A Checklist for Embracing All Families

Using Inclusive Language

• Are online school forms and paperwork friendly to different family structures? Do they use language such as “parent/parent,” “parent/guardian” or “caregiver”?
• Do your forms ask for the names people want to be called and the pronouns that they use—she/her/hers, he/him/his and they/them/theirs?
• Do you model inclusive language for students, colleagues, and parents and caregivers when talking about families?
• Do you send school/home communications in the home language of your students?
• Do you address class letters to families or caregivers?
• Can forms/permission slips be signed by any caregiver?

Providing Windows and Mirrors for Your Students

• Do the books in your school reflect the lives of your students? Do your books offer perspectives on families not found in your school?
• Do your books feature single-parent families, adoptive and foster families, two-mom and two-dad families, grandparent-headed families, and multiracial or multiethnic families?
• Do classroom and hallway images include racial, ethnic or cultural diversity?

Stopping Mean Words and Actions

• Do teachers and staff interrupt teasing or put-downs about a student’s family?
• Does your professional development include the opportunity to practice ways to respond to students’ questions on diverse families?

Recognizing Family Diversity in Family/School Connections

• Are your classroom family and caregiver events welcoming for all students and the diversity of families and caregivers that are in your students’ lives?
• Do staff and educators treat all families with respect and avoid stereotyping or judgment when communicating with two-mom and two-dad, single-parent, racially/ethnically diverse and/or multilingual families?
• Have you held events recognizing and celebrating family diversity that welcome all students and their families to your school community?
• Do you offer food and childcare at school events?
• Do you have bilingual staff present to translate for families?
• Do you hold school meetings at community centers or other accessible locations for your families?
• Does your school calendar reflect important holidays and celebrations for all families? Are you mindful not to schedule events on Jewish or Muslim holidays, as well as Christian?
• Are resources or materials visible so that LGBTQ+ caregivers can identify you as an ally, even if they do not choose to come out?