential barriers to partnerships and methods of maintaining meaningful, ongoing communication with families regarding a child’s development and learning. This course is a required course in the Early Childhood Program and aligns with the following National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation and Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Standards for Pre-K-4th Grade-Chapter 49-2 Regulations.

I revised ED105: Family Partnerships in Early Childhood, which ran during spring 2025 as a hybrid day course. This course is required in all education courses: AS in Early Childhood Education, BS in Child Development, and BS in Child Care Administration. From the beginning of the syllabus revision process, I hoped to increase my ability to thoughtfully incorporate the CRSE Competencies into my syllabus and fully connect them within key assessments. I believed this process would strengthen my ability to provide a culturally relevant and responsive curriculum that is meaningful and impactful.