Rethinking Family Empowerment Across Early Childhood Education, Intervention, and Special Education

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Four
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT017 (Saturday)

Abstract

Family engagement is often emphasized in early childhood systems, yet the concept of family empowerment remains underdefined and fragmented across Early Childhood Education (ECE), Early Intervention (EI), and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE). This study develops an integrative conceptual framework that redefines empowerment as a multidimensional construct grounded in family-systems and ecological theory. Drawing from 22 empirical, theoretical, and policy sources, the paper identifies four core dimensions—foundation, responsibility, programming, and dissemination—that connect family experiences with system-level supports. The framework highlights empowerment as both a process and an outcome that promotes equity and authentic partnerships across disciplines.

Authors

• jiajia liu, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Yaoying Xu, Virginia Commonwealth University