HOME-BASED LEARNING TOOLKIT FOR EARLY LEARNING

HOME-BASED LEARNING TOOLKIT FOR EARLY LEARNING CENTER DIRECTORS

PART ONE: Assess your ability to provide supports to families at home

1. Reflect on your capacity.

2. Conduct Staff Check-In Calls & Tech Assessment-For directors/owners with staff during closure

Staff Tech Assessment

If your teachers are willing to provide support to families during the crisis, use the Staff Tech Assessment below to determine staff

comfort with different methods of communication with families during a temporary closure.

Staff Check-In Sample Questions

How are you and your family doing?

If the staff member has one or more children- How has the adjustment to teaching your own child(ren) at home been?

How can I support you? I will do what I can to help you or direct you to someone who can help you.

Note: Before you ask this question determine the level of assistance that you can provide to your staff and their family.

What is your availability to continue work with the center?

Note: Be sure to keep labor laws in mind if you are engaging staff in work.

Are you willing to assist (insert center name) in providing support to families during the pandemic?

Note: If the teacher responds “Yes.” please ask if he or she would answer some additional questions about technology.

The Staff Tech Assessment will help you:

• Decide how you will maintain contact with your staff members. Be sure all of your staff have access to reliable

internet and equipment before deciding to host your meetings and professional development using mid-level or

high tech strategies.

• For teachers without a reliable internet connection or access to a device, consider a support role for these

teachers that does not require extra training or use of these technologies. Can these teachers help schedule

family check in times for the other teachers using phone calls and texts? Can these teachers develop low-tech

activities for young children that teachers can share with families?

Plan for a brief series of planning calls (web or phone) with your teachers in which you

1) discuss your approach in working with families, 2) prepare to connect with families to assess their access and comfort

with different tech strategies, 3) share best practices for providing virtual early education and care support, and 4) create

expectations and a schedule for staying connected as a team and for supporting families.

Staff Tech Assessment for ______________________________________________ (name)

Question: Are you comfortable...If not, can you please share why so I can possibly support you?

Yes

Connecting with children and families over the phone

Sending check-in text messages to families.

Sub-Total: Most staff will respond 2/2 for low-tech communication strategies with families.

Question: Are you comfortable...If not, can you please share why so I can possibly support you?

Yes

With the reliability and strength of your internet access

Writing and sending bulk check-in emails to families.

Recording and sending (by email) brief videos of storytime, classroom songs or a good morning message

Assisting with conference calls (e.g., leading short lessons, discussion) via Zoom or a similar platform

Sub-Total: Those who answer most questions with yes are comfortable using mid-level tech communication strategies that require a smartphone,

tablet, and computer.

Question: Are you comfortable...If not, can you please share why so I can possibly support you?

Yes

Scheduling and leading virtual meetings (using a platform such as Zoom) with families including sharing a screen to display content.

Managing an online platform (e.g., Google Classroom or a Facebook group) to connect with families, post resources, and create content posts.

Helping families log into and successfully use a web conferencing platform, such as Zoom.

Using tools like as google documents and forms to collaborate with colleagues and track work with families.

Sub-Total: Staff who answer most or all of these questions with a yes are comfortable using high tech strategies.

Notes on staff access and comfort level with technology:

3. Conduct Family Check-In Calls and Family Tech Assessment-To support staying connected with families during closure.

You may learn that the family you are talking to needs mental health, food, or housing support, connect them with local supports.

Family Tech Assessment

If your families are interested in staying connected during the crisis, use the Family Tech Assessment below. You will learn how you

could structure continued connection to center’s children and families. Take good notes to support effective planning.

Family Tech Assessment for:___________________________________________________

Question: Do you have access to...

Yes

Notes

a telephone with active service?

a computer or internet enabled tablet or smartphone?

a stable internet connection?

email?

Family Check-In Sample Questions

How are you and your family doing?

How has the adjustment to engaging with your child(ren) for extended periods at home been?

How can I support you and your young child? I will do what I can to help you or direct you to someone who can help you.

Note: Before you ask this question, determine the level of assistance that you can provide.

Are you able to interested in participating in 30 - 1 hour check in calls (phone or web) each week or every other week?

If yes, complete the Digital Tools Assessment below. If not, what supports might be helpful?

PART TWO: IDENTIFY RESOURCES THAT SUPPORT YOUR FAMILIES’ NEEDS

After you have gathered information about your staff and families current priorities and needs, you can begin thinking about

what kinds of support you are able to offer.

Centers are using this information in various ways, depending on the needs and capacity of their staff and families.

Here are a couple of examples:

Low-to-Mid Tech: Carousel Preschool in Jefferson parish has developed weekly learning packets that include Creative

Curriculum and Mighty Minute resources and lesson plans as well as materials like clay, construction paper, scissors, and

other supplies that are available for pick up in the mailbox, or for delivery by school staff. There is also a center Facebook

group where teachers and families can post and review lessons and activities, as well as connect as a community.

Mid-to-High Tech: Wilcox Academy of Early Learning in Orleans parish has teachers leading weekly 30 minute lessons for

each classroom group using Frog Street curriculum. A coach or director is on every zoom call to help facilitate and support

the teachers if a parent has questions outside of the lesson plan that a teacher may not be able to answer. They are also

incorporating family learning opportunities like scavenger hunts that extend learning. Teachers use this opportunity to read

requested books and sing favorite classroom songs, and connect with families on child development. To support these

efforts, teachers access materials and supplies from the building each week. They engage in planning meetings with their

director and coach. Coaches occasionally opt in to the Zoom calls and provide feedback, and teachers submit summaries to

the director of the effectiveness and attendance of the call.

The two exemplars above are planning with several things in mind:

• The capacity of their staff

• Their existing curriculum and resources

• Their families’ access to technology

• The level of support that families can provide during this time.

HOME-BASED LEARNING SUPPORT MATRIX

Louisiana has gathered a compendium of resources for early learning centers that connect to Tier I curriculum. These can be

adapted for low-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech support. The table on the following page provides guidance for supporting families

employing all types of strategies to continue learning with center staff, continuous connections, and supporting family engagement.

Low -tech

Mid-tech

High-tech

Learning with

centers

● Provide families copies of high-

quality lessons that address the

content that is being

prioritized. Provide materials

when able.

● Host a weekly phone call and

share songs, or connect.

● Staff can record Youtube videos

or Facebook videos of them

implementing lessons including

reading books, presenting

lessons, and singing classroom

songs.

● Learn about using Zoom and

enabling Zoom breakout rooms

● Host Zoom-based center time

groups using curriculum (using

breakout rooms and several

family members.

Staying

connected

with families

● Schedule 1:1 check-in phone

calls or texts to keep

connections alive.

● Send check-in emails to

continue connecting with

families

● Host an online meeting for

families to share challenges

and successes

Supporting

family

engagement

● Provide information on how

families for how families can

incorporate high quality

interactions into their daily lives

● Teachstone’s Resources for

Educators and Parents page

features blog posts, webinars,

and downloadable resources

available for families and

educators.

● Provide helpful web links like:

-LDOE’s Guidance for Early

Learning at Home which

provides helpful practices and

resources for families

-Online Books provides links to

online books for young

children.

-The Center on the Social and

Emotional Foundations for Early

Learning’s Family Resource

Center.

● Staff can host early childhood

education and development 15-

30 minute webinars for parents

once a week.

HIGH TECH SUPPORT

Using ZOOM with families

Connecting with families in their homes requires guidance to make this a positive and safe experience for all involved. You may want

to consider an online permission form that restates these requirements below.

Guidelines for families joining Zoom lessons:

To make Zoom lessons safe and enjoyable for all, we ask our families to observe these guidelines on all Zoom calls:

● “Public” place- When joining by video, please connect from a public place in the home (not a bedroom).

● Family time- Please join the Zoom call with your child, ensuring that they are not alone with the teacher online.

● Recording- Our Zoom lessons will be recorded.

● Password Protection- For added safety, a password has been added.

Directions for teachers and families using Zoom:

Those unfamiliar with Zoom may need directions. Cut, paste, and send these directions, if needed.

Step by Step Instructions for Setting Up Zoom and Logging In:

1. Download the zoom app to whatever device you will be utilizing to join the meeting. Visit https://zoom.us/download

(choose Zoom Mobile Apps) or go to the app on your device and search for zoom. If you have never used zoom before we

recommend starting 5 minutes prior to the scheduled time to give yourself time for technical programming.

2. Click the link that was sent to you to join the meeting. You may need to enter the meeting id or password that is in the

invitation. When asked to enter a name, please use your child’s first name or change the name.

3. Please choose “use computer audio” when prompted, which will allow zoom to use the microphone and speaker of your

device. Otherwise, you would have to call in with a separate phone line.

4. Please turn on your video when prompted.

5. Please mute yourself to help with audio quality, and unmute in order to talk.

6. Use the chatbox to share any technical issues or to “raise your hand” if you want to add in an idea to the conversation.

Pro-tip: If you have WiFi where you will be utilizing your device it is best to use it, unless you have several devices streaming on your

WiFi. Otherwise, it is recommended to turn off some things that are streaming or utilize your data on your device if it is free.

PART THREE: SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF HOME-BASED LEARNING

Use the Home-Based Learning Plan template to map the individual learning needs of the families in each classroom.

HOME-BASED LEARNING PLAN

CLASSROOM:_____________________________

Family and Child Name(s)

Day of the

Week to

Connect

Low-Tech, Mid-

Tech, or High-

Tech Approach?

Activity and Goal