Children and families receive maximum benefits from early childhood programs when families are actively engaged. “Parental involvement” is an established feature of Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities (AHSUNC) in Canada, and there is interest in increasing the knowledge on how AHSUNC sites engage with parents and families. This qualitative study generated knowledge and insights into the nature of family engagement in AHSUNC programs. From May to November 2016, semistructured interviews were undertaken with 26 participants in AHSUNC programs across British Columbia. Participants included parents (n = 10); Elders (n = 6), and AHSUNC program coordinators and family workers (n = 10). Findings illustrate a nuanced, relational, and strengths-based approach to family engagement that included AHSUNC program staff being responsive to the influence of broader social and structural factors on families' everyday lives and program engagement. Findings highlight how family engagement practices in AHSUNC are interdependent and continuous with practices aimed at supporting family well-being. The implications of reframing family engagement from a relational perspective are discussed. These findings have relevancy beyond Indigenous contexts to all early childhood and child health programs that are questioning how to engage with families who experience multifaceted forms of social disadvantage and marginalization.

中文翻译：

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在加拿大土著启蒙计划中探索家庭参与和幸福之间的连续性

当家庭积极参与时，儿童和家庭将从幼儿计划中获得最大利益。“家长参与”是加拿大城市和北部社区原住民启蒙计划 (AHSUNC) 的一个既定特征，人们有兴趣增加有关 AHSUNC 网站如何与家长和家庭互动的知识。这项定性研究为家庭参与 AHSUNC 计划的性质提供了知识和见解。2016 年 5 月至 11 月，对不列颠哥伦比亚省 AHSUNC 项目的 26 名参与者进行了半结构化访谈。参与者包括父母（n = 10）；长者 (n = 6)、AHSUNC 计划协调员和家庭工作者 (n = 10)。调查结果说明了一个微妙的、相关的、和基于优势的家庭参与方法，其中包括 AHSUNC 计划工作人员应对更广泛的社会和结构因素对家庭日常生活和计划参与的影响。调查结果强调了 AHSUNC 的家庭参与实践如何与旨在支持家庭福祉的实践相互依存和持续。讨论了从关系角度重新构建家庭参与的含义。这些发现超越了土著语境，与所有早期儿童和儿童健康计划相关，这些计划质疑如何与经历多方面社会劣势和边缘化的家庭互动。调查结果强调了 AHSUNC 的家庭参与实践如何与旨在支持家庭福祉的实践相互依存和持续。讨论了从关系角度重新构建家庭参与的含义。这些发现超越了土著语境，与所有早期儿童和儿童健康计划相关，这些计划质疑如何与经历多方面社会劣势和边缘化的家庭互动。调查结果强调了 AHSUNC 的家庭参与实践如何与旨在支持家庭福祉的实践相互依存和持续。讨论了从关系角度重新构建家庭参与的含义。这些发现超越了土著语境，与所有早期儿童和儿童健康计划相关，这些计划质疑如何与经历多方面社会劣势和边缘化的家庭互动。