The Importance Of Communication In Early Childhood Education

This is just some of them. Teachers will learn much that is applicable about the general characteristics of children at particular ages, stages and grade levels; but are effective with each child, additional information is needed. Each child comes to the classroom with a history-year of reactions, experiences, and characteristics styles of behaving that are unique. Teachers who blind effective communication with families are less likely to be frustrated while working with the many unknowns in children and are more likely to meet realistic goals for each child and support each family in reaching their own particular goals. When teachers are open to learning from families there is much knowledge about the particular aspects of living with children that can be learned. Because it is the children that bring families and teachers together, the benefits for children alone should be motivation enough to work to create effective partnerships. (Chapter 9: Informal Communication with Families)

Communication with the parent could be an issue when it is affected by the resentment between the teacher and the parent. The challenge for early care teachers is to understand that a family’s point of view about raising their child is valid for that family

Parental involvement is crucial in early childhood education. That is why it is essential that a great deal of effort be made to ensure “that ongoing and effective communication and partnerships be established and maintained with parents” (Sanabria-Hernandez, 2008, par. 1). Fortunately, most parents participate in at least one way. However, there is frequently a smaller percentage of parent participation from parents in the diverse community (Jaworski, 2017). This may be attributed to the fact that some families may have challenging circumstances, such as language differences or financial difficulties that impede their ability to reach out to school staff. Having diversity in schools not only helps children learn and think differently, but also prepares them for the real world and interacting with those of different cultures in the workplace and in daily life (Jaworski, 2017). Preschool programs need to reflect, acknowledge, and celebrate diversity and their curriculums should utilize children’s funds of knowledge to help children connect their world with their learning environment. “When schools, communities, and cities begin to understand the importance of diversity and inclusion, our children have better educations, we have better workplaces, and everyone benefits” (Lynch, 2016, par. 1).

Health promotion is very important to early childhood education to improve the well-being of children and parents’ health and behaviours. “It is important for early childhood educators to recognized their essential role as health promotors” (Pimento & Kernested 2015, P. 4). There are 12 social determinants in daily life for childhood programs, however I have identified that social support networks are most important determinants of health. Likewise, educators and families are both mutually directly and indirectly supporting children to improve their healthy development and education (Pimento & Kernested, 2015, P.34). In early childhood, educators have very important role in daycare which is communication. That means, that we need to communicate with family (parent, grandparent), children and coworkers to share the daily basic tasks and any other ideas or information for improving environments and supports. It is especially important that we support mothers who have very limited knowledge about their first-born baby, such as lack of information about breastfeeding, sleeping routine, formula ratios, nutrition, healthy eating habits, or any parental skills. Not only that, we can also help parents to get benefits and support from the government such as financial support, subsidized daycare, and community information resources on healthy nutrition food.

In the book Early Childhood Education Today 11th Edition, we read that “Family-centered practice is one of the cornerstone features of early childhood special education. This follows the fundamental notion that children’s development is influenced by their environment: their family, teachers, school, town, media, governmental systems, and so on.” (MORRISON, 2009) The first thing we as teachers must do is acknowledge that the children’s families are the first and most important teachers of their children and recognize the long-term effect families have on the attitudes and accomplishments of their children . For the edification of today’s youth there are potential positive responses to be obtained through working with a child’s parents as

During the placement I was able to spend time observing interactions between parents, children and staff. I witnessed many positive aspects in the schools approach to engaging parents and was particularly impressed by their open door policy for parents and the support provided to families in times of need by the learning mentors. As part of the admission process to the school, staff visit the parents and child at home and discuss the implementation of the home-school agreement (appendix 1.b). This agreement sets out the expectations of each of the parent, school and child in regard to their actions and attitude towards their time in school. This is often one of the first interactions teacher and parents have and Grayson (2011) suggests most teachers report these home visits to have a lasting positive effect on the child and parent-teacher relationship. During the school’s inspection in 2014 Ofsted identified relationships across the school and with parents as a key strength.

Communication between teachers and the parents of students is essential for the growth and success of the student both inside and outside of the classroom. This communication is best achieved through parent conference opportunities. One way that this is achieved is through regular open house nights. This is where parents, and other members of the community, are invited to come to the school and talk to the teachers and other faculty at the school. Another conference opportunity presents itself in a scheduled appointment between the teacher and the parent. This will enable the parent to meet face-to-face with their child’s teacher during a time that is more convenient to them, as these appointments can occur before, during, and after school. Additionally, conferences can take place over the phone. This is a convenient way for both parties to communicate effectively in a way that works best for them.

There is a huge importance to establish a positive relationship with parents. “Parents and teachers are natural partners. Both are working to help children become more fully developed people, and both want the children to be happy, sensitive, intelligent, and well balanced. Therefore, it is crucial for teachers to establish and maintain effective channels of communication with parents” (Ryan, Cooper, Bolick, 2016). Communicating with parents via phone, email, or in person is very important. It is good to not just contact them when the child has done something wrong. A lot of times a special needs child’s parents use school more vas a daycare, or a break from their child. They usually do not believe their child can have a successful education. This will be a hard challenge because I am all about involving students with their peers. Ultimately it is the parents’ choice.

The most direct and meaningful impact on children’s education and advancement of social competence comes from parents and families. Students work harder, excel more, show attitudes and behavior that is positive, and feel at ease in new settings. Educators must connect to families so that they may develop relationships that employ them as active partners in their children’s learning

In the world of Early Elementary Education, it is important to collaborate with not only the students but also the families of students, and keep them informed about the everyday routines of school life. In 1st grade, the students and families are excited, but also scared, to be acclimated to new school hours. This is necessary to the overall academic performance, and outcomes of all students, as well as helping families and students come together. When educators and families develop good collaboration skills, many positive factors can happen. This includes academic achievement increasing, disciplinary problems decreasing, and attendance increasing. In the article “8 Tips for a Great Parent Communication Plan,” by Nikkie

Also sensitivity to cultural differences can support the goal of communicating with multicultural families. When communicating to bilingual and multiethnic families it would be optimal for me to have the materials, whether its notes, phone calls or newsletters translated into their native language. Since many parents are guarded when they receive a note or phone call from their child’s teacher, I will implement a plan to send home letters of commendation and support to enhance the communication with the student’s family. No matter what type of communication is used letting parents know immediately if there are any concerns will aid in working together to prevent potential problems.

As a future educator, I am mindful of the fact that it’s my job to find out why my student is struggling. Sitting down with the child may help me determine the problem. Parents are also one of our greatest resources at our disposal, and I plan to take advantage of that. Parents see different things at home than in the classroom. Conversing

The symbiotic relationship between teachers and parents is crucial to the educational success of a student. Parents must be involved with their child’s education through consistent attendance of IEP meetings and advocate for their child and their needs at school. Teachers can encourage parent involvement through, traveling notebooks home and note home programs which establish an open line of communication between teacher and parent. Parent-teacher conferences are a great way for teachers and parents to be involved in the success of the student's educational experience.

Think about your early childhood education (or your child’s early education), was it flexible to suit individual learning experiences or were children required to conform to the teacher’s methods of teaching? If you answered the latter, do you think the former would improve the quality of education? The initial years of education are crucial to learning, development and growth, during these first years children’s experiences shape their learning methods and they are able to learn rapidly, for this, early childhood educators must use teaching methods that are suitable for each child. Teachers must consider the attitude they bring to the classroom; how it affects children’s learning and the value, of the information and knowledge that

Child development is complex because it is influenced by a wide range of factors such as culture. A child’s culture begins to influence them long before they are born. Parents from around the world hold different beliefs and raise their children in unique ways. Cultural norms can greatly affect which values parents consider important and how they share those values with children (Christensen, 2013). The timing of the development of certain skills and characteristics in children, depends on the importance the culture places on them (Buechner, 2015). For example, a good deal of value is placed on academics in many Eastern cultures, and so children spend many hours each day on math and science activities from the time they are very young. But, in the United States children are given a great deal more freedom to express themselves and experiment with things, because we as a society place value on creativity and innovation (O’Sullivan, 2016). In the U.S., the nuclear family is considered the ideal structure for raising children, but in countries like Japan and India, extended family and community members take a much larger role in child care and parenting (Christensen, 2013). Because each child is unique, caregivers need to form partnerships with families in order to meet the developmental and educational needs of their students. According to Copple and Bredekamp (2009) by understanding a child’s culture, early childhood professionals can “make classroom decisions that are