Engaging Families in State Initiatives: A Case Study of Lessons Learned

The purpose of this case study brief is to spotlight three state initiatives that sought to engage families with young children to incorporate their perspectives into CCEE strategies and share considerations for other states seeking to engage families in their work.

Key takeaways from staff implementing these initiatives include:

• Staff shared common implementation successes. These included successfully recruiting parents and caregivers who represent the diversity of their state to participate in their efforts, having content and programming driven by parents and caregivers, and offering training and resources to ensure parents and caregivers can meaningfully connect with policymakers at state and local levels.
• Staff also shared common implementation challenges, including recruitment challenges, implementation of these initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, and challenges tracking and communicating the impact of their efforts to engage parents and caregivers in their work. 

Key takeaways from parents’ and caregivers’ participation in these initiatives include:

• Parents’ and caregivers’ participation in the initiatives ranged from providing one-time, in-depth feedback on a specific topic to participating in cohorts and advisory councils to engage in advocacy efforts and share ongoing feedback to inform statewide efforts. Participation varied based on the initiative, states’ capacities, and parents’ and caregivers’ preferences and availability. 
• Parents and caregivers valued the training they received through the initiatives and the new connections they made with policymakers and other parents and caregivers. 
• Parents and caregivers noted the importance of regular, ongoing communication from staff implementing the initiatives to get updates on whether and how staff were using parents’ and caregivers’ ideas and feedback to inform the initiatives. 
• Stipends or financial compensation for parents’ and caregivers’ time and effort was essential to facilitate their participation. Parents and caregivers highlighted scheduling conflicts and other life events (e.g., family members’ illnesses) as barriers to their participation, but noted how meetings and events held virtually in the evening and the flexibility of staff to accommodate their busy lives and schedules helped address these barriers.

We conducted a structured search for select state initiatives to support families with young children. The criteria for initial selection included a broad focus on CCEE and/or supports and services for families with young children and the use of family engagement as a strategy for developing and informing the initiative. We conducted brief screening interviews with staff implementing each initiative and developed a final set of selection criteria to determine which initiatives to include in the case study. The criteria included: 

• Focus on young children and their families: Initiatives include family-centered strategies to support young children and their families. 
• Focus on equity: Initiatives are working to advance equitable outcomes in their state (e.g., identifying and addressing long-existing inequities, providing culturally responsive supports and services, ensuring engagement of families that reflect the full racial and ethnic diversity of their state).
• Sustainability: Initiatives have plans for longer-term sustainability and no plans for ending implementation. 
• Family voice: Initiatives engage(d) families to get their input on designing and/or improving programs and services and were able to connect us with some of the parents and caregivers who participated in their work.

Three initiatives met the criteria: 1) Missouri’s Office of Childhood, 2) Nevada’s Child Advocacy Ambassador Program, and 3) Strong Start Washington’s Universal Developmental Screening System. We conducted three 60-minute interviews with eight total staff members from state and nonprofit agencies involved with implementing the initiatives. We then conducted nine 60-75-minute interviews—three for each state initiative—with parents and caregivers who participated in the initiatives. We analyzed the transcripts and derived themes presented in the brief.

Looking across the key findings, we present some considerations for state leaders and communities as they work to engage parents and caregivers in different initiatives and aspects of their work.

• Consider a range of strategies for engaging parents and caregivers in initiatives.
• Offer opportunities for parents and caregivers to participate in initiatives across the implementation cycle.
• Financially compensate parents and caregivers for their time and effort.
• Prioritize ongoing communication and feedback loops with parents and caregivers.
• Incorporate opportunities for parents and caregivers to build their skillsets and develop their networks into family engagement efforts.
• Ask parents and caregivers about the best format, days, and times for meetings and other family engagement activities.
• Prioritize creating welcoming environments when designing opportunities for parents and caregivers to engage with your work.
• Continue learning from the growing set of best practices for family engagement and leadership.

Steber, K., Sotolongo, E., Vansell, C., Villegas, E., Tout, K. (2024). Engaging families in state initiatives: A case study of lessons learned. OPRE Report #2024-095. Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.