Maintaining family engagement during the initial months of COVID-19 in an early childhood nature program

Family-school partnerships play an integral role in supporting family engagement in children’s learning and development. The shift from on-site learning to remote programming facilitated by the means of technology during the COVID-19 lockdown required that educators and families work collaboratively in new ways in order to support young children’s growth and development in different spaces. This qualitative case study examines how educators from an early childhood nature program supported family engagement in nature-based learning activities during COVID-19 lockdown in Spring 2020. Data include program-wide communications and classroom documentation. Two major themes and six subthemes emerged from the analysis. Results show that during the period of remote programming, the educators facilitated family engagement by providing instructional support for the education process and supporting social-emotional well-being and a sense of community. A strong curriculum component was apparent with encouragement for play and inquiry, connections to place, STEAM curriculum, and environmental awareness. The findings offer an insight into innovative teaching practices and have implications for family engagement beyond remote programming.