105 OER Chapter 9

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Chapter 9: Family Connection Authored by Ardene Niemer, Reviewed by Jessica Kirchhofer Image 9.1 Father with Son by Braden Collum is licensed under CC by 1.0 This chapter aligns with SLO # 1: Current theories and ongoing research in early care and education and #4: explain the importance of developing culturally responsive partnerships with families. It is likely that you have heard the saying “the family is a child’s first teacher”. This phrase carries with it our professional obligation to honor, value, and include the families with whom we work in early childhood education. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) states through the Power to the Profession work that “we need to be clear that recognizing families as the experts on their children and supporting them in their role as their children’s ‘first and most important’ teachers does not undermine the professional responsibilities of early
childhood educators. Rather, it underscores the breadth and depth of professional knowledge early childhood educators need to carry out their formal responsibilities to fully support each child’s cognitive, social, and emotional, physical, and language and literacy development” (NAEYC, 2020). Chapter 9 provides insight into family connections and how responsive and respectful relationships with families impact the child, family, teacher and ECE program. The content of the chapter is presented using a positive, strengths-based approach to support children as they grow, develop, and learn. Using a strengths-based approach centers our lens on looking for and identifying a family’s strengths as a starting point for our work in partnership with the family. Key Points from this chapter: Why connecting programs and staff with families is important in an early learning program How to engage and involve families in the program and classroom in meaningful ways Recognizing and reflecting on the barriers we face to building connections with families Identifying and sharing community resources for families Chapter Glossary: Terminology found throughout this chapter Barriers: A barrier is an obstacle or obstruction. In education, barriers can be physical, technological, systemic, financial, or related to mental health and attitude. Community: A community, in simple terms, is a group of people living in a common geographical area or space. Community can also be a feeling or set of relationships between people based on common needs. Connecting/connection: Connecting with or building a connection with families is the ability of the teacher and school to communicate with and provide support to children and their families. This includes building and enhancing relationships. Culturally Responsive: Cultural responsiveness is “the ability to learn from and relate respectfully with people of your own culture as well as those from other cultures.” ( National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems, 2021). It is a research-based approach that makes connections between what children learn in school and their cultures, languages, and life experiences
Equitable: Finding the “right fit” to offer what individual children and families need for successful relationships vs. equality which is giving each child and family the same thing. Family: A family is a main element of our society. A family is made up of people who care about each other. The family can be varied in structure, membership, and have a variety of different characteristics. Typically, all members of a family give and receive love and support from each other. Family, as referred to in Chapter 9, is important to both individuals and communities. Family Engagement: Family engagement is a process used to develop and sustain positive, goal-focused connections with families . A child’s adult caregiver (biological parent, foster parent, siblings, grandparents, other family member or guardian) is encouraged to work intentionally with the school to willingly create and implement goals and activities that aid in the child’s healthy development and learning. Family Involvement: In contrast to family engagement family involvement is more basic and less intentional. Family involvement is simply when a family accepts an invitation from the school or teacher to join in an activity usually at the school. There is no commitment, short-term or ongoing, for continuing to be involved in the child’s learning. Family Sensitive : Taking the child and family culture, language and background into consideration when developing expectations, goals and curriculum is family sensitive. An example is when a provider, school, or program intentionally solicits and integrates knowledge about the family, family culture, and family background, as they develop and implement the program expectations and curriculum. Mental Health: Mental health refers to a person’s state of psychological or emotional health. Multi-generational: Multigenerational families are those consisting of more than two generations living under the same roof. Physical Health: The health and overall functioning of your body. Power to the Profession (P2P): from NAEYC is a national collaboration that defines the early childhood education profession whose vision statement reads, “Each and every child, beginning at birth, has the opportunity to benefit from high-quality early childhood education, delivered by an effective, diverse, well-prepared, and well-compensated workforce .”
Professional : In ECE the term professional is defined as s omeone who has the personal characteristics, knowledge, and skills necessary to provide quality programs that facilitate children's learning. An early childhood professional is someone who promotes high standards for themselves, someone who is continuously improving, and someone who can be an advocate and inform the public about child and family issues. Professionalism: The term professionalism refers to the skills and abilities expected of a professional and includes behaviors and attitudes shown by someone in the workplace. Racism: A belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race ( https://www.merriam-webster.com ) Reciprocal: Shared, felt, or shown by both sides. In a reciprocal relationship both individuals are engaged in a mutual give and take manner. Responsive : A research-based approach that focuses on making meaningful connections between what a child learns in school and what a child brings to the classroom including their family culture, language, and life experiences. Strengths-based : H elpful and encouraging mindsets, that support adults to see children and families in a more optimistic manner which allows for a strong foundation to build relationships and learning. Using a strengths- based approach begins with focus on a child’s (and family’s) positive attributes and seeing possibilities to build upon. Unintended consequence: The result or consequence of a purposeful behavior or action that is not intended, planned, or expected. Unintended consequences can result in a benefit, a disadvantage, or an opposite effect. Image 9.2 A Big Hug is licensed under CC by 1.0
Families today To understand, respect, and be responsive to the families and children we serve, we must first look at what each of us define as family. We all probably have an image in our minds of what a family is, but often we do not stop and think about how the families in our programs may have different characteristics. We need to learn about the diversity in the cultures of our families as well as the diversity in family structure. These perspectives are important considerations for success for the child and family and provide critical information about how to design and deliver program content. It will also guide how we work with families in creating goals and even choosing learning materials. The foundation for family connections is developed by first creating a shared definition of family. We know that all children are part of a family, but “family” does not fit in a single idea or concept of what a family is. Families are made in many ways: different sizes, and compositions. Some examples include single parent families, two-parent families, and extended families with more than one generation living together. We need to recognize families that are blended, stepfamilies, biracial/multi-racial families, families from the LGBTQ+ community, straight families, families that have immigrated to the U.S., transnational families that live in two countries, and migrant families that move following work availability. Children may have been born into a family or may become part of a family through foster care, adoption, or kinship arrangements. We also know that some children in our programs live in more than one home and are members of more than one family. We also need to be aware that not all the families we serve have a stable residence. There are many homeless families with young children in our communities. Reflection Categorize your own family o I grew up in a larger family. o I grew up in a smaller family. o I grew up in a medium-sized family. A. What is your concept of small, medium, and large families? B. Do you think there could be a disparity between your view of family size and that of your classmates? C. How did you count or include members of your family? Do relatives and non-relatives share the same status?
D. How do you think your answers and those of your classmates are influenced by race, ethnicity, and culture? E. What do you need to take away from this reflection to implement into your practice with children and families? The Stresses of Family Life In addition to the stresses of daily life that we all face, including finding work, paying bills, relationships with friends and family, taking care of our heath, etc.; parents with young children face even greater burdens. Parents with young children are often at the beginning of their career and make less money in addition to having to pay all the costs related to child rearing. We know from research and parent report that there is a clear lack of affordable, quality childcare and financial subsidies to help with costs, leading to more young families living in poverty. Families often need greater access to healthcare for themselves, their children, and often their own parents which is lacking in many communities. Many families may work in positions where family leave is not even available. Other families struggle with the additional responsibilities if their child happens to have special needs or is struggling academically. Working with therapists and teachers can often feel like a second job for these families. Families often report that the result of the lower income, little to no paid-time off work, and higher costs means that most feel like they have no safety net; one injury, illness, car repair or other such expense would be devastating. Overall, family life is stressful and leaves most families feeling overwhelmed much of the time. The family stress can often lead to relationship difficulties for the adults of the family which only compounds the stress that the children feel. Influences on families Think back for a moment to what you know and have learned about child development philosophers and theorists. It is appropriate here to recall Urie Bronfenbrenner and the ecological systems theory. According to Bronfenbrenner, everything in a child’s environment affects how he or she grows and develops. Within the child’s microsystem of home and school, research shows that the more encouraging and nurturing the relationships between the people in these two places are, the greater the benefit the child will receive from each environment. In turn, this can positively influence how strong and successful the child will likely grow to be. Relationships between the adults in the family are significant influence on children and so are the relationships the family has with the people with whom the child spends time. Racism Racism is another factor that impacts families, parents, and children. Families of color often struggle to have equitable access to meaningful work,
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