The FACE program is very fortunate to have time scheduled every week to meet as a team. The time designated will strengthen the FACE program and the support offered to FACE families. Every FACE staff member is an important piece of the FACE program and has a role and obligation to participate in weekly team meetings. During the week, team members are busy with their component and assigned duties, the team meeting provides an opportunity for each member to reconnect and focus on the FACE program as a whole.

To assist your FACE program in having effective team meetings a number of supports are available to you. Parent Educators can access supports on the Team Coordination page. If additional support or questions arise when planning the FACE team meetings contact your FACE Home-based Technical Assistant.

Team Building

A Team Building Activity occurring at every team meeting can strengthen the FACE team. There are a number of team building activities on this website, or an internet search can provide fun and informative team building exercises. Team building activities that require coworkers to work together to solve problems can improve the ability to think rationally and strategically. Overall, team building in the workplace enables better communication, better relationships and ultimately increases productivity. Consider adding a team building activity to each team meeting; include the activity on the meeting agenda.

Agenda

The agenda will drive the FACE team meeting. The agenda should be available prior to the meeting for the staff to review. You can download a Team Planning Template. Whether or not you select the template, be sure to address all the topics listed on the template at some point during the team meeting.

• Team building activity
• Check-in: Great way to open the team meeting. Allow time for FACE staff to share personal or professional news. This provides an opportunity for the staff to connect and feel valued. This is also the time for the FACE staff to review actions or responsibilities assigned during the last FACE team meeting.
• Overall program updates and concerns: Is a time for the team to reflect and debrief on the previous week, and to discuss any items that needed follow-up from the previous team meeting. It allows an opportunity for staff to share concerns that may need to have additional follow-up.
• Special events: This provides a format for staff to share community events or school events that the FACE program or FACE families may benefit from. This is also a time to discuss the monthly FACE Family Circle: topic, assign tasks, and review and discuss Feedback Forms from previous FACE Family Circles.
• Family Updates: Often family circumstances change and the amount of support families need can change. This is the time for the FACE staff members to describe new challenges or success for FACE families. This discussion can provide opportunities for the FACE staff to support one another in services and consider additional actions or support needed. An example could be if a parent has secured housing, the staff may want to send a card or house warming gift. Also a great time to discuss and update the Resource Network Directory. Share resources and contacts that might support the needs of families.
• Recruitment and Retention: This provides a time for the FACE team to recognize and act upon ways to increase enrollment or review the waiting list. This is also a time for the FACE staff to brainstorm how to increase retention of the FACE families and review/update the Action Plan. Providing an opportunity to hear all staff voices can prove to strengthen the team and the FACE families.
• Transitions: This is an opportunity for the transition facilitator (the FACE staff working with the family) to share the families transition needs. For the parent educator, all children 30-months and older should be discussed in each FACE team meeting. The Parent Educator will review the written Individual Family Transition Plan and update if needed. Discussing transitions together alerts the FACE staff of future students and allows discussion of other early childhood/adult education programs and employment opportunities that are available in the community.
• Attendance and Incentives: Parent Educators can report weekly attendance (completed personal visits) by offering the Coordinator the weekly schedules with the parent’s signature on personal visits that are completed. The Service Alert Report in Penelope is another way to share attendance for the home-based families. In depth, conversation around the Parent Educator’s caseload should be discussed during reflective supervision with the Coordinator.
  Attendance and incentives includes discussion on what types of incentives are used and how to acquire needed incentives to encourage FACE families to participate in at least 75% of FACE services offered.
• Materials Supplies and Budget: The conversation around materials, supplies, and budget may require administrative personnel to attend a portion of the FACE team meeting. Identify the personnel that manages the budget and orders supplies. If administrative staff is required to attend, be sure to invite the appropriate person prior to the FACE team meeting and share discussion topics. If the FACE team is managing their own budget and supplies, discuss each components needs and work to support all FACE families.
• Monthly Reports and Documentation: The FACE team meeting is the perfect time to complete the Monthly Report together. Ask all components to bring the required information to share challenges, success, and next steps.
  As a FACE team, review the requested end of the year data and have a process in place to gather the data throughout the program year. This process can relief much stress as the program year comes to a close and the required data is completed and ready to send.
• Action Plans and Continuous Improvement: The FACE team meeting is an opportunity for the team to review and update all Action Plans that are required, FACE Action Plan for Implementation, Recruitment, Engagement, Retention, Transitions and other  Action Plans requested by BIE. During the 2019 Regional Professional Development, FACE teams were asked to create Action Plans specific to quality improvement for individual sites. Use the FACE team meetings to review, update, or create these Action Plans.
• Imagination Library: It is very important that the Imagination Library is up-to-date with current FACE students. Parents as Teachers National Center on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Education has entered into an agreement with Imagination Library and FACE programs need to take the responsibility to have a current enrollment listed in Imagination Library. The perfect time to review the enrollment list is during the FACE team meeting. Add new FACE children to the enrollment list and remove FACE children that have exited the program.
• Next Steps and Responsibilities: This is a time to review and assign any actions identified during the FACE team meeting. To assist the FACE team in responsibilities, it is suggested the FACE team review the Administrator/Coordinator Checklist.

Time

Assign a timekeeper during each team meeting. The timekeeper is responsible for keeping the agenda on track and closing the FACE team meeting in the expected period.

Meeting Leader

It may benefit the FACE team to assign a meeting leader to assist in following the agenda and facilitate staying on task. Assign a meeting leader on a rotating basis or one individual can fill the role during the program year.

Remember the FACE team meetings are a useful tool in achieving a high performance FACE program. Use FACE team meetings to strengthen your FACE program and the individual FACE team members as your team continues to “Keep the Circle Strong.”