Ms. Mullins’ experience as a preschool teacher, an administrator in a private agency early care and education program, and at the Human Development Institute with the Kentucky Early Childhood Transition Project, has allowed her to serve families for over thirty years (running time: 2 min. 17 sec.).
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Brenda Mullins:
If I could encourage someone new to this program or new to this work situation and working with families and children I would say that building good strong solid professional relationships that accept families where they are, that create an atmosphere or a climate of mutual respect, that also shows respect from a sending agency about a receiving agency because families can sense if there’s any kind of hesitation on the part of one provider about another. And so in order to help families feel secure in the transition process. There has to be that inter agency collaborative relationship building that has taken place. As transition must happen over a period of time so must that family and their information gathering take place over time. They can’t absorb everything like a sponge, just quick, you know. It has to be, it has to be delivered over a period of time to where they can absorb it and then have opportunities for questions. And, and that will create that engagement of the family as they feel respected and needed and really their child’s first teacher. Then that relationship is going to be expanded to others that they meet along the way.