The National Technical Assistance Center for Preschool Development Grants B-5 Parent and Early Childhood Partner Groups

Instrument 1

Discussion Questions for May 2024 PDG B-5 Working Partner Meetings

Topic: IECMH

The purpose of each of the Parent and Early Childhood Professional Partner Group is to elicit and uplift the lived experience of early childhood education professionals and families with children enrolled in early childhood education programs with the intent to use this rich feedback to inform the resources and outputs of the PDG B-5 TA Center.

Each Working Partner Group is 60 minutes in length and usually take place approximately every 3 months (quarterly). Through facilitated discussion a predetermined set of questions will be presented to each Working Partner Group. Parents and professionals meet separately to create a safe space for each group of stakeholders that allows them to speak honestly about their experiences. All members of the Working Partner Groups completed an application form at the outset to indicate their interest in participation and all group members are invited to each Group meeting, but participation in the meetings themselves is entirely voluntary.

Prior to each meeting, participants are informed that they do not need to respond to any questions that they prefer not to answer.

GROUP: ECE professionals

• How do families help you learn more about their child’s strengths, needs, and goals?

• What types of social-emotional challenges or behavioral issues are you seeing your classroom or caseload?

• What training or professional development have you had around social and emotional development of young children and understanding their behavior?

  • Was it helpful? If so, how?

  • What additional content/support would you be looking for on this topic?

• What strategies do you use to share concerns about child behavior, mental health, or social and emotional development with families?

• Tell us about a situation where you implemented a new strategy or response to a child’s behavior and it was successful.

• How do you work with outside consultants or professionals to support children whose behavior might be challenging or who may be having other mental health or social and emotional challenges?

  • What’s helpful in working with them? What would be more helpful?

  • If you don’t have access to consultants, what resources are available to you when you are unsure of how to meet a child’s needs in your classroom or program?

• What curricula do you use to support children’s mental health and social and emotional development? What feedback do you have about this curricula/activities? Have you seen a change in your classroom environment and/or children’s behavior since using this curriculum?

• How does your workplace support your wellbeing and mental health?

• How does your workplace support family mental health?

• How could your workplace do more to support mental health for children, families, and staff?

A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and no individual or entity is required to respond to, nor shall an individual or entity be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The OMB # is 0970-0630 and the expiration date is 3/31/2027. If you have questions or comments, please contact Judy Willgren [email protected]

GROUP: Families of children birth through five

• What’s a behavior in your child that you’re most proud of?

• What behaviors in your child do you find most challenging?

• How do teachers help you learn more about your child’s behavior and social and emotional development?

• Tell us a parenting strategy you’ve found helpful when your child’s behavior might be challenging?

• Have you ever talked with your child’s teacher about behaviors you see at home? What guidance did you receive?

• What does early childhood mental health mean to you? Is this term familiar or no? Have you heard of this idea of mental health for young children before? What do you think of it?

• What does social-emotional development mean to you? Have you heard this term before?

• How do teachers share concerns about your child’s behavior, mental health, or social and emotional development?

• Do you know if your child’s early childhood education program has consultants or experts to support children’s behavior, mental health and/or social and emotional development? What do they do in your child’s program?

• Does your child’s program have mental health services or programs for adults (parents/family members)? If so, what are they? How do you like them?

• Does your child receive services or supports around behavior or social-emotional development? What are they? Have they been effective? (*Talked about this a bit in March but we could ask again)

• What resources for promoting mental health for you or your child have been helpful?

  • Are there other resources or supports that would help?

• If you need help with your child’s behavior or social and emotional development, where would you go/who would you go to for support?

• If you need help for your own mental health, where would you go/who would you go to for support?

877-ASK-PDG5 | GSA Contract Number: 47QTCA1800KV | [email protected]