Statement of Philosophy – Working with Families and Communities 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. Effective Communication 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... ... middle of paper ... ...heir families at home. Lessons in the classroom would relate to daily activities and skills, and wherever possible personalized to family’s culture and interests. From my experience working in a public elementary school in Virginia, I have met a number of teachers who use the interactive homework strategy to promote learning at home. It results in families being more aware of their child’s activities and progress in school and increases their communication level with the teachers. Effective partnerships between families and school emerge from a mutual trust, respect and understanding of each other’s values and goals. By maintaining such partnerships, we create a healthy environment for children to develop. All families have something unique to offer and educators need to recognize this and make the most of it by incorporating all families into the school community.
In the book Early Childhood Education Today 11th Edition, we read that “Family-centered practice is one of the cornerstone features of early childhood special education. This follows the fundamental notion that children’s development is influenced by their environment: their family, teachers, school, town, media, governmental systems, and so on.” (MORRISON, 2009) The first thing we as teachers must do is acknowledge that the children’s families are the first and most important teachers of their children and recognize the long-term effect families have on the attitudes and accomplishments of their children . For the edification of today’s youth there are potential positive responses to be obtained through working with a child’s parents as well as the child themselves. There are six distinctive areas in which we can look at to improve the education of children.
Parent engagement is an important aspect I have gained interest on. As Henderson, the author of Beyond the Bake Sale: How School Districts Can Promote Family Involvement states, “For a district to be serious about closing the achievement gap, it will also have to be serious about closing the gap between schools that do and do not welcome partnerships with families. All of us- teachers, parents, administrators… must work together to make this happen.” (Henderson, 2008). It takes teamwork and speaking out/ reaching out to see the
Collaboration between school and family is necessary to successfully create a positive, enriched, learning environment for the student. There are a few ways that parents can achieve this: positive support of school participation including homework, communicating with the school on a regular basis, volunteering in the school, a...
Since all families are unique and diverse, as teachers we need to gain insight on how to work and collaborate with parents. “Children live in the context of their homes, and their families are the most important and lifelong influence on their development” (Gestwiki, 2014, p. 20). At times, it can be challenging working with diverse families but it can be fun and rewarding too. It is important that we prepare ourselves to recognize, appreciate, and acknowledge families, so we are able to work with such diversity within the families at our schools, homes, and in the
Partnership involves parents and families working together to benefit children. Each recognise, respects and values what the other does and says. Partnership involves responsibility on both sides. A partnership is very important, especially when children going through different faces. For example, settling in to a new setting, getting to know a new school, getting used to a new baby at home or other critical times might be when children are upset, worried or feel left out. By working together and sharing information parents and school can help make these times in children’s lives easier. Good partnership is built on trust. There are different ways that parents and school can work together. These guidelines focus on supporting learning development, sharing
It is the educator’s job to make all families feel invited to school activities. Halgunseth, Peterson, Stark, and Moodie (2009) suggest early childhood programs foster family engagement by creating an environment that is welcoming, visiting the parent’s home, encouraging two-way communication, providing opportunities for families to participate in classroom activities, and offering resources for home learning. An educator needs to invite parents into the classroom and extend the invitation to siblings, grandparents and close family members. Siblings may be much older or around the same age as the student, so it is important to offer activities for siblings of all ages to participate in with the student. Activities such as cooking or arts and crafts are easy ways to get the family involved and feel comfortable helping. An educator can also offer books in the native languages of family members to be read to the class. These activities will provide the student with a sense of acceptance of who they are.
In my work as a Family Advocate, I am working with children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse. The families in the community I serve often have the same culture as mine, but it has not always had the same beliefs and values. I see that without respect for cultural differences and understand other’s cultural values this can hinder positive relationship with many families. In order to develop positive relationships with diverse families, I first take a close look at my own assumptions and find a ways to reach out to families. That means I work together with families and teachers for children success. I begin to bridging the gap to establish a partnership and build relationship with all the families.
Most importantly, I need to establish a good relationship with families of cultural diverse children. so parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community—that offer a broad range of school, family, and community activities that can engage all parties and help meet student needs. Successful school-parent community partnerships are not stand-alone projects but are well integrated with the school’s overall mission and goals. Research has shown that parent-school-partnerships improve schools, strengthen families, build community support, and increase student achievement and successes (Epstein & Salinas,
The third communication method I utilize is the school 's website and email. At the school where I work, teachers use the school website that allows us to give families information about classroom activities, grades, and post items on the website (Guillaume, 2016). Other additional information is available to parents as listed: monthly calendars, newsletters, school handbook, homework assignments, photo, student progress information, teacher objectives, and many other things. Technology can play a major role in providing opportunities for improving the educational landscape and broaden communication options. One concern related to this website is ensuring password- protected and accessible only to the families of the students. The school staff and teachers have to keep the information on the school website current and accurate. Sending email to the parent about their children 's accomplishments helps to build confident and trusting relationship between the parents and the teacher. These types of positive spontaneous action create two-way conversations when the parents reply back to emails. However, emailing parents can be misinterpreted and impersonal way to convey challenges or problems that the child is facing. So, only send emails to share positive information about a particular child’s activities and accomplishments. Teachers that
“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...
The lack of effective communication between the home and school environment undermines the learning process. It is important to understand the different dynamics of families to build collaborative relationships, which are an essential component in ensuring academic success for students. Parents provide educators with the vital information needed to understand the student’s behavior and strengths (Dray & Wisneski, 2011). This information enables teachers to tailor instruction that can maximize the learner’s
“Having a place to go-is a home. Having someone to love-is a family. Having both-is a blessing.” – Donna Hedges. A lot of students in the public school system do not have a place to call home or even people to call family. This is a reality, teachers face every day when inside the classroom. Family is very important to a child’s social development. Family has a huge impact on the social development of a child.
I believe that it is essential for families and schools to work together in partnership. These partnerships require commitment and time and are based on mutual responsibility, respect and trust. Crucial to building, maintaining and renewing partnerships is leadership. As a teacher I will take the initiative to encourage and involve families within their child’s learning as we all work together towards a common goal.
In the school environment, it is always beneficial to build healthy relationships and have a wholesome rapport. The connection between schools, parents, and the community specifically has an essential role to play in the growth and development of its young people. In fact, they should all collaborate to encourage the welfare and learning of students. By involving parents and utilizing community resources, schools will be more prepared to handle student needs. The partnership will ultimately help children develop healthy behaviors and receive high-quality education. Research shows that students whose parents and communities are involved in their education are more likely to perform well academically, emotionally, and socially. Van Roekel (2008) reports, “When schools, parents, families, and communities work together to support learning, students tend to earn higher grades, attend school more regularly, stay in school longer, and enroll in higher level programs.” They go on to say that “strong school-family-community partnerships foster higher educational aspirations and more motivated students” (p. 1).
School community relationship helps to improve the quality of education for all children. It helps parents and other citizens recognize their responsibility for the quality