Getting Ready is an evidence-based family engagement approach that increases school readiness among children ages 5 and younger who participate in home visitation or center-based early childhood programs. Developed by researchers the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2004, Getting Ready focuses on building, strengthening and sustaining relationships.
Download Getting Ready HandoutGetting Ready is an intentional process of interacting with families during all exchanges, including home visits, conferences and informal interactions, and is seamlessly infused into early childhood programs.
The approach encourages family engagement in all aspects of children’s development, while building on culturally relevant strengths for both parents and children. Together, educators and families set goals to help children reach their fullest potential.
Professional development is key to Getting Ready’s success in promoting family engagement and partnership in support of children’s learning and development.
Educators learn the Getting Ready Approach in two virtual formats:
Participate in live, interactive, virtual training to learn about dynamic adult-child interactions and relationships, parent-educator partnerships and collaborative interactions. (Video modules are also available if educators miss the live training.)
What educators will learn:
Receive live, one-on-one support in using the Getting Ready Approach. These ongoing coaching sessions are interactive, reflective, strengths-based and action-oriented.
What educators will do:
Educators will have several opportunities to repeat this cycle.
Getting Ready can be adapted to meet your program’s needs. Evidence shows the Getting Ready Approach can be effective in a variety of early childhood settings, including:
The Getting Ready Approach has been rigorously tested to demonstrate its effectiveness and focuses specifically on supporting children’s learning and development through collaborative parent partnerships. It is not a curriculum, but a “way of doing business."
While parent involvement is one important part of early childhood programming, Getting Ready focuses on providing educators with strategies to build collaborative, bi-directional partnerships with families where everyone has a role and brings important information to the table to promote children’s development.
Ongoing professional development is key to Getting Ready’s success. After receiving formal training, educators receive ongoing, live, interactive coaching to build program capacity and support educators in blending Getting Ready elements seamlessly into family interactions.
Getting ready is not a curriculum or packaged, stand-alone program. Getting Ready is adaptable and can be embedded in existing early childhood programs and aligns with curricula (e.g., Growing Great Kids, Parents as Teachers, HFA).
Getting Ready supplements and extends early childhood curricula and programming (e.g., Growing Great Kids, Parents as Teachers, HFA, Early Head Start, Sixpence). VALUE ADD! Getting Ready also complements and supports other coaching programs (e.g., Step Up to Quality, Rooted in Relationships, ReadyRosie).
Yes, if a program has agreed to participate, and educators have enrolled in the training series, they may take the virtual training at any time. Once educators are registered they will receive a username and password to complete Getting Ready’s on-demand video training modules.