Partnerships with Families (2-part series)

Join international speaker Janis Keyser for this 2-part series to explore challenges and discover strategies to build stronger, effective partnerships with families. Children, families and educator's benefit when they are working together to support children's growth and learning, but building these relationships are not always easy. How can we create reciprocal and respectful relationships with families that not only nurture children, but include families, educators and the curriculum? Find out here!

Join us for a 2-part interactive workshop with international speaker and author of From Parents to Partners: Building a Family-Centered Early Childhood Program, Janis Keyser, focusing on building reciprocal and respectful partnerships with families. 

Session 1:

A Community of Learners and Family-Centered Care 

We will discuss the principles of Family-Centered Care, identify challenges that educators are currently experiencing and explore strategies to build strong trusting partnerships with families. This workshop will introduce the idea of a community of learners, including interactive learning experiences that invite reflective practice, strength-based learning and educator-to-educator sharing.

This session will include: 

  • explore the principles and practices of Family-Centered Care
  • discuss the benefits of partnerships with families for children, educators and families
  • reflect on the obstacles to building partnerships with families
  • identify and the challenges that educators are currently experiencing in working with families
  • identify and discuss strategies for addressing challenges and building strong partnerships
  • define and participate in a community of learners
  • engage in interactive learning experiences, reflective practice, strength-based learning and educator-to-educator sharing.

 

Session 2:

Two-Way Communication and Skills for Challenging Conversations 

We will explore the importance of two-way communication which is the building block of collaborative partnerships between families, children and educators. We will engage interactive learning experiences to identify strategies that promote listening, collaboration, problem-solving and partnership and will practice implementing these strategies.

This session will include:

  • examine the importance of two-way communication as a building block of collaborative partnerships between families, children and educators.
  • identify strategies that promote listening, collaboration, problem-solving and partnership
  • practice implementing two-way communication strategies
  • explore and develop strategies to support Family Centered Care practices
  • participate in a community of learners

  • engage in interactive learning experiences, reflective practice, strength-based learning and educator-to-educator sharing.

    • $250

    • Date

      Wed 3 June – Wed 10 June
      • Session 1
        3 June 2026
        10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
      • Session 2
        10 June 2026
        10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

    • Location

      Online via Zoom

    • Presented by

      • Janis Keyser
    Register

About the presenters

  • Janis Keyser bio pic
    Janis Keyser

    Janis Keyser worked as an early childhood education faculty member at Cabrillo Community College for 30 years, working with children, families and teachers. Janis was a director and co-designer of Google Children's Centers for 12 years, and she worked as an early learning consultants with WestEd, for over 30 years.

    Janis co-developed the Family Partnerships Initiative, was the director of an infant-toddler demonstration program and authored the All About Children website.

    Janis is an author of From Parent to Partners: Building a Family Centered Early Childhood Program (2017); a co-author of Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: A Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years (1998); contributor to Concepts for Care: 20 essays on Infant/Toddler Development and Learning (2006); and a videographer and director of the video, Changing the World, One Diaper at a Time, a real-life demonstration of responsive caregiving.

    In addition to presenting, consulting and coaching teachers in the US, Janis has worked internationally with teachers and educators in China and New Zealand. Janis is a mother, a grandmother and great grandmother who continuously loves to learn from and with the children in her life.