Abstract
Family-centered planning is a recommended practice in the field of early education; however, it is not widely practiced. Diverse families tend to participate less in these practices due to language and cultural barriers. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of family-centered approach on diverse families’ comfort and confidence during the IEP process. This study also explored effective practices to help establish effective planning and collaboration with parents and educators. Through a convergent mixed methods design study (Creswell & Guetterman, 2019), both quantitative survey data of families’ perspectives on their experiences with their child’s IEP meetings and qualitative field notes data during families’ IEP meetings and family planning meetings noting their verbal contributions words and sounds, as well as their non-verbal cues and gestures was collected. The results of this study showed that families who participated in family-centered planning meetings were more comfortable in the IEP process and their confidence remained high as well. Findings also suggested that when resources such as a family-centered planning guide was utilized to guide conversations during planning meetings with families, family members were able to communicate with the IEP team by sharing their concerns, participating in the IEP planning process and playing a role in the development of their child’s goals and education. This study shed lights on effective strategies to support families of young children with disabilities throughout the IEP process in a culturally responsive way.