Strengthening Families: Protective Factors Self-Assessment

Program Tool

WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG

ACTIVITY ID: 14321

Name

Certifier

Date

Adapted from Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Strengthening Families Self-Assessments.

Key: Y = I do this. | N = I do not do this. | * = I want to learn about the value of doing this.

Ways I can value and support parents	Y	N	*	Comments
Have a warm relationship with each parent and with other members of the child’s family.
Keep information about children and families confidential.
Show respect for families’ points of view.
Make an effort to honor families’ special requests for their children.
Encourage parents to share skills, talents, and cultural traditions in the program.
Show appreciation to parents for participating in the program.
Encourage fathers and other male family members to get involved.
Encourage parents to attend child development, parenting, and self-improvement conferences, workshops, or trainings.
Encourage parents to have input into decisions about the program.

Ways I can facilitate friendships and mutual support	Y	N	*	Comments
Introduce parents to one another.
Connect parents who have same-age children, similar interests, and like circumstances, such as those who speak the same language.
Plan ways for parents to come together, meet new people, and enjoy a sense of community. Examples include: Periodic events like family fun nights, celebrations or graduations, field trips, cultural events, special events for dads, etc.
Reach out to isolated parents: Call or send a note home, personally invite them to activities, connect them with resources.
Model friendly behavior: Greet children and families, include all children and families in events, help resolve issues among parents, promote understanding of cultural differences.
Read about ways to increase family engagement in the program.
Participate in educational/training opportunities about ways to engage parents in the program.

Ways I can strengthen parenting	Y	N	*	Comments
Talk with families about the program’s child guidance practices.
Explain why physical punishment is not allowed by anyone in the program, including parents and family members.
Explain why verbal punishment (yelling and name calling) is not allowed by anyone in the program, including parents and family members.
Explain the child guidance techniques you model.
Model warm and positive interactions with children.
Use appropriate child guidance techniques.
Learn about parents’ family/cultural/ethnic expectations and practices about parenting.
Discuss parenting and child development issues whenever a parent asks for information or appears to need support.
Discuss parenting and child development issues in a non-judgmental way.
Share information with families through books, brochures, opportunities for families to come together, postings on bulletin boards or newsletters, and take-home materials.
Encourage parents to observe in the program.
Encourage parents to discuss guidance challenges they may have at home.
Provide information about age-appropriate expectations for children’s behavior.
Provide information about recognizing and reinforcing appropriate behavior.
Provide information about alternate ways to respond to inappropriate behavior.
Provide information about ways parents can encourage children to express their emotions appropriately at home.
Provide information about ways parents can encourage children to practice positive social skills at home.

Ways I can facilitate the social & emotional development of children	Y	N	*	Comments
Recognize feelings and name them.
Model how to express emotions appropriately, problem solve, and treat others with respect and kindness.
Encourage children to express feelings through words, artwork, expressive play, and actions.
Encourage children to observe and listen to the feelings of others.
Encourage children to name their feelings and solve problems together.
Encourage children to form friendships, use respectful language, and respect differences.
Help families understand social and emotional development by informing them of the meaning of social and emotional development.
Help families understand social and emotional development by informing them of the importance of social and emotional development throughout childhood.
Help families understand social and emotional development by providing opportunities to discuss social and emotional issues within a cultural context (e.g., at what age do I expect children to dress or feed themselves?).
Help families understand social and emotional development by giving parents ideas about how to promote social and emotional development at home.

Ways I can link families to services and opportunities	Y	N	*	Comments
Talk with parents about their interests, skills, needs, and goals for themselves and their children.
Talk with parents about resources, websites, and community opportunities that may help them continue to achieve their goals.
Encourage families to share information about community resources with each other.
Provide access to up-to-date information about the resources and services that are available in the community.

Ways I can respond to family crises	Y	N	*	Comments
Develop a personal relationship with each family.
Let parents know they can turn to you in times of crisis by listening, showing concern, sharing some of your own personal concerns or desires.
Share materials and policies when families enroll in the program.
Respond proactively to signs of parent or family distress by expressing your concern and offering help.
Be available to parents if they need to talk.
Offer to connect the family to needed resources.
Participate in training opportunities about ways to respond to families in crisis.

Adapted from Center for the Study of Social Policy (n.d.). Strengthening Families Self-Assessments. cssp.org/our-work/projects/self-assessments-for-programs/