We recognize that families have the most significant impact on the socialization of young children (Berns, 2013). When “children come to the program environment, they bring their families, cultures, and backgrounds” (Humphries, Rains, Nelson, & Nelson, 2025, p. 253). Although there are rare occurrences of feral children being raised in the wild, young children need some type of adult support to survive. Thus, children often arrive with an entourage of different adult relationships, such as biological parent/s, stepparents, adopted parents, siblings, grandparents, other relatives, guardians, etc. Today’s typical family comes in many different shapes and sizes, and we must be respectful to all the companions, including pets, in every child’s life.
2. Ethical Responsibilities to Families
Families are the foundation of children’s development. As families and early childhood practitioners typically share a common interest in a child’s well-being, early childhood educators must recognize a primary responsibility to communicate, cooperate, and collaborate with each child’s home, family, and community in ways that enhance that child’s development and well-being.
We shall:
Code 2.1- Partner with families to ensure that each family is involved in significant decisions affecting their child, and that family input contributes to the planning and implementation of the program and policies.
It is essential that we make space for parents to participate in our classrooms. This can be challenging because we are often naturally connected to or drawn to some parents or guardians, more than others. It is human nature to not get along with everyone, and it is easy to dislike working with some personality types that rub us the wrong way. Regardless of our feelings, we need to spend time trying to connect with every family member with an open heart and an open mind. Some great strategies for building relationships with families is: inviting them to the classroom; being available to warmly greet them when they visit the classroom; engaging in purposeful communications, such as: emails, newsletters, conferences, social media, & bulletin boards; and hosting family events, such as: potlucks, bingo, parenting classes, game nights, cooking events, raffles, guest speakers, crafts nights, etc.
Code 2.2- Work to create a respectful environment for and a working relationship with all families.
An atmosphere of respect is imperative. In early education, we operate with what is called the 3Rs of ECE. These are:
1. Respect
2. Responsiveness and
3. Reciprocal Relationships. (That is technically 4Rs if we count the word “reciprocal,” but actually, reciprocity is embedded in all 3 of the Rs.)
We respect everyone and hopefully they will respect us back. We attempt to understand and respond to the needs of others, while we also want to have our needs understood and responded to. We attempt to build mutual relationships that are caring, bidirectional, and reciprocal. We want to create intimate settings for relationships to develop and using the 3Rs builds healthy attachments as our foundation.
In addition, when creating a responsive relationship, we must also apply the platinum rule. According to Colclough (2024), the Platinum Rule supersedes the Golden Rule. The common Golden Rule is to “do unto others as you would have them to do unto you,” but the Platinum rules is to “do unto others as they need you to do unto them.” This is a more sensitive caregiving practice because it requires knowing how someone needs to be treated. By recognizing and honoring each person’s distinct preferences in a variety of settings, the platinum standard promotes improved communication and teamwork.
Code 2.3- Make every effort to use two-way communication to effectively communicate with all families in their preferred language, calling upon external resources for translation and interpretation, which may include responsible use of artificial intelligence and interactive technology, when programs do not have sufficient internal resources.
Be sure to communicate with children and their families in common, understandable language. Be sensitive when using difficult vocabulary or educational terms that may not be easily understood. Take the time to explain what the term means and avoid using acronyms that families may not be familiar with. The best practice is to spell out all the initials and make sure that everyone understands what is being discussed. It is easy to use a string of letters that are useful to seasoned educators but might be meaningless to other parties. For example, many schools use the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP)s as the developmental assessment tool. Instead of saying, “we assess children with the DRDPs,” we could say that “we use an assessment tool to track all the children’s development. This tool is required in the State of California, conducted 2 to 3 times a year, and it is called the Desired Results Developmental Profile. Often educators refer to this as the DRDPs” for short. It is best to explain this information up front because some parents and new teachers may be afraid to ask what something means or they may not feel comfortable stating that they don’t know what something means. A list of common acronyms used might be helpful.
In addition to being aware of and sensitive to our words, we must be ready to use the family’s home language. Translators need to be available whenever possible; however, it is also possible to use AI generated translators. There are devices that can be dictated into, and in real time, the translation is both spoken and written on a screen. Cell phones now have applications that can be downloaded to translate in many different languages. Regardless of the preferred translation method, all attempts should be made to speak to families in their home language.
Code 2.4- Apply all policies regarding obligations to families consistently, fairly, and without bias.
Bias
We all have biases because we are human. Having bias is just part of who we are. This Lisa Delpit (1995) quote, sums this up beautifully. “We do not really see through our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs. To put our beliefs on hold is to cease to exist as ourselves for a moment” (p. 89).
Our beliefs are a part of who we are as humans. Regardless, we must learn to be fair and operate without prejudice or bias. If we are willing to face our biases, we can change them. If we have denial about having bias, it leaves us stuck and can make our bias more problematic. We cannot work on something if we do not acknowledge its existence. According to Saderman Hall (1999), there are 10 types of common biases, or areas where one can unfairly judge others.
Areas of Bias
1. Ability: refers to one's physical, mental, or emotional capabilities.
2. Age: relates to the chronological state of being young or old.
3. Appearance: describes one's height, frame size (tall, thin, etc.), and any disfiguring conditions, such as: birthmarks, scars, or distinctive markings.
4. Belief: constitutes an acceptance or a strongly held conviction. Beliefs can include those in institutionalized religions, animism, spiritualism, and atheism, as well as political convictions. (Animism: the belief that things in nature, for example: trees, mountains, and the sky, have souls or consciousness)
5. Class: (socioeconomic status) refers to distinctions based on social and economic values. Among the more common elements that determine a person's class are occupation, educational background, type of housing, clothing, and transportation directing one's lifestyle.
6. Culture: is a way of life shared by members of the same group; individuals can belong to different cultures within the family, ethnic group, and society. Culture generally includes language, religious beliefs, celebrations, customs, and ways of thinking that reflect how one acts toward others. Group members feel a sense of security because of the many things they hold in common.
7. Family composition: refers to family structure, including the number and relations of its members and their assigned roles.
8. Gender: male, female, intersex, transgendered, or non-binary identification. In most societies, there is a basic division between gender attributes assigned to males and females. However, some individuals do not identify with some (or all) of the aspects of gender that are assigned to their biological sex (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019). Gender can be seen as fluid and/or on a spectrum.
9. Race: identifies groups of people who share a common origin and/or physical characteristics, such as: skin color, hair, facial appearance, and body structure. Many different ethnic groups are included in each race.
10. Sexuality: indicates one's sexual preference and orientation. Sexuality can refer to family composition (gay or lesbian couples) and issues with homophobia (Saderman Hall, 1999).
Code 2.5- Provide families with complete, honest, and non-biased information concerning the program’s enrollment practices, philosophy, policies, curriculum, assessment system, cultural practices, and personnel qualifications.
Having a well thought out Parent Handbook that clearly states all administration policies, and being familiar with all policies, is a great strategy for Code 2.4 and Code 2.5.
Code 2.6- Positively respond to families’ requests to the extent that the requests are congruent with program philosophy, standards of good practice, and the resources of the program.
Whenever possible, it is best practice to respond to families’ requests. Know the administration policies where you work and become familiar with the NAEYC Standards of Good Practice. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/professional-standards-competencies A summary of the NAEYC 6 Standards is in the following section.
