Using Our Understanding of Families to Strengthen Family Involvement

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to help teachers become more responsive to the changing needs and contexts of families in their efforts to establish relationships and encourage family participation. Through this article, the authors describe the changing landscape of parenting and the stressors experienced by contemporary families. The authors then provide a review of research that describes strategies that have been successfully employed by teachers of young children to foster increased communication and family involvement. The article concludes with suggestions to help early childhood professionals change their paradigm of parent involvement from a school-centric perspective to one that is more family-centric.Keywords Parent-teacher relationships Á Parent involvement strategiesThe value of having strong parent and family involvement in early childhood education programs is supported by considerable research and study (Swick 2004). The challenge in many cases is how to achieve high quality family involvement efforts. Too often the reality of parent and family involvement is lacking, especially in relation to the meaningful engagement of parents and families in all aspects of the early childhood program (Olson and Fuller 2003). The main premise of this article is that by understanding the various contexts in which families live, we can gain insights related to building partnerships that are more meaningful with families. Thus, the authors seek to explore how changes in local communities and across the world have affected families and early childhood programs. The authors then identify ways that early childhood practitioners learn about families, and use this information to develop strong programs to encourage parent and family involvement. A key aspect of the approach presented is to capitalize on family strengths in developing positive and empowering relations with families.

Parent Involvement, Parental Depression, and Program Satisfaction Among Low-Income Parents Participating in a Two-Generation Early Childhood Education Program

“…Among the suggestions in the literature, strategies are frequently characterized by efforts to provide parents with psychoeducation about the importance of parent involvement, conduct family needs assessments and inform families about available services, provide staff training in broadening conceptualizations of parent involvement opportunities, and enhance communication strategies between teachers and parents (Arnold et al, 2008;Duch, 2005;Knopf & Swick, 2008;Marcon, 1999). For example, Knopf and Swick provided a list of communication strategies for practitioners to encourage parent involvement.…”

Montessori Early Childhood Teacher Perceptions of Family Priorities and Stressors

“…Teacher recognition of what is important and what is worrisome for families could lead to an informed understanding and appreciation of parenting styles. Understanding, rather than assuming, families' priorities and areas of stress could assist teachers in providing effective learning experiences for each child (Knopf & Swick, 2007;Guo, 2015). Current research regarding family priorities and stressors is reviewed in the context of teacher-family partnerships.…”

Early Intervention with Children Who Have a Hearing Loss: Role of the Professional and Parent Participation

“…These are all critical for planning the intervention sessions. Parents are a valuable source of information about their child and their observations and judgements should be included while planning the intervention (Campbell & Sawyer, 2009;Eriks-Brophy, et.al., 2006;Knopf & Swick, 2008).…”