A significant facet of an early childhood professional is the ability to work with families. This however can be an area in which many professionals entering into the field can feel inadequate. In order to fully support all areas of a child’s performance as a professional it is critical to work with their families. In order to effectively work with families, you must be able to understand the diversity and complexity of families.
In this article the author, Linda Garris Christian, focuses on six characteristics within the family systems theory. The family systems theory involves early childhood professionals in the areas such as: boundaries, roles, rules, hierarchy, climate, and equilibrium. The author expands on the definition of these characteristics
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A role a child takes within the family home can explain the children’s behavior within an educational setting. Educators can provide children the opportunity to partake in different roles to further expand their learning.
Rules exist at home and school for children to follow. It is imperative that as an educator you take time to explain in depth the rules of your classroom to children and the child’s family. As various results show that rules can be tied to culture, therefore, you want to ensure no rules within your classroom setting are creating conflict for the child or their family.
A hierarchy establishes the position a member takes within the family setting. A hierarchy can be a critical and a sensitive matter when you approach and discuss matters of importance with family members. As an educator one must ensure sensitivity and openness to the structure of the family. The educator will also need to ensure the child is being exposed to the different levels in a hierarchy within the classroom setting.
Climate is the emotional and physical environment of a child. The environment at home is a setting the educator has no control over. It is critical an educator creates and promotes a positive environment within a school
Elliott, A. (2004). Where to Now for Early Childhood Education and Care? Early Childhood Education Research Program (ACER), 12(2).
Working with children, young people and their families can be seen as difficult and complex for many different reasons. However, before these topics can be discussed and explored fully, it is important to completely understand the difference between the words ‘difficult’ and ‘complex’. ‘Difficult’ implies that things are not easily or readily done, where it requires much effort much effort, labour and skill to be performed effectively. In the same way, ‘complex’ implies a hard to deal with situation, but also involves many interconnected parts or complicated arrangements that consist of emotional attachment.
Professional development for educators is an important step in learning new ways to educate, implement new practices and administering the best possible outcomes for children 's wellbeing. Depending on the child’s circumstances it is also important to search for other means of opinion. In this case accommodating the child’s family and the community in which he or she lives in and advancing towards promoting worthwhile relationships. Relationship building encourages parents in working collaboratively with professionals to create environments of support and enthusiasm around the best interests of the child.
Decades of research proves partnerships between schools and families not only enhance children’s learning and achievement, it is also mutually beneficial to the families and educators. As an early childhood educator, my philosophy is rooted in establishing and maintaining a strong and effective partnership with families and communities that can help children and their families thrive. My approach focuses on effective communication between family and school, respect for diversity, and promoting learning at home.
When selecting childcare for your child the foundation of early learning has offered some tips that they believe will be helpful in the process. The foundation says that parents have always known that good early experience was important for their child. Now scientist and researchers are confirming how critical these first years of life are to your child’s healthy development (Selecting child care, 2002). Because the brain matures in the world rather than in the womb, the brain growth and development of infants and young children is deeply affected by their earliest experiences. In a childcare environment the relationship your child has with the caregiver will also affect how that child feels about himself and the world around him and as he grows up (Selecting child care, 2002). I ...
The family structure is made up of individuals living together in intimate groups with the purpose of caring and supporting each other. Rules and boundaries, spoken and unspoken, are developed by the family members. Family rules and boundaries change and shift over time in order to evolve and grow as a family unit. Some changes are subtle, but some events force major change within the family system. This paper applies the concepts of systems theory to the family system in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Reese Witherspoon (Melanie Smooter) and Josh Lucas (Jake Perry) star in this heart-warming film telling a story of a young woman who flees from Alabama to reinvent herself in New York City as a high fashion designer. She leaves behind her redneck husband and white-trash upbringing. Melanie finds herself engaged to the cities most eligible bachelor and has to return to Alabama to request a divorce from her first love and confront her past ("Alabama," 2002).
...lighted this feature because I value respect and feel that a very important aspect of working with children is engaging their families which invites opportunity for respect to be demonstrated. Dietze & Kashin (2012) explain the importance of engaging families when they state “Including the input of others is essential in a reflective practice and families have a right to be included” (p.411). In one of my placements I saw the positive impact that including a parent had on a young boy when his mother came in to read a story to the. The boy’s self-esteem seemed to increase and could be seen in the way that he beamed the whole time she was there. This experience highlighted to me the importance of family involvement in an early childhood program. These three highlighted statements all reflect values that are important to me and which are important parts of my practice.
According to Richard Charles (2001) “the effectiveness of family systems theory rests not much on empirical research but on clinical reports of positive treatment outcomes, the personal benefits experienced by the families that underwent this kind of treatment, and the elegance of Bowen’s theory” (p. 279). Bowen’s family systems theory views the family as an emotional unit and is a theory of human behavior. Systems thinking are used to describe the complex interactions in the unit. However, the client’s ability to differentiate himself/herself from the family of origin is the basis for Bowen’s family systems theory. In addition, the primary focus for growth within the emotional system is differentiation of self. Differentiation of self will be explored as well as how it relates to a church congregation.
As an effective early childhood educator, creating strong partnerships with children and their parents, as explained by Shonkoff et al. (2000; as cited in Wood 2008) has shown that to provide a productive learning environment a teacher must have a positive relationship with children and their families.
The communities and the family give diverse experiences and relevant knowledge to their learning. In the recent years, various social-cultural theories are not only focusing only on individual children's development but have evolved and advanced into even highlight the critical role played by social contexts as far as a child's development and learning is concerned. Early childhood care within the family and community groups ought to be interactive with the aim of building up connections and relationships that focus on the collective well-being of all the
School was designed to equally teach all children not only book knowledge but also offer practice in cooperation with others on a social scale. The home was designed to teach children right from wrong, to respect and obey authority, and how to socially function properly with others. Sadly, the parents ...
In society today, we are working with families and children are more diverse than ever. We are servicing families and children from so many different traditions, beliefs and values. Every family has their own stories. We will find that families and children
“Family involvement and engagement should be built into early childhood program curriculum and pedagogy. Early childhood educators can complement and influences home environments and families”. (C. Gestwicki, J. Ber...
Early childhood education plays a key role in a child’s academic development because he or she learns soft skills, job skills, and develop positive traits. Preschool is not like kindergarten, but instead a stepping-stone that prepares young students for the years of schooling they will have later in life. As more schools began to open families wanted to be able to verify that programs would benefit and protect their children. In response, the National Association for the Education of Young Children was made to help families find the best care for their children, by providing the early childhood educators with training and ensuring the quality of children’s daily experiences. (“NAEYC”5).
There are many documented theories about early childhood development, contemporary research still concurs with some of these theories. It suggests, however, that we should be thinking more holistically, taking into consideration; respect for diversity, the wider community and equity, play based curriculums, intentional teaching and ongoing reflective practices when planning for optimal educational experiences for children (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009). I acknowledge that ongoing professional learning and reflective practices are a key element of the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009). I accredit working and collaborating with other teachers, families and local communities collectively contribute