Strategies for Parents/Families

1. Learn the three constructs color-coded in the Guide: Well-being, Knowledge and Empowerment, and see how the activities support each one. These constructs are found in the Conceptual Framework of Parent-to-Parent Support, an evidence-based model.
2. Become familiar with the learning outcomes at the start of each construct section so you are ready to help a family determine if this construct might be useful in their journey.
3. Use the tipsheet for suggested training activities with your family leaders (see Resources).
4. Use the sample Family Learning Outcome questions to assist them in measuring the impact of family support.
5. Use the H&V FL3 interactive webpage “Off to a Great Start” with resources to support the early intervention journey for families.

Strategies for Parents/Families

1. Develop and implement an education plan for team members, management and senior leadership that focuses on DEIA.
2.  Host /provide a mandatory DEIA workshop for Board of Directors and Staff.
3.  Ensure that your onboarding process is inclusive and increases understanding of how DEIA improves service delivery and client results.
4.  Make direct and intentional connections to diverse communities and collaborate on events and activities, including bringing DHH-specific resources to a location within cultural communities.
5.  Invite members of different communities to participate in round table discussions.
6.  Create discussion moments in team meetings and highlight DEIA efforts.
7.  Design infographics to share with team members to illustrate how DEIA improves services to families.
8. Infuse DEIA into the work you already do.
9. Vett translations of resources to ensure accuracy and appropriateness of tone and message.
10. Ask cultural communities what their needs are, involve them in the development process, provide opportunities to lead efforts, and use dissemination platforms/channels that are effective for that community.  For example, use video or text messaging.
11. Provide culturally specific events/trainings for families in their native language.
12. Experiment with timing of events to find what is most effective.
13. Invite participants to bring a friend or family member to attend events as well.

Strategies for Parents/Families

1. Choose your social media platform carefully, going to where your audience is.
2. Post 2-5 times per week.
3. Identify content topics based on what you want your audience to learn, access, do.
4. Respond to comments/questions in a timely manner to assure your audience you are active.
5. Focus on quality over quantity with content.
6. Maximize your call to action by driving the audience to your website or to other social media accounts, and to fundraise.
7. Put QR codes on Instagram for sign-ups.
8. Ask your audience to “favorite” your page/group so that it appears more often in their feed.
9. Post pictures of kids from your program to help increase your following and potential donor base. 
10. Ensure families consent to their photo being used on public social media.  Invite families to upload themselves ensures consent.  Could also ask for signed consent forms at events.
11. Share posting/moderating responsibilities among your team, capitalizing on team members already on social media and adept at using them.
12. Schedule posts in advance to ease burden of daily content.
13. Recognize your need to pivot to another strategy if the one you are using does not get the results you want.

Strategies for Parents/Families

1. Create educational goals for events such as resource sharing, mentorship by trained parent and D/HH leaders, education on key topics related to raising a child who is deaf or hard of hearing by an expert provider, etc.  Funders will expect impact from their investment.
2. Choose a topic or event purpose carefully to attract families and not overwhelm them. For example, “Summertime” and discuss tips for technology use around water and in heat.
3. Pick a time that is convenient for families to attend.
4. Advertise your event often enough to ensure families have had adequate time to make plans.
5. Indicate event is “informal” to entice more families to feel comfortable attending.
6. Reflect/discuss the words used in event announcements to be welcoming to the intended audience. 
7. Consider simple language, clean layout, and concise language on promotional information/flyers.
8. Determine how/if registration will be required prior and how to ensure communication access.
9. Explore connections to ASL interpreters and possible opportunities to get pro-bono interpreting by certified interpreters.
10. Ask attendees to use sign or cue to be inclusive of the people around you.
11. Consider the needs of event attendees with physical or other accommodation needs.
12. Explore how virtual events (Zoom, Facebook, Instagram) could help overcome challenges of providing events in remote areas/areas without trained parent leaders/travel costs.
13. Use social media platform analytics to track the impact of online events after the event is over.

Strategies for Parents/Families

1. Intentionally and thoughtfully invite fathers to join visits and keep inviting, in-person or virtually.
2. Help dads see the “big picture” by inviting them to state and national conferences, showing a need for father and other minority representation.
3. Specifically invite fathers with a question such as, “When can you and your partner attend?” This should be done whether both parents are in the home or not if co-parenting.
4. Recruit fathers in family support and provider roles, and in doing so, help other fathers have someone to identify with whether on the phone or at the meeting/appointment/event. Starting with one father in this role will lead to others.  
5. Provide and have ready information that is targeted to a dad’s needs, one-topic, just-in-time rather than a full packet of general information. (E.g., brochure on hearing tests, hearing age, technology choices, etc.)
6. When you call and get a dad to answer, give them the full outreach; don’t just offer to call back when the mom is available.
7. Perception is reality: if fathers don’t feel valued and welcomed, they will disengage. “Apathy is a symptom of laziness.” Professionals can assume fathers don’t care, which leads to a circle of lack of invitation/lack of engagement.
8. Be ready to have data/research/reference articles available; this will appeal to some dads. (Note, in any given couple, they often respond to opposite approaches regardless.) 
9. Make sure your materials, stories, presentations, etc. represent fathers. Use stories from a father’s point of view.
10. For events, host a panel of fathers and grandfathers.  This has worked well for most family-based organizations to gain better attendance from fathers.  Suggestions: Sports themed: Baseball Day, football game (televised) at a local place with wings, or other sport day for dads and kids.  A dads’ session at a family camp or conference.
11. Survey dads to see what interests them: online and at events.
12. Offer support to couples (including fathers) when the baby does not pass newborn hearing screening. This has been a promising practice in some states; parents seem very open to support at this time.

Strategies for Parents/Families

1. Find ways to say thank you to the sibling.
2. Make alone/special time for the sibling.
3. Think about the impact on the sibling when making plans for the family.
4. Consider scheduling siblings to be out of the house for home visits/appointments for the child who is deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH).
5. Seek out professionals for expertise in supporting siblings: therapists, genetic counselors, D/HH Teachers, social workers, etc.
6. Consider exchanging sibling information on your own team to support your own kids.
7. Give yourself grace. You are doing the best you can. Be honest with your kids about that.

Strategies for Family Support Leaders

1. Attend trainings/workshops on the topic of sibling support.
2. Host a sibling panel.
3. Have a breakout session at a Family Camp/Conference. 
4. Spotlight siblings in passive communications (newsletters, social media).
5. Organize events where siblings can engage and learn from peers, older siblings and D/HH adults.
6. Create a Junior Board with D/HH children and siblings.

1. Share your story. Develop a 3-minute “elevator” speech of your experience.  Show the value in what parent leaders have to offer by telling your story which can enhance relationships between families and professionals.
2. Make connections and collaborate.  Attend meetings that are open to the public, serve on stakeholder boards of directors and advisory boards, etc.
3. Collaborate with your state EHDI system, Dept. of Education, and public/private early interventionists.
4. Keep working with families and working in systems change.  By doing both you will keep grounded in parents’ needs and aware of trends.
5. Share experiences on cultural diversity and help guide the system to respond with appropriate service delivery.
6. Stay true to your integrity and the heart of your services for families, even when funding may have to be turned down.
7. Remain focused on the families and the work, and don’t focus on individuals or your differences/conflicts.
8. Find team members that complement your skills, build a diverse team, and share leadership among your team.

1. Collect information for childcare (centers, babysitters, after school programs which may have skills in sign language, cued speech, language development/audiology, children with disabilities) from parent groups, EI programs, and statewide searchable databases.
2. Encourage parents to search for a welcoming location, have an open-door policy, caregivers who are open to learning skills for their child, can support child’s language development and inclusion, and pass the necessary background checks/provide a safe environment.
3. Help parents educate the childcare provider about ADA support, tax deductions etc. through training, posters for staff, articles etc.
4. Make sure families know they can ask for EI and Deaf/Hard of Hearing role model visits; suggest learning goals and activities (story time, listening checks, modifying environment, attention-getting, increasing visual and auditory access, listening bubble). 
5. Suggest parents consider the use of technology such as LENA assessments to help determine where program is doing well and where it needs mentoring (time in noise, good turn taking/high language times).
6. Assist families in helping staff create an optimal learning environment for their child.  Share Maximize Your Child’s Visual Access handout.

1. As part of doing intake with a new family, ask the parents who is part of DHH child’s life?  Who provides childcare?
2. Include extended family in family support and DHH adult to family support visits.
3. Request permission to put extended family on mailing lists.
4. Host event just for grandparents or invite extended family to existing events and have activities just for the DHH child and their grandparents or others (“selfie-station” to take photos or craft activity.)
5. Include spotlights on extended family in newsletters, blogs, social media.
6. Go to where grandparents are/sources that extended family trust:  culturally specific tv shows, newspapers, radio to provide educational information about related D/HH topics.
7. Use the power of social media to engage extended family by having parents post pictures of their children at events and then encourage them to share social media with extended family. 
8. Consider doing a survey of the needs of extended family members and ask families to distribute.

1. Develop opportunities for diverse parents to become involved, starting small and ending in leadership.
2. Create a foundation of trust and value for diverse lived experiences.
3. Attend an event for an underrepresented population.
4. Interview someone from a different group/perspective.
5. Consider reopening a “case” for a family that was closed because there were too many barriers.
6. Start an initiative outside your comfort zone.
7. Volunteer to help with an event or project that is different for you.
8. Practice cultural humility.
9. Understand the demographics of your EHDI system, who is getting what services and where the gaps are.
10. Develop opportunities for diverse parents to become involved, starting small and ending in leadership.
11. Offer events created specifically for a particular population.

1. Host literacy events for families, either in-person or virtually.
2. Send literacy resources to families in “New Parent Welcome Packets” or specifically timed intervals.
3. Provide literacy information as families need or request.
4. Post literacy resources on family support program website.
5. Write grants to cover costs and secure donations of books/other related items for families.
6. Collaborate with professionals and organizations who do literacy work, such as Deaf/HH teachers, public libraries, or literacy foundations.

1. Seek out programs with DHH adults trained to provide unbiased support to families with young DHH children.
2. Whether running a DHH adult program or collaborating with one, important to have access to diverse lived experiences who are trained to provide unbiased information to meet the needs of diverse families.
3. Referral sources are important including referrals from parent leaders who can help families understand the value of DHH adult connections.  Direct referrals from EHDI program are important to meet HRSA guidelines of enrollment by 9 months of age.
4. Consider scripts to help parent leaders (and others) establish a meeting with families early in their journey.
5. Build relationships with other EHDI stakeholders and organizations to help with referrals.
6. Train the DHH adults to follow the lead of the families to address their needs and concerns at the time.
7. Vary the opportunities to meet DHH adults including at events, group, one-on-one (virtual and in person).
8. Continually market DHH adult services via multiple channels (social media, conferences, articles, etc.)
9. Evaluate your system’s ability to refer families to DHH adult support for continued improvement.

1. Build a team of individuals who can help run your communications
2. Organize the communications platforms you are using right now
3. Review your communications platforms for ones you are not using to consider expanding
4. Analyze who your audiences are – who are you reaching, who are you not reaching
5. Create content – some for general audiences and some may be uniquely for specific audiences
6. Schedule the timing of your content so to reach your audiences when they are most active and remember to post consistently and frequently to keep your audience engaged and your messaging on their feed
7. Use analytical tools to see your impact and adjust accordingly
8. Create a process for gathering and disseminating content and write it down so its sustainable and clear

1. Ask to meet with potential partners or stakeholders
2. Serve on committees
3. Be an exhibitor at events for families and professionals
4. Do presentations at conferences and workshops
5. Invite stakeholders to attend your events
6. Offer to collaborate on events/workshops/seminars/webinars
7. Explore survey results/Needs Assessments for potential topics/partnership opportunities
8. Share your data – how many families served, your reach with social media/email lists
9. Create products or services that people need/want – make your program valuable to others
10. Be dependable, unbiased, consistent, professional
11. Emphasize your parent perspective and diversity of parent leaders and reach
12. Maintain a strong board/advisory council etc. who can back you up or bring in new stakeholders
13. Don’t be afraid to seek financial support, and keep asking
14. Don’t give up, keep doing quality work, prioritize relationships, and recognize when new representation/leadership might be the key to rebuild relationships

1. IL EHDI/GYBS co-wrote an article for the Spotlight on Success column of the FL3 eNews called, “An Impact on All.”
2. FL3 created a document, “A Case for Direct Referrals to Parent-to-Parent Support Programs for Families with Children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing.”), providing guidance to family support organizations, EHDI programs and other stakeholders. The document includes examples of several possible strategies to share information, tips when advocating for direct referrals, and brief descriptions of privacy laws.
3. FL3 created a document, “Tips for Meaningful Participation by Parents and Adults who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Serving in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Systems.” This document provides information about: assessing gaps in diversity of representation, recruitment, maximizing communication access, onboarding, meaningful participation tips, and on-going assessment of engagement.
4. FL3 did a webinar hosted by NCHAM on the topic of “Supporting Parents on EHDI Advisory Committees and Learning Communities," showcasing the “Tips for Meaningful Participation” document above.
5. FL3 and NCHAM conducted a National Needs Assessment in 2019. One data point was whether FBOs were provided direct referrals.
6. Vicki Hunting from H&V/FL3 did a webinar called “Family Support: Proof is in the Data,” showcasing the discussions from Family EHDI Data Learning Community (FEHDI) where EHDI programs and FBOs had discussions about how to track/report on the HRSA Objective: “increase by 20 percent (from year one baseline), the number of families enrolled in family-to-family support services by no later than 6 months of age.”
7. The FEHDI team created a definitions document and an example of a spreadsheet used to track family support data. This is available upon request.

1. Enlist everyone to help recruit: your team (volunteers, board, staff) and professionals (audiologists, teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, DHH adult clubs, organizations, etc.).
2. Find small ways for getting candidates involved and be creative with how you provide services to fit your budget.
3. Use personal invitations.
4. Track parent and DHH adult involvement at events, on social media, etc. and follow up with a call, email, text.
5. Keep a running list of potential candidates.
6. Post opportunities on your website.
7. Target specific locations, specialties, diverse and unique perspectives and do outreach to those areas/orgs/individuals.
8. Create a DHH adult team to build your DHH adult services/opportunities and then recruit them.
9. Market using an emotional appeal – consider reasons why someone would be drawn to this work: self-interest (networking, building resume, education), serving parents, helping their child (finding friends, finding good programs), making a difference/influencing systems (parents or DHH adults), giving back, etc.

1. Volunteer Recruitment: Information on why volunteer programs benefit from establishing a well-organized volunteer recruitment process to maximize impact. https://www.galaxydigital.com/blog/volunteer-recruitment/
2. 7 Super Steps to Recruit: An article providing tips on how nonprofits can recruit volunteers. https://topnonprofits.com/7-super-steps-to-recruit-volunteers/
3. Tips for Meaningful Participation by Parents and Adults who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Serving in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Systems.
   The FL3 Center created this resource specifically for recruiting and supporting parent and DHH adult leaders on advisory committees and learning communities:
   https://handsandvoices.org/fl3/fl3-docs/Final-DHHadults-in-EHDI_8-30-2018.pdf
4. Fostering Family Engagement and Leadership in EHDI Systems:
   This FL3 webinar from 8-31-17 explores parent/professional partnerships and family engagement in EHDI systems with a direct focus to family leaders. 
   https://www.handsandvoices.org/fl3/media/webinar-8-31-2017.html
5. Raising Diverse Leaders: 
   This FL3 webinar discusses strategies to engage and develop leaders with diverse lived experiences.
   /RaisingDiverseLeaders01262021.pdf
6. JCIH Supplement to 2007 Position Statement on Early Intervention – Goals 8 & 9:
   The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing established recommendations for early intervention for children who are deaf and hard of hearing including involvement of families in systems (goal 8) and access to other families (goal 9).
   https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/4/e1324

1. Appoint specific parent leaders to focus on rural communities
2. Create a communications plan to do outreach to rural areas
3. Use town halls as listening sessions to identify needs
4. Partner with other agencies/stakeholders to strengthen response and share responsibilities
5. Solve rural issues with creative solutions (virtual events, expansion of “Metro events” to rural, gift cards to cover gas costs for travel to events, audiology kits, lending library)
6. Apply for funding that helps support tele-health
7. Train local people to do carry out services
8. Bring in support and specialists
9. Support rural representatives attending DHH specific conferences
10. Encourage rural representation at stakeholder meetings and legislative initiatives
11. Develop videos/tutorials that can be accessed via the Internet