A critical part of early childhood programming is working with families. Family partnerships and open communication are always considered key elements of the program. How do early care and education professionals create these partnerships and keep communication open when the families speak a different language or come from different culture than the professional? This session will outline best practice in working with families of English language learners including respecting the funds of knowledge that

the families bring, resources that can be accessed, and

professionals’ own practices and differences that can be examined to assist in the establishment of partnerships.