The teachers and staff at the Harris Early Learning Center truly care about the well-being and academic growth of each child. The center is very welcoming to families and to college students. They made me feel very welcomed and were happy that I was there. The Harris Early Learning Center uses many strategies to welcome families. The school has an open door policy and welcomes parents to observe or actively participate in their child’s classroom. The parents are given a swipe card to access the front door any time that the center is open. Parents also have the option to view their child’s classroom on a monitor if they feel that a classroom visit would disrupt and distress their child. Parents are encouraged to eat lunch with their children and have the …show more content…
The teachers are friendly and welcome each student and his or her parents as they enter the classroom each morning. In the classroom, the teachers communicate with the parents each day in the form of emails, the Hi Mama app, or notes sent home to the parents. The teachers also share encouraging words with the parents during the morning drop-off routine The teachers send home a weekly newsletter and monthly calendar to keep parents informed of special news and classroom activities, In addition, the classroom teachers are open to scheduling parent-teacher conferences or conference phone calls. The center requires at least two parent-teacher conferences per year but a parent is free to request a conference at anytime. In the Pre-K class that I observed, parents are encouraged to be actively involved. The parents can be active participants or observe the classroom at anytime. Parents are encouraged to eat lunch with their child, participate in special activities, read stories to the class, chaperone field trips, or share any interest that that the parent wants to share with the class. Pre-K parents are required to acquire to total of 12 participation hours per
Vignette two: Families who previously had children enrolled in a nearby preschool have told you stories of what happened to their children in that center. They describe dirty sheets on the cribs, harsh punishments including withholding food, and ratios of twenty children to one adult. One day you drive by and see a lot covered with asphalt and dry grass. There are a few rusting pieces of playground equipment. Several children are standing along the chain link fence looking at the cars going by. There are no adults in sight.
The Child Development Center of College of San Mateo provides early care and educational programs for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Children are divided into classrooms with a “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two or three “associate” teachers. Klara attended Classroom, “A,” a stimulating and well-resourced classroom. Klara was observed for two hours on Monday from 9 am to 11 am and for two hours on Wednesday from 9 am to 11 am. During these two hours, classroom activities consisted of “free time,” “story time,” and an outside “play time.” A “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two “associate” teachers were present during observations. Additionally, a total of eighteen children were in attendance during the observed days.
Children who participate in quality early learning programs tend to be more successful later in school. They are also most socially and emotionally competent. In addition those children show higher verbal and intellectual development during early childhood than children who do not participate in early learning programs (A Parent’s Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care). In order for a child care center to be a quality center they must have an educated staff, a program accreditation, and good health and safety practices. Parents choose high quality child care for many reasons. These programs prepare children for school in which they gain intellectual and social skills. Also the programs are a good opportunity for children because they receive age-appropriate learning materials and activities to let the children learn and grow.
In this assignment I am going to describe a child observation that I have done in a nursery for twenty minutes in a play setting. I will explain the strengths and weaknesses of naturalistic observation through the key developmental milestones based in Mary Sheridan (2005) check-list and provide a theoretical explanation to support the naturalistic observation.
Effective communication is the foundation to building a trusting partnership and serves as a first step to other types of parent involvement . Families who receive consistent information about their children 's school performance, have a higher degree of commitment to helping children improve .When families and schools are on the same page, they can have a more concrete discussion around student progress to establish realistic goals and plans to support student achievement . I strive to have frequent contact with all families and use flexible communication strategies through multiple channels including written and printed materials (e.g. personal notes, newsletters), telephone conversation, email exchange, social media (e.g. facebook, twitter) and face-to-face conferences depending on the nature of information and families’ preference. I intend on always making the most of drop-off and pick-up activities by sharing at least one specific information about a child to the family whenever possible. Mobile technology has become a primary way of communication and I plan on enhancing daily communication between home and school through a mobile...
While walking through the front gates of County elementary school, you see children of all ages playing while they wait for the school bell to ring. Walking to the classroom that I will be observing you see students with their parent’s line up waiting to get signed in. The students are to be signed in by a parent or guardian for safety precautions, and shows that the child was signed into school. As a visitor, I am to sign myself in, this shows I was in the classroom, at what time was I there, and reason for visiting the classroom.
I observed at St. Eve’s Learning Center location in their preschool room. The center has a naturalistic feel to the environment and all of the staff is friendly and welcoming. The classroom displayed best practices, modern theories and research, and followed expected standards set by their accreditations.
This is when we need to step up and help the parent and the child so they don’t fall through the cracks of the education system. We need to increase parent involvement in each child education. Increasing parent involvement, begins with education the parents. Parents don’t realize or know how to get involved with their child’s education. There are many ways families can be involved in the education process. The parent is the child’s most valuable teacher for their whole life. The most benefit this will bring to the families is confidence. Teachers need to help the parents know that they can assist in their child’s education and can help them at home. There are workshops and training to help families get involved. The key is to offer incentives to the training to help increase the parent’s attendance, Communication is the one key with the parents. In today’s socially they are many ways to stay in contact with parents because of technology by email, text, or social media. Invite parent to come to the classroom and volunteer and see firsthand what a day look like for their child in the classroom. Have different events that will increase parents interest and eventually great participation. Another idea could be to send home activities that encourages family involvement. This can be activity that have the parents engage with each other and can be short and dynamic. The
Assign tutors to students so that the children can receive one-on-one attention in continuously improving their studies. Impact: Both the parents and the children will be greatly impacted by this early childhood education program. The parents will benefit through having increased knowledge in the best practices for educating children and providing a stable environment for their children to learn. The children will benefit from being taught the necessary skills to be successful in school and in life.
This is easier now with the widespread use of technology and social media; parents can easily sign up for email lists and newsletters, allowing them to both stay in the loop without having to deal with each other. However, all these accommodations cannot be made unless communication is encouraged between teachers and parents. Teachers might find it useful to send home a survey after the first day, asking for any personal information that might be useful throughout the school year. But parents must also make the effort to keep the lines of communication open.
Bauch, P. A., Vietze, P., & Morris, V. (1973). What makes the difference in parental participation? Childhood Education, 50, 47-53.
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).
Parent involvement is one of the most influential aspects of student motivation. The parents are the initial teachers of the child before the child goes to school and encounters education through a teacher. If a parent is completely engaged in the learning process with a child, there can be growth between the child and the parent simultaneously. The parents set an example for the child, so that the child understands that help is in the classroom and at home. Alma Wright, a first and second grade teacher, believes that parents in the classroom are a good way to stimulate children. She says, “Their active participation is a positive influence. The school is open for parents to share their talents and motivate their children” (Drew, Olds, and Olds, 1974, p. 71).
A lot of children have two main educators in their life; their parents and their teachers. Parents are their first educators, the majority of what a child learns in the first few years of their life is taught by their parents. It is only when the child starts to attend an early years setting that they start to learn from another educator. Both parents and teachers continue being a major influence on their children's learning all throughout school and for the rest of their lives. The parents and the child's school both have important roles to play in the child's education and should therefore work together as a team. Parents can get involved in many different ways such as; getting involved with the school itself by helping in the classroom or supervising lunch and break times, or for those parents who work in the day and cannot find the time to help at the school they can get involved by; reading to their child at home, assisting with homework and other learning activities, teaching them songs or nursery rhymes and letting them help with everyday tasks like cooking, baking and chores. This can be categorised as: Involvement of parents in the school life or involvement of parents in supporting the individual child at home.
Parental involvement promotes the social growth of a child. Children whose parents are involved in their education have many advantages. They have better grades, test scores, long-term academic achievement, attitudes and behavior than those with disinterested mothers and fathers (Gestwicki, 2001). Parents becoming involved in their child's schooling creates extra sources of social constraint to influence the child's behavior (McNeal, 2001). For example, parents talking to their children and becoming involved in the school conveys a message to the child of education being important. Parents should be talking with your children's teacher and letting her know about your family. The more she knows about your child, the better she will be able to connect with your child.