"As far as providers--I think it's just a shortcut.  It helps them to immediately  learn all these things that would otherwise take them a year of coming into your home once a week to learn...this way they can appreciate her from the beginning." The Take a Look at Me Portfolio has been implemented in early intervention programs and early childhood programs in an effort to focus on the family.  It is a child portfolio aimed at building family supports, parent-professional communication and family partnerships that emphasize strengths of the child and family.  Through this process families are empowered to recognize natural learning opportunities for their child and begin to understand how to cultivate learning in new ways.  The portfolio has proven to be a useful tool in strengths-based assessment of the child by looking at interests and desires in the context of their own natural learning environments.  It has also proved effective in involving parents in early intervention, pre-school, special education or daycare environment by providing and opportunity for parental input into the development of individualized family service plans and Individualized education plans.  It can be used as an added tool when trying to conduct strengths-based assessments.                                                     The Take a Look at Me Portfolio supports:                                                              - Skills development in verbal and non-verbal communication                                                                of ideas, needs and feelings                                                              - Identification of natural learning opportunities and individual interests                                                              - Awareness and understanding of individual qualities of likeness                                                                and difference                                                              - Positive self-concept as a capable, successful and unique individual                                                              - Literacy development. "It [the Portfolio] has motivated        - Development of Individualized Family Service Plans  and empowered me to be             - Building relationships between providers and family   pro-active about sharing               -  Encouraging family involvement in programs, classrooms, etc. K's and our family's strengths          - Building a sense of empowerment by valuing their child's strengths and                                   interests, and goals"                        interests                                                                                                                                                                                                   CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE                                                                                                EARLY CHILDHOOD PORTFOLIO                                                                                                                      Click here to view blank sample pages