Reference no: EM133515060

Case Study:

The situation: a policy change that impacts a family who comes to the center.

Changes to the minimum salary qualification for receiving subsidized child care funding have impacted many families who received a raise in salary and are no longer eligible for the subsidy. This impacts many families who are getting a raise in salary but no longer qualify for subsidized early childhood care and education for their children.

It is the start of the week. On Monday, one family who speaks a language dialect that no other person in the program can speak or write comes into the program. They look angry and do not understand they have to pay additional money for their 4-year-old child. They bring in an invoice with their name on it, point to the number, and talk angrily. You are the one who is there when they come in and their child, age 4, is crying, and the parents are both angry at you and the program. Both parents received an increase in their salary two months before and were delighted. They don't know why they have to pay more for the program.

The program must collect additional funds for each child based on the maximum pay a family can earn to receive the full subsidy.
Your role is to:

• Engage with and immediately respond to the family's needs at the moment, even though they do not understand the language(s) you speak.
• tools and strategies to help with this situation.

Question 1:

Describe your immediate actions in this situation through a narrative.

• What will you do or say to this family? You do not speak their language but at this moment, describe what you could do without words, how you could respond to the child's needs concerning the situation and the family, and offer support to the family.
• Be specific about your tone, body stance, movements, and how you would physically respond to them.
• Describe how you will communicate what happened to your colleagues, strategies you found effective, and things you might change.

Question 2:

What communication you would give to the family that describes what is happening in a short note. Clearly describe the increase in salary and the limits of what the program provides for the care and education of the children. Describe the change in a way they can understand the situation.

• What is happening and why. Explain what is happening clearly and how you would answer the family's questions.
• Even though this is not a real situation, your responses should describe what you do to help the family through the transition. Are there community resources? Is there a relief fund that they can apply for? Your response should be realistic but communicate the situation and how the program will respond. You can use your creative way of thinking about what the program will do and put it in words so families can understand.

Question 3:

A script for everyone who works in the program of what to say to families who come in with this challenge.

• This so staff who might be less experienced might better support families.
• Describe how you would speak to the staff about this situation. How can you help them understand the situation and to support them in knowing what they should do if they are in a similar situation?

Question 4:

A description for the program that communicates the essential process for situations that arise. Make sure it describes:

• The process for situations that impact family rates for paying for their child.
• The process for recording who receives messages and the form of the message (verbal, written).
• List of what is needed for challenges (language, frustration, anguish)
• Community resources to connect and use