Relationships with Families, Communities, and Professionalism

1
Relationships with Families, Communities, and
Professionalism

• Relationships, Structure, Ethnicity, Culture

2
Family Structure

• Traditional Nuclear Family
• Extended Family
• Todays Families
• (Handout) Family Examples
• Trusting information to make important decisions
• Family Values

3
Parents and Family Life

• Ellen Galinsky has studied work and family life
  she did a recent study and looked at childrens
  perspectives. Over 1,000 children and 600
  parents were interviewed about parental
  employment.
• The children were asked If you were granted
  one with that would change the way that your
  mothers/fathers work affects your life, what
  would that wish be?

4
Study Continued

• 56 of the parents thought the children would
  wish to have more time with them.
• The Children, however, wished that their mothers
  (34 percent) and fathers(27.5 percent) would be
  less stressed and tired. Eight themes emerged
  from the study.

5
8 Themes

• Working is not good or bad for children its the
  parenting that makes the difference.
• Its not just mothering thats important
  fathering is important too.
• Its not quality or quantity time that make the
  difference both make a difference
• Parents jobs affect how they parent.

6
8 Themes Continued

• 5. Children are worried about parents
• because of the stress they bring
• home.
• 6. Children arent aware that their parents like
  their jobs as much as they actually do.
• 7.Child care does not supplant parent care. If
  properly done it supports the families.
• 8. A large number of parents dont know what
  goes on in their childrens lives.

7
Family Awareness

• Activity on Family and Community Reflection.
• Community Mapping Discussion and handout.

8
Praxis Review

• How could a preschool program use community
  resources to enhance student learning? Indicate
  5 ways to access community resources and 5 ways
  in which students could contribute to the
  community.

9
Family Socialization

• Development of trust
• The development of independence
• The tendency to take initiative
• The sense of competence and ambition
• Decisions about who one is
• Relationships with others
• Decisions about future generations
• Reflections on ones life

10
Praxis Review

• How is a childs learning affected by family and
  community characteristics, such as family
  structure, socioeconomic conditions, home
  language, ethnicity, religion, or culture, and
  stresses and supports, such as special needs,
  births, deaths, or divorce? Indicate 5 ways in
  which a teacher could be informed of these
  characteristics without violating the privacy of
  the individual families.

11
Family Structures

• Activity Lets explore the types of families we
  deal with every day.
• Matriarchal Organizations Mother is the primary
  adult with the authority.
• Patriarchal Organizations Father is the primary
  adult with the authority.
• Egalitarian Organizations Authority is shared by
  both adults.

12
Contemporary Challenges Faced by Families

• Child Stress
• Separation anxiety
• Sibling rivalry
• Transition to school
• Peer pressure
• Learning to develop independence

13
Challenges Cont.

• Parent Stress
• Economic pressures
• Crime
• Traffic
• Job
• Child responsibilities
• Child care stress
• What are some symptoms of a stressful family?
  Discussion

14
Divorce

• Disruptive to the family
• Heightened anxiety and stress
• Child feeling stuck in the middle
• Realistic understanding of the situation
• Developing healthy relationships
• Teacher and parent supporting the child or
  children

15
Fathers

• Involving the father
• Head Start Mandated to become father friendly
• Two parent conferences
• Inviting fathers to Donuts for Dad
• Dealing with the binuclear family situation.
  (parents share custody)

16
Poverty

• Activity Could you survive in poverty?
• 20 of children under the age of 5 living below
  the poverty line.
• Black children 34/Hispanic 30
• Early childhood poverty can disrupt cognitive
  development and is associated with social and
  emotional problems

17
Poverty Cont.

• Parenting, care giving, and interactions with
  children may be jeopardized by the stresses of
  poverty
• The median income of families with children
  hasnt kept up with inflation
• Child care expenses and other work-related
  benefits are shrinking and employers dont
  provide many fringe benefits.

18
Statistics Each Day in America

• 1 mother dies in childbirth.
• 4 children are killed by abuse or neglect.
• 5 children or teens commit suicide.
• 77 babies die before their 1st birthday.
• 367 babies are born without prenatal care.
• 888 born at low birth weight.
• 1,154 born to teen mothers.
• 1701 born without health insurance.
• 2252 born to mothers with no H.S. education.
• 2,482 children are confirmed as abused or
  neglected.

19
Activity

• Resources What resources does a child need to
  attend school? Lets look at some scenarios

20
Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education

• Significant research over the last 25 years has
  demonstrated that family involvement is critical
  to the educational success of children
  (Kniepkamp, 2005, p. 16).
• When schools acknowledge the relevance of
  childrens homes and cultures and promote family
  involvement, they can develop a supportive
  environment for learning through meaningful
  activities that engage and empower families
  (Ramey, 1999).

21
Benefits to Students

• Higher grades and test scores
• Better attendance and more homework done
• Fewer placements in special education
• More positive attitudes and behavior
• Greater enrollment in postsecondary education

22
Everyday Families

• Studies have shown that families whose children
  experience success in school found the following
  in their home life
• A daily routine that includes chores.
• Modeling the value of learning, self-discipline
  through family conversations.
• Setting high but reasonable expectations
• Encouraging childrens efforts and progress in
  school
• Using family resources for family needs.

23
Praxis Review

• Design an activity that would create a welcoming
  environment that promotes family involvement and
  partnerships.

24
Building Partnerships with Families

• NAEYC guidelines recommend the following
• Mutual respect in relationships between teachers
  and families.
• Early childhood educators work in collaborative
  partnerships with families establishing regular
  and frequent communication.
• Parents are welcome in the program and
  participate in the decisions about their
  childrens care and education

25
Partnerships Cont.

• 4. Early childhood educators acknowledge
  parents choices and goals for children and
  respond to those concerns.
• 5. Teachers and parents share their knowledge of
  the child and understanding of childrens
  development and learning as part of day-to-day
  communication and planned conferences.

26
Praxis Review

• Design an outline for a parent conference
  concerning one of your students. Indicate 5
  strengths that you have observed in the student.
  List three areas that parents could reinforce at
  home. Be specific concerning the parental
  support, indicating materials and methods that
  the parents could utilize.

27
Basic Tenets of Successful Programs

• The first is that parents are their childrens
  first teachers and have a lifelong influence on
  their childrens values, attitudes, and
  aspirations.
• Childrens educational success requires
  congruence between the values that are taught at
  school and the values expressed in the home.

28
Basic Tenets Cont.

• Most parents, regardless of their level of
  education, economic status, or cultural
  background, care deeply about their childrens
  education and can provide substantial support if
  given specific opportunities and knowledge.
• Schools must take the lead in eliminating, or at
  least reducing, traditional barriers to parental
  involvement.

29
Epsteins 6 Types of Involvement

• Parenting
• Communicating
• Volunteering
• Learning at Home
• Decision Making
• Collaborating with the Community
• Activity Get into groups and fill out the
  following chart.

30
IDEA

• In 1990 IDEA replaced the Education of the
  handicapped Act.
• IDEA 1997 It shifted the focus to improved
  teaching and learning through the I.E.P. It
  increased the parents role as a decision maker
  and promoted meaningful access to the general
  curriculum.

31
IDEA Cont.

• It also strengthened preference for children
  with disabilities to be educated and receive
  services with their non-disabled age-mates in
  typical early childhood settings (Smith
  Rapport, 1999). Part B of this law provided
  resources and services for children ages 3
  through 5 with developmental delays or a
  certified disability. (IFSP)

32
IDEA 2004

• Highly Qualified Teachers
• Individualized education programs must contain
  annual goals that are measurable along with a
  description of the childs progress in meeting
  those goals.
• Specific learning disabilities A new provision
  releases schools from the current to show a
  severe discrepancy between achievement and
  intellectual ability to determine if a child has
  a specific learning disability.

33
Praxis Review

• What are the responsibilities of a teacher in
  serving as an effective advocate for children?

34
Abuse

• Physical Abuse
• Bruises
• Burns
• Fractures
• Behavioral Indicators
• Unexplained behaviors such as apprehension
• Chronic tardiness, increased withdrawal, the need
  to talk to someone (journals)

35
Abuse Cont.

• Inability to establish good peer relations
• Restlessness or inability to sit down.
• Physical Neglect We know the signsunfortunately
  .
• Sexual Abuse
• Unwillingness to change clothes
• Bizarre, sophisticated or unusual behaviors or
  knowledge.
• Verbal report of sexual relations with parent.

36
Abuse Cont.

• 4. Fear of certain people or places.
• Clinging to a parent more than usual
• Behaving as a younger child
• Acting out the abuse with dolls
• Excessive masturbation
• Emotional Abuse
• 1. Withdrawn or apathetic behaviors

37
Abuse Cont.

• Antisocial or acting-out behaviors
• Thumb or lip sucking
• Constantly seeking out affection
• Attempted suicide
• Antisocial or destructive behavior
• Sleep disorders
• Hysteria phobias, or compulsive traits

38
Self-Assessment

• Portfolios Most of the time the teacher keeps
  these. Why not have the student help to select
  work to go into the portfolio? Discussion.

39
Timeline Scenarios

• Unit Portfolio
• Collect items for 3-4 weeks.
• Conduct conferences in the last week.
• Grade the last week
• Semester Portfolio
• Collect the entire semester
• Allow 1 week for the students to select, reflect,
  and organize the portfolios
• 1 week for conferences and 1 week for grading.

40
Portfolios

• Year-long Portfolio
• Collect 1-2 items each week.
• Review all items at the end of each quarter and
  select 3-4 items.
• Allow 2-3 weeks for reflection, organization and
  conferencing.
• Allow 1-2 weeks for grading.

41
Labeling

• Best Work
• Most Difficult
• Most Creative
• A Nightmare
• First Draft-more to come

42
Metacognitive Reflections

• Reflective Stems
• This piece shows Ive met standard _____because
• This piece shows I really understand the content
  because
• This piece showcases my _____intelligence
  because
• If I could show this piece to anyoneI would show
  it to _____ because

43
Reflective Stems Cont.

• People who knew me last year would never believe
  this piece because
• This piece was my greatest challenge because
• My parents, friend, teacher, liked this piece
  because
• One thing I have learned about myself is

44
A Shorter Version

• What does this piece show about me?
• What did I do well in this piece?
• What do I still need to practice?
• What help do I need?

45
Metacognitive Reflection

• Teacher Reflective Questions
• What were you expected to do?
• In this assignment, what did you do well?
• If you had to do this task over, what would you
  do differently?
• What help do you need from me?

46
A Few More Questions

• One idea I learned today is
• The fact that really surprised me is
• One thing Ill remember 25 years from now is
• One idea I would like to learn more about is

47
A Few Final Thoughts!

• Graphic Organizers Handout
• Discussion Lets look at the handout concerning
  graphic organizers and share ways we have used
  them in the classroom and how could they be used
  or adapted in a pre-school setting?