1. Join the conversation!

2. Education for Communities, Communities for Education Welcome! Parent Café: The Early Years a resource for engaging in strength-based conversations in support of early childhood development Developed by and for the community… led by Café Institute and its partners.

3. Education for Communities, Communities for Education What is the Café Institute? (Community Assets for Education): an Alberta-based society of volunteers and educators dedicated to bringing together families, schools and the broader community in support of learning and development. …bringing a community development approach to learning and action.

4. A new way of working together… From problems possibilities From needs to assets From clients citizens Power comes from relationships A strength-based, community development approach requires a shift… Elements of Asset- based community development. (J. McKnight, J. Kretzman, 2003)

5. To highlight possibilities Appreciative inquiry, a positively–focused inquiry highlights shared caring and possibilities and potential for building on success. To engage assets Highlights the what we have to work with - gifts of community: individuals, associations, institutions. To build capacity Learning together can lead to action. Engaging with new knowledge, relationships and resources. Can be grounded in a ‘cup half-full,’ asset-based orientation: Community Conversations …

6. What is the power of a conversation? Did you know? Purposeful conversations are being used around the world to solve complex social issues – It all begins with a conversation … *Born, P. (2008) Community Conversations Offers a space to… connect to something we care deeply about and dream of possibilities.. connect and build supportive relationships. validate our own strengths, assets and current capacity. share and learn together, finding wisdom of the group. identify opportunities to develop further capacity and take action. identify and share locally available and often untapped resources and assets. be inspired to take further action. connect to something we care deeply about and dream of possibilities.. connect and build supportive relationships. validate our own strengths, assets and current capacity. share and learn together, finding wisdom of the group. identify opportunities to develop further capacity and take action. identify and share locally available and often untapped resources and assets. be inspired to take further action.

7. Education for Communities, Communities for Education How are children in our community currently doing? The future of our communities…

8. But the good news is a movement is brewing… Individuals are supporting children in in their family, community, and professional lives. Coalitions of caring people and organizations established through Alberta’s EC Map project are working together. Many associations and institutions; agencies, research bodies and community educators are making the early years a priority in their work. First 2000 Days Early Childhood Network, a collaboration of individuals and organizations joined by a common goal that all children from conception to six are supported by family and community in order to reach their optimal development. Café is proud to be a part of this growing movement! More than half of Alberta’s children were experiencing difficulty in at least one of these five areas of development: Physical health & well-being; Emotional maturity; Social competence; Language & thinking skills; and Communication skills & general knowledge. (2014, Early Development Instrument, EDI, Early Childhood Mapping Project, Government of Alberta) Why the early years?

9. What needs to be shared? The foundation for a healthy brain is built in the early years of a child’s life, with lifelong impacts on learning, behavior and health. A child’s relationships, environment and experiences will impact how their brain is built! Brains are built from the bottom up – it is easiest and most effective to get this right the first time. Ongoing stress can derail healthy development in young children. “Serve and return” interactions between children and caregivers are essential building blocks for brain development. While development of executive function and self- regulation will continue into adulthood, the foundational skills learned in early childhood will greatly influence all future social and learning behavior. Children can not reach their potential on their own; they need the support of family, community and society as a whole. Scientists across fields agree on the ‘core story’ of brain development …. “...early experiences are built into our bodies for better or for worse and the influence of the early years can affect a lifetime of learning, behavior and health”. - Jack Shonkoff

10. Current research supports the need to improve the awareness and understanding of ECD: The Benchmark Study suggests: “improved child outcomes may begin with parents’ knowledge of child development.” “parents and other adults who interact with children are well-positioned to influence the ….development of children.” Frameworks Institute research identifies: misguided notions of how the brain develops affect our ability to think about what can be done and who is responsible. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard’s Theory of Change informs: improving child outcomes through building capacity of adults who are important in the lives of young children. Why engage the important adults that support children? Supporting adults who make a difference… We know that children cannot reach their potential on their own; they need the support of family, community and society as a whole. Knowing that outcomes improve with collaboration and social capitol, Parent Café offers a forum to explore how WE can all work together to best support children!

11. Education for Communities, Communities for Education Now that’s a great reason for a conversation! What is Parent Café: The Early Years? What is it about a conversation that feels different from a more traditional learning environment?

12. Parent Café: the Early Years is… reaffirm the key role of parents and caregivers along with the broader community in supporting child development. share and learn together to strengthen awareness of “the core story” and early childhood development foster relationships, connections and mutual support among families, communities and service providers. validate the current knowledge and capacity of parents and caregivers. highlight and share all available resources and supports. support capacity and inspire further action. A resource for hosting strength-based, café-style conversations designed to… Our goal is to: Build awareness and capacity of parents and caregivers in support of early childhood development. Our goal is to: Build awareness and capacity of parents and caregivers in support of early childhood development.

13. Parent Café Early Years offers a series of conversation starters for sparking dialogue among parents and caregivers. Accompanying resources and information to share with parents are provided. Some sample questions… Education for Communities, Communities for Education What are some ways you are supporting your child’s development? How do you play and have fun with your child? Why is play important? How do you play and have fun with your child? Why is play important? Why are the early years so important? What are your strengths as a parent? How do you share these strengths with your child, with other children? What are your strengths as a parent? How do you share these strengths with your child, with other children? What kind of environment and relationships support healthy brain development? Who are the people, places or programs in your community that can help support your child?

14. Education for Communities, Communities for Education What is the Parent Café Story? How did the resource come to be?

15. Parent Café evolves… Begins with Neighbourhood Literacy development initiative with Calgary Reads (2008). Evolves to Parent Café: the School Years (Café’s conversation series for supporting learning in K-3, (2010-2012). Café’s support of Bowness area EC Map coalition leads to connections with other coalitions and engagement as part of the First 2000 Days Early Childhood Development Network (2013). Café supported by network partners and coalitions to adapt and develop Parent Café conversations for the early years. Developed and piloted first conversations in collaboration with Ready4Learning, Bowness. Integration of Alberta Family Wellness Initiative ‘Core Story’ messaging and resources. Formatted for adaptability and accessibility for use by coalitions and organizations across province. Continues to evolve as we capture the experience and lessons learned from resource users. to support the early years… Parent Café: A truly collaborative community developed and owned resource.

16. Education for Communities, Communities for Education What was discovered in the Early Years pilot conversation series with Ready4Learning? - The experience was overwhelmingly positive and helpful - Greater awareness of ECD reported - New interactions with child were identified - Further conversations were requested - Conversations recommended to others

17. Things they had done differently: more time actually “listening”/ giving undivided attention using breathing to calm tantrums and regulate emotion awareness when the kids are stressed and helping to de-stress and reduce stress more interaction/play/serve and return more dedicated playtime working to talk and speak WITH rather than speak AT watching my tone of voice general awareness with interactions giving more time for child to process and respond Increased awareness of: stress and its impacts serve and return validation of current behaviors brain development; the Core Story self regulation importance of play importance of positive communication 5 areas of development Participants reported… Further learnings…

18. Learning from experience Parents seemed more inspired to act than when was information shared in previous programs Parents expressed feelings of opportunity rather than being overwhelmed with the information. Delivering the information to parents of younger children seemed significant. Practical resources and ideas for action were very well received. Recommended showing the core story video in segments with relevant accompanying questions to better help parents connect the brain development information and their opportunities to support their child (now available). Parents were asking for more! While there is a feeling of wanting to catch this enthusiasm, with the Parent Café goal to “light the fire” and inspire parents to engage in further capacity building opportunities, Ready 4Learning will continue with 3-4 session model. Early Years conversations series should be offered in other early care and learning centres, with the goal of building on the success of these first conversations (now in progress). Ready 4 Learning’s team reflects on the early years conversations…

19. Further developed for all to use… Themes – follows the 4 ‘core story’ segments, with additional Calgary Reads early literacy theme. Conversation starters - with accompanying key messages Corresponding hosting notes - for further support and resources for each question. Hosting guide - for background and planning purposes Resources – a consolidation of accompanying resources and recommended reading Learning together – hard copies and Survey monkey links for both participant and host reflections and evaluations Overview of brain development – power point presentation How is the Parent Café: Early Years resource organized?

20. More Early Years Parent Café to come… Play! Why it matters Physical Health and Wellness More on Social and Emotional Development Suggestions? Mobilizing Community to Support ECD Education for Communities, Communities for Education

21. How can you become a part of this collaborative resource?

22. An invitation to: Use/share/adapt conversations in any way. Capitalize on all opportunities to host conversations. Share your input and experience on the early years Facebook page. Share quality resources with others through Café website, evaluations and the Facebook page. Complete the evaluations and contribute to the development of the resource. Contribute to emerging themes and topics. Contact Café to organize additional orientations. Parent Café packages and Literacy in the Community resources available for purchase through Calgary Reads at: http://store.calgaryreads.com become part of this learning journey… In committing to learning together we have the opportunity to harness our collective wisdom!

23. What stands out for you about this resource? How do you see this conversation resource supporting the parents/caregivers in your work/community? What information or resources do you need to move forward with the conversations? Reflections on the Early Years conversation opportunity in your work/community… Moving forward… www.cafeinstitute.org info@cafeinstitute.org 403-287-0611

24. Education for Communities, Communities for Education Join the conversation – Host your own Early Years conversation café’s! Café invites you to explore and use our resources in a way that works for you or your organization and the parents you hope to host. Our conversation starters, orientation sessions, reference materials and ongoing support for Parent Café conversation hosts are designed to support your work and passion. In return, we ask that you share with us your learnings and experiences from using these resources in your organization and your community in the interest of developing a relevant and effective resource… For more information Contact Café at: info@ cafeinstitute.org