Strategies for involving the family as a partner in early childhood education

Abstract

Family involvement in early childhood education is essential for the integral development of children, directly influencing their academic, emotional and social performance. However, obstacles such as lack of time for parents, socioeconomic inequalities and lack of knowledge about school practices hinder this partnership. Based on this, this research aimed to identify effective strategies to strengthen family participation in early childhood education. A qualitative narrative literature review methodology was adopted, focusing on studies published between 2021 and 2025, using descriptors such as “family”, “early childhood education” and “school-family partnership”. The searches were carried out in databases such as SciELO, Google Scholar, PubMed and ERIC, prioritizing articles in Portuguese that directly addressed the Brazilian reality and addressed engagement practices and their impacts. The results indicate that the active presence of the family improves children’s school engagement, self-esteem and social behavior. Strategies such as accessible communication channels, adapted meetings, valuing diversity and collaborative projects have proven effective. It is concluded that, although challenging, the rapprochement between school and family can be strengthened by simple and continuous actions that promote dialogue, acceptance and cooperation in the educational process.