Community Engagement [California Preschool Planning Toolkit, Section 6a]

Any preschool development of expansion effort, statewide or local, needs to have strong community support in order to achieve its goals. Thus community engagement—which refers to outreach and collaboration with all stakeholders—is a vital element of any planning process.

There are four purposes for community outreach. They are to:

1. Increase public awareness of the contribution that preschool and school readiness will make to the future success of children;
2. Initiate buy-in and community support for the programs;
3. Encourage public investment in early childhood education; and
4. Engender support of potential partners and affinity groups who will desire an affiliation or relationship with the preschool system.

This section and two other sections of the Toolkit (Planning Process and Facilities) will provide strategies on effective community outreach and will discuss various methods to reach and engage the community.

This document is part of the California Preschool Planning Toolkit.