Kindergarten Teachers’ Notions of Parent Involvement and Perceived Challenges

Abstract

We examine how kindergarten teachers on Prince Edward Island depict both parent involvement in school and its perceived challenges. Data consisted of written responses to two open-ended survey questions completed by 62 participants or 94% of the kindergarten teachers on PEI. Results showed that teachers recognized parent involvement in traditional forms. Barriers included lack of educator time and unproductive school policies. Extending from Epstein’s parent involvement model, if increasingly rich forms of parent involvement are to actualize, educators must be attuned to family vibrancy — the diverse gifts each family possesses; family vibrancy includes the belief that every parent, regardless of socioeconomic status, language abilities, ethnicity, religion, etc., can and does support his/her child’s education to the best of his/her ability.

What are Singapore parents’ perception of play in the early years?

“…As all the parents were unaware of the NEL Framework, they could not make the links between play, learning and holistic development to the framework. Hence, preschools could consider sharing and disseminating information (through newsletters & circulars) about their preschool programme (such as curriculum, child development & learning) as well as to involve parents in the care and education of their children (Preston et al, 2018).…”

“…Parents seem to be divided on the factors which contribute or impede their support for play. For parents who need preschools to assist them in supporting their children's play but have busy work schedules, preschools could consider planning a variety of parent involvement programmes to meet the different needs of parents (Preston et al, 2018). These programmes could include talks on play ideas and transition from preschool to primary school; or workshops on making simple resources for play and how to use puppets and props for story-telling.…”

“…Parents seem to look to preschools for advice, support and assistance which could indicate that they value the professionalism of the teachers and leaders. As parents require different types of assistance for supporting their children's play, preschools could consider strengthening their partnership and relationship with parents through better sharing and dissemination of information as well as planning more creative and meaningful programmes for parents (Preston et al, 2018). Employers and policymakers could also consider adopting a more comprehensive, targeted and holistic approach in providing support and assistance to parents with young children (Epstein, 2008).…”

The Role of Mothers in the Education of their Preschool Children: A Comparative Qualitative Study

“…Regarding resources and communication for education, the former refers to the elements and means (educational materials, didactic toys, books, among others) that are used to facilitate learning and the development of skills in children. Preston et al (2018) complements the aforementioned by arguing that their knowledge, experiences, language, culture, emotions, and socioeconomic status of parents are important resources for the education of their children that should be recognized and taken advantage of to enrich the child's educational experience at home. The second alludes to the verbal and nonverbal interaction between parents and teachers, as well as between children, which plays a fundamental role in cognitive, linguistic, and social development at this crucial stage of child development.…”

“…In relation to educational resources, according to (Sarmiento & Zapata, 2014), the organization of resources and materials is important for a learning experience to occur. Although for (Preston et al, 2018) the differences in access to educational materials are due to the poverty rate in families in urban and rural areas.…”