Honest, caring, understanding, and respectful exchanges with family members lead to their sharing important information with teachers that help to inform how to care and support each child’s learning and development. Taking the time to find out from family members about their child’s unique characteristics and needs plays an important role in providing teachers with the information needed to set up developmentally appropriate learning environments, curriculum, and guidance strategies for individual children in their early learning programs. Establishing positive relationships with families helps to bridge children’s experiences between the program and home, and it fosters children’s sense of belonging in the early education setting.
Figure 6.1 \(\PageIndex{1}\): When there is a trusting relationship that values the family, it is easier for parents to trust the care of their children to early educators.[1]
Teachers view families as children’s first teachers and seek their assessments of a child’s needs, interests, and abilities. Different families and communities have different views and expectations of preschool aged children. The effective early childhood educator recognizes, understands, and respects the values of children’s families and communities and attempts to make the environment as congruent with those values as possible. In high-quality early childhood programs, the teacher speaks frequently with family members and, whenever appropriate, strengthens the links between the home and program. Frequent communication between program staff and family members is important, especially in the case of children with disabilities or other special needs. Through collaboration with families, preschool teachers can gain insight into ways in which they can be important contributors to the child’s learning and development. To support children’s learning across home and school contexts, the program can encourage family participation in activities at the early care and education program.[2]
Quotable
“Family engagement with schools has been linked to important outcomes for children of all families, including families with children who are dual language learners . . . Numerous positive developmental child outcomes have been associated with family engagement, including early literacy skills, cognitive and language development skills . . . socio–emotional skills . . . and academic achievement.”
Source: State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care 2013, Paper 4, Family Engagement, 121.
Programs and Teachers Build Relationships with Families
Programs convey an important message to families when they seek their views and collaborate with them in the care of their children. This message helps family members understand that their preferences and their concerns about the learning and development of their child are important to teachers and program leaders. When a teacher has open, honest, and understanding relationships with family members, the resulting links between home and the early care education setting often helps their child feel safe and comfortable.
Programs
Support the participation of all family members, being responsive to their cultural, linguistic, and economic differences, as well as to any disabilities or special needs of the children or a family member.
Involve family members in making decisions about the program and its' policies.
Recognize and acknowledge that teen parents are still adolescents developmentally even though they are in an adult role as parents.
Provide a way for families to give feedback to the program, such as regular evaluations or opportunities for informal discussion.
Schedule regular meetings, social times, and other special events for families so that they can learn more about the program, get to know each other and staff members, and build a sense of community
Communication
Seek and consider families’ views when identifying and hiring new staff members.
Create an area for posting information for families (daily notices, outside services, child development information, community events, employment, and educational opportunities).
Encourage communication between teachers and family members at the beginning and end of each day.
Teachers
Share a child’s records with his or her family, including assessment information on the child’s learning, experiences, and developmental progress.
Learn about the different families in the program.
How to communicate
Engage in a two-way exchange of ideas, preferences, and child-rearing philosophies during the first meetings with family members, setting the tone for future communication.
Listen, reflect, and respond when family members communicate concerns and ideas about their child.
Initiate discussions with families to understand and resolve issues when they arise.
Engage in communication with family members at the beginning and end of each day about the child’s care, activities, interests, and moods.
Communicate to family members that they are always welcome to visit or call to check on their child.
