Conduct a home visit before school starts and at a later date if families are unable to attend a school conference.

Home visits are an important way to understand and connect with culturally and linguistically diverse families. Home visits can be a vehicle for educators to learn about family households and to expand their own knowledge of their students’ lives and cultural backgrounds (Wesels, 2013).

Please click below for some information and insight regarding the value of home visits from teachers and families who were part of the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project ("Parent Teacher Home Visits", 2016).

Create a survey or a questionnaire.

Gather information so you know more about families and students including their languages, strengths and interests, needs and challenges, preferred form of communication, concerns, and more. Ask a variety of questions in a clear format and translate when possible. This can also be an opportunity to make sure families are aware of all of the resources available to them and ways to be involved in the school community ("Family Engagement: Conducting a Family Survey", 2016).

Talk to parents before and after school

Take the time to get to know your students' families. Learn their preferred names and address them accordingly. Listen to parents interact with their children in their home language (Erekson, Kim, Lyke, 2015).

Tips:

-Always make eye contact with the families when speaking even if you

have an interpreter.

-Be observant and respectful of families' customs both at their homes and at school.

-Be genuine.

-If a translator is not available utilize other strategies to best communicate thoughtfully and effectively.

2. Learn about families