SEL Access Exchange- Breaking Barriers: Rethinking How We Engage Parents and Caregivers

FREE & VIRTUAL

Wednesdays- November 5th and 12th, 2025  10am-12pm

Eric Golden @ The Flourish Lab

Focus: Knowledge + Resiliency + DEI

Often, the biggest barrier to building strong partnerships with parents and caregivers isn’t the families—it’s us. Afterschool professionals bring their own judgments, biases, fears, and assumptions into interactions, sometimes unintentionally creating distance instead of connection. This workshop creates space for honest reflection on how our mindsets shape engagement. Participants will learn how to identify and interrupt their own barriers, reframe challenging dynamics, and approach caregivers with empathy and cultural humility. By shifting from power to partnership, staff can transform parent relationships into collaborative allies for children’s growth.

Objectives:

• Reflective tools to uncover personal biases and assumptions about families.
• Strategies to move from judgment and fear to curiosity and empathy.
• Language shifts for creating trust and reducing defensiveness with caregivers.
• Practical techniques for co-creating partnerships with parents/caregivers.
• Ways to honor cultural strengths and diverse family dynamics.