Part 1- This talk will address how educators, therapists, consultants, and other professionals who work with LGBTQ families in early childhood settings can create and foster more inclusive approaches and environments for these families. It will begin with an overview of sexual, gender, and family diversity, briefly addressing the research on family building and family functioning in LGBTQ parent families. It will then address how professionals can enact structural and interpersonal shifts that create greater LGBTQ parent-program partnerships, as well as the benefits of such partnerships for programs and other settings as well as for families and children themselves. Challenges and barriers to effective partnerships will be explored as well.

Part 2- Participants will gain an understanding of historical factors and social constructs that have shaped the lives of the LGBTQ community and offer insight to barriers for parents who identify as LGBTQ.

Learning Objectives:

Part 1

• Participants will gain knowledge of basic research on LGBTQ families with young children
• Participants will develop tools for enacting structural and proximal change with LGBTQ families in early childhood settings
• Participants will develop understanding of the complexity and diversity of LGBTQ families through exposure to real-world scenarios involving LGBTQ families

Part 2

• Participants will understand the history of the LGBTQ community as well as a brief overview of the Detroit community
• Participants will understand parenting through a sociological lens as it pertains to the LGBTQ community. This will include the political climate and the impact it has on the community.
• Participants will learn best practices to better service LGBTQ parents in the Detroit community