Families in Early Childhood Education

Subject: Education
Pages: 4
Words: 1034
Reading time:
5 min
Study level: Bachelor

Open Communication Strategy is an efficient method to develop the relationship between Child’s parents and child educators. Effective early childhood education for young children is very important and it is an essential factor for both educational and social development of future generations. This method provides better opportunities for parents to communicate with child educators. The online article entitled The role of family centres in encouraging learning and understanding within families gives relevant comments about the importance of family involvement in early childhood education. Stewart Ranson and Heather Rutledge remark: “The centres supported mothers by exposing them to different forms of learning: how to talk, persuade and negotiate with their children and partners. Mothers were not only working with professional counsellors but also acted as mentors for each other” (Ranson & Rutledge, 2005). Family problems and issues affect child’s learning and it reflects in his/her classroom behaviour. An important step is to create an online communication process for families to maintain open communication programs with their child’s educational institutions. Programs such as open communication night give the opportunity to face to face discussion. One can easily find the fact that this kind of open communication with teaching staff and parents helps to make an environment which provides effective learning.

Positive parent-teacher relationship is the primary step in the early childhood education program. “The family is basic to the social cohesion of every society because it is in the family especially that each child learns the social norms or expectations of the particular society.” (Jim, 1999, pp. 130-131). Parent involvement is a must in all classroom activities. If a person has the interest to improve his child’s education he can utilize the service of “Open Communication Night”. It is highly useful for working parents. There are some practical problems affect this program. Another important positive side is it gives chances to communicate with both working and non-working parents. Families are not fully sufficient for providing support for education programs. Therefore, the active participation of the community is essential for the successful implementation of early childhood education programs. The online article entitled the family resource room…A “nice” tradition continues remarks; “The Family Resource Room at Aspen Ridge Elementary School assists the school and parents as they work to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of children and has had a significant effect on parental involvement in the education of the youth in our community for more than a decade.” (The family resource room… A nice tradition continues 2008).

In early childhood, children have the tendency to imitate others and often it is practiced in their learning. Elizabeth B. Hurlock says;” In early childhood, parents and other family members are the main agencies of sex-role typing” (Hurlock 2001, p.138).

Each and every family in a community plays the role of a chain in a social network. Financial status of a parent affects a child’s learning procedure. Childhood educators and parents should have enough awareness about a child’s primary needs, such as food, cloth and shelter. Amy Trudget gives some structured programs to improve their role in child development program. Educators should ensure they know each child’s social and economical background and they also ensure the active participation of parents. Family issues such as substance abuse, divorce, poverty and other problems provide hindrance to child education. The journal article entitled Family Involvement In Early Childhood Education remarks; “Parent participation practices can include attending parent–teacher conferences, participating in extended class visits, and helping with class activities.” (Family Involvement In Early Childhood Education).

Family issues promote insecurity and isolation in the life of young children. Through parental discussion and communications, educational institutions can make a healthy relation with families. The book entitled The imagination of early childhood education by Harry Morgan gives valuable comments about the role of families in early childhood education program. The author remarks;” The nursery school, working closely with families, was viewed as a critical means of improving education, health and social services for the poor” (Morgan 1999, p.77). Home visits and Parent Teacher Association programs are encouraging factors in the establishment of effective early childhood education programs. In their collaborative effort named Early Childhood Education Barry Persky and Leornard H. Golubchick comment that ;“The long-standing commitment to involving parents in early care and education programs is manifest in the very structure of those programs.” (Persky & Golubchick 1991, p.35). Early childhood education By Barry Persky, Leonard H. Golubchick

Implementation of family resource room gives various steps to strengthen the relationship between parents and teachers. Working in this kind of sharing with parents, it is important to develop community relationship. This method is more effective than others because it gives more emphasis on learning skills such as reading and listening. Parental involvement and interaction are highly useful for the development of communication skill and language. The web article named ‘Why Do We Need Family Support Programs ?’ Designing Family Support Programs : Building Children, Family and Community Resilience. Says; “Some of the many negative impacts of divorce include health problems, poor academic performance, aggression, low self-esteem, interpersonal problems, and long-term emotional distress.” (Sims, M 2002, pp. 1-28).

“Finally implementation of Family Art exhibition is another positive approach to develop both academic and non academic performance of the child. Family Art exhibition paved the way for collaboration with different families, teachers and children. This also helps to share creative ideas and memories for the participants.” (Families and Early Childhood Education. EDEC 344). This give a chance to the parents as well as the educators to identify various issues such as financial, distance, time, religious, and space.

Studies prove that family plays the role of a link between individuals and society. The online article named Parental Involvement In Education remarks; “According to U.S. Department of Education research findings, children’s success in reading comprehension is directly related to the availability of reading materials in the home” (Parental involvement in education 1999). In the case of a child, family relations provide the feeling of security and self-esteem. If one can analyse the features of Online Open Communication Strategy, family resource room and Family Art exhibition one can find that these methods have a vital role in early child education programs.

Reference

a’Beckett, C 1988, Parent/staff relationships, University of New England Electronic Reserve University of New England.

Families and Early Childhood Education. EDEC 344. Assignment 3 Part B. (Provided by the Customer).

Family Involvement In Early Childhood Education, Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education. (Provided by the Customer).

Hurlock, EB 2001, Developmental psychology: a life span approach, 5th ed, Tata McGraw- Hill.

Janet, GM 2009, Chapter 13: Other Community Resources, University of new England Electronic Reserve University of New England, p. 300.

Jim, H 1999, Chapter five: The family, the welfare State and children: Children and families, University of New England Electronic Reserve University of New England, pp. 130-131.

Morgan, H 1999, The imagination of early childhood education: historical imagination, Greenwood Publishing Group.

Parental involvement in education: what parents can do 1999, Measuring up: The State of Texas Education. 2009. Web.

Persky, B & Golubchick, LH 1991, Early childhood education: Early care and education: beyond the school house door, 2nd ed, University Press of America.

Ranson, S & Rutledge, H 2005, The role of family centers in encouraging learning and understanding within families: summary, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 2009. Web.

Sims, M 2002, ‘Why Do We Need Family Support Programs?’ Designing Family Support Programs: Building Children, Family andCommunity Resilience Common Ground, pp. 1-28.

The family resource room… A nice tradition continues 2008, Aspen Ridge Elementary, A Nice Place to Learn, NICE Community Schools. 2009. Web.