ECFE Professional Community Engagement

ECFE Wiki

The purpose of this wiki is to serve as a sharing platform for individuals who work with parents, as well as those preparing to enter the field. Like Wikipedia, the strength and value of a wiki depend on the active participation and quality contributions of its users.

While the information on this site is no longer actively updated, it serves as an archive of important ECFE materials and resources developed over the years.

ECFE professionals can access the archived materials at http://parented.wikidot.com/start

The Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning Curriculum for Parent Education Programs

In the Domains of . . .

• Parent Development,
• Parent-Child Relationships,
• Early Childhood Development,
• Family Development, and
• Culture & Community

. . . defines and places parameters around the core content – what we teach – in parent education. It is not intended to be a prescribed curriculum. It is based on the assumption that parent educators should have autonomy and exercise creativity in determining the specific and unique needs and expectations of each parent and parent group with whom they work and in designing curriculum and selecting resources to best meet their needs and expectations. The Framework provides a foundation and process for doing this work.

The impetus for developing the Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework (PECCF) and the process for using it were strongly influenced by:

1. the growing emphasis on accountability in education promoted by public policymakers, other funders, and the general public;
2. the desire to add standardization to the field; and
3. the need to provide for a new level of clarity, transparency, and professionalism in what should be taught in parent education.

The Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework is expected to be an evolving document that is accessible to all in the field. This document is intended to enhance both the content and the process of delivering parent education. In order to have the highly skilled professionals needed to do this important work, resources such as this and the educational preparation that supports their use by these professionals are essential.

Here is the link to the document on the MNAFEE website: Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework

Open Office Hour: Planning ECFE Classes Summary

Date: January 22, 2026 (1:00-2:00pm)

Audience: ECFE Educators

Key Take Aways: Key takeaways from the discussion included the importance of using attendance data and preregistration, when available, to decide whether classes should continue, pause, or pivot. Programs shared that consistency in class day, time, and location supports attendance, while changes often lead to drop off. Late afternoon classes before dinner tend to work better than later evening options, which can conflict with bedtime and staffing capacity. Participants emphasized prioritizing age specific classes first, then adding topic based, multi age, or parent focused options, and using one time events and community partnerships to reach new families. There was also shared recognition that educators are holding space for families experiencing heightened stress and uncertainty, and that flexibility, responsiveness, and alignment with district guidance are essential when navigating sensitive topics.

Planning Considerations

• Programs balance consistency with flexibility in class planning
• Clear thresholds help decide when to continue or pause classes
• Small and rural programs use different planning approaches
• Timing strongly affects attendance, especially late afternoon options
• Evening classes can strain families and staff
• Attendance data and family feedback both inform decisions
• Programs are expanding beyond traditional weekly classes
• Onetime events are effective for outreach
• Community partnerships increase engagement
• Topic based and parent focused classes are popular
• Class planning responds to changing family needs and data

Class Ideas

• Active Adventures with open gym, open swim, or skating
• Late afternoon classes before dinner
• Non separating evening family time
• Topic based ECFE classes with focused parent discussion
• Parent only options for older families
• Fun parenting classes like Caffeine and Connection
• Free drop in options such as story time or large motor play
• One-time themed family classes
• Seasonal family events
• Family engagement nights with meals
• Culturally grounded parent gatherings
• Values based parenting conversations

ECFE Winter Updates 2026

Click on the slide deck to review current ECFE updates, resources, and upcoming opportunities. The slides highlight key reminders and learning opportunities, including the ECFE Professional Community Engagement page, discussion forums, the ECFE Marketing Toolkit, MN Story Collective story gathering, Communities of Practice, open office hours, technical assistance sessions, and partner updates. We encourage you to explore the sections most relevant to your role and continue using this space to stay connected, informed, and supported in your work with families across Minnesota.

ECFE Marketing Toolkit PDF Now Available

We are excited to share that the ECFE Marketing Toolkit PDF is now finalized and available on the DCYF website.

The toolkit brings together ready to use outreach materials designed to support inclusive and culturally responsive engagement with families across Minnesota.

It includes guidance and customizable assets to help programs strengthen awareness of ECFE and connect with families in meaningful ways.

You can access the full ECFE Marketing Toolkit PDF here:
https://dcyf.mn.gov/partners-and-providers/child-care-and-early-learning/districts-schools-and-head-start/ECFE/marketing-toolkit.

We encourage you to explore the toolkit and begin using the materials in ways that best fit your community. More support and learning opportunities will continue to be shared through this space.

Thank you for all you do to support families and children across the state.

TA: ECFE MN Story Collective Initiative

Date: December 4, 2025

Audience: ECFE Coordinators and Parent Educators

Key Take Aways

This session highlighted the launch of the statewide ECFE Story Collective initiative and walked Parent Educators through the purpose, process, and tools for collecting family stories in December and January. The goal is to gather at least 100 stories that reflect the diverse lived experiences of ECFE families, including themes of connection, isolation, belonging, parenting confidence, and barriers to participation. These stories will be used to strengthen legislative messaging, enhance the ECFE Marketing Toolkit, and inform priorities within the ECFE Enhancement Plan. The Story Collective tool is available in six languages, and families can submit stories independently or with support from educators, interpreters, home visits, or in-class parent time.

Participants in this session emphasized how valuable family stories will be for outreach, community building, and elevating the authentic experiences of ECFE families. They noted that personal relationships and direct invitations are the strongest drivers of participation. Stories from any point in a family’s ECFE journey are welcome—even those from decades ago—and families may submit more than one story if they wish. Overall, attendees expressed excitement and anticipation to hear the stories families will share, recognizing how closely the themes of connection, reduced isolation, and strengthened community support align with the heart of ECFE’s mission.

Watch the Recording

Passcode: 2.f@m3Yk

Resources to Help You Get Started

• This is an email message in the different languages you can copy and paste to send to families, inviting them to share their ECFE story.
• This is a PowerPoint slide you can use in class to help introduce the project and talk with families about sharing their story.

Printable Summary

ECFE is spending December and January in a push to gather family stories from around the state. We are partnering with the MN StoryCollective, who is providing us the structure for the collection and the analysis of the data. Your stories are important. Please tell us your ECFE Story!! We will be using the data collection to understand how we can better serve families, enhance programs, and justify continued and future state investment in ECFE.

Email version:
This is an email message in the different languages, you can copy and paste to send to families, inviting them to share their ECFE story.

PowerPoint slide version:
This is a PowerPoint slide you can use in class to help introduce the project and talk with families about sharing their story.

We’re celebrating a major milestone—the launch of the ECFE Marketing Toolkit!

With posts now live on : LinkedIn and Facebook and a featured article published on the DCYF website as a news article, this resource is reaching families and partners statewide.

Thank you for being part of this exciting moment for ECFE.

Explore the toolkit here: https://dcyf.mn.gov/partners-and-providers/child-care-and-early-learning/districts-schools-and-head-start/ECFE/marketing-toolkit

Open Office Hour: Parent Satisfaction Surveys Summary

Date: November 20, 2025 (1:00-2:00pm)

Audience: ECFE Parent Educators

Key Take Aways: The session was energetic, open, and collaborative, with parent educators from multiple districts sharing examples, challenges, and strategies for creating meaningful and accessible parent surveys. Conversation centered on key discussion questions such as identifying the main purpose of each survey, understanding which questions give the best or least useful feedback, and exploring how results are shared and used to inform teaching or class planning. Participants also reflected on accessibility for all families, including language and format, and talked about the support they need to strengthen their own surveys. Educators compared methods like paper forms, Google Forms, QR codes, and in-class completion, emphasizing the value of purposeful questions, cultural responsiveness, and giving families dedicated time to respond. The session highlighted strong interest in a shared question bank or framework to support consistent, high-quality parent engagement across ECFE programs.

For printable version https://minnesotadcyf.us.engagementhq.com/30434/widgets/108529/documents/75534