• Families as nurturers and supporters—The family’s most basic role is to provide for their children’s health, safety, security, and emotional well-being. ... “Children grow and thrive in the context of close and dependable relationships that provide love and nurturance, security, responsive interaction, and encouragement for exploration.”
  
  
• Families as teachers—Families can do many things to support children’s learning and their motivation to learn. Family teaching roles include
  • establishing an at-home learning environment for the whole family,
  • expressing high expectations and encouraging learning,
  • providing opportunities for learning and development within the community,
  • providing books and other learning materials,
  • reading and telling stories, and
  • practicing and transmitting cultural traditions
    
    
• Families as intermediaries—As young children grow from infancy and as their world expands beyond the immediate home environment, the family functions as “an important intermediary as young children venture into the neighborhood environment.”  Family members help negotiate and oversee their children’s ties to neighbors, friends, and the broader community, helping children learn and observe social protocols and function safely and productively within their spheres of existence.
  
  
• Families as advocates—In helping their children move beyond the home, families select—from the range of choices available, depending on the family’s resources and location—the environments they believe will be most supportive. They seek out and advocate for services and opportunities, and intervene on their children’s behalf when problems arise.

2004 - Readiness: School, Family, & Community Connections, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (page 15)