The purpose of this dissertation was to explore family-school partnerships of young children during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through qualitative methods, including interviews and case study, I sought to hear caregivers and teachers' stories of their experiences supporting children's schooling during this period of collective trauma. The data I generated provided insight into their experiences. The first study revealed the emotions and distances among teachers and caregivers and the complex nature of their relationships while partnering around children's schooling during the pandemic. In the second study, interview data and home-school communication revealed that school personnel and families privileged competing purposes of education that reinforced pre-pandemic norms, despite opportunities to reimagine schooling to be more inclusive and equitable. Finally, the third study highlighted participants' lived experiences with online schooling, revealing that the experience changed caregivers' positions and roles in relation to their children's schooling. The findings from each of these studies emphasizes the complexities of family-school partnerships in support of early childhood education. The lived experiences of participants revealed the emotion laden work they shared during the pandemic. The findings inform the field by sharing how school personnel need to examine their purpose and how they engage with families and children. Further, Covid-19 has opened the door to reimagining new ways to partner with families, specifically making the partnerships balanced and empowering caregivers to become agents of change in their children's schooling.
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