Engage Families and Promote a Family-Centered Program

Studies have shown that strong partnerships with families is a critical component of a quality early childhood education program. Programs that are truly family-centered serve as a catalyst for healthy child development, while providing opportunities for parent growth. Since the family is the constant and the center of a child’s life, aligning your program with a family-centered philosophy is a win-win situation for staff, children and parents. Learn the names of parents and family members and communicate with them as much as possible about the daily activities of their child. There is never a shortage of information to share since children are learning and doing so many things each day! Practitioners have the unique opportunity to provide a vivid glimpse in to the day of a child – one that should be exercised as frequently as possible through verbal or written communication.

No two families are alike – each comes from different backgrounds, experiences, lifestyles and cultures. As early childhood educators we are taught to value and respect these cultural and individual diversities. A great way to show respect for these differences, whenever it is appropriate, is to use them as an opportunity for learning. By supporting children’s growth and development while keeping the child’s family dynamic in context, providers are better equipped to understand and meet the needs of the children in care.

Many children spend a substantial part of their day in center-based care. We should all strive for our center, school or facility to be a place that children and families WANT to visit – not just a place that is limited to the dropping-off or picking-up a child. To do so, it is imperative that we create a respectful, unconditionally welcoming environment where families feel valued because of the most important job they have – being the parent or guardian of a young child. This means getting to know them and providing opportunities for them to be involved in the care and education of their child through activities the school provides.

The following are several activities and events that many schools use to encourage parental involvement:

• Informal and formal classroom observation
• Breakfast or lunch with their child
• Festivals or celebrations at the school around holidays or events
• Week of the Young Child activities (to find out when Week of the Young Child is each year visit www.naeyc.org/WOYC)
• Monthly group meetings with parents to discuss a particular topic
• Guest readers in classrooms
• Parent resource library (books and videos)
• Offering enrichment activities that invite family participation

The more ways you involve parents in the school-life of their child, the more likely you are to enhance learning and solidify a partnership that benefits the child, the parent or guardian and you as a caregiver/educator.

10 Answers to Infant/Toddler Practitioner Frequently Asked Questions

1.  Why does she cry when I put her down?

2.  Why does she cry when Mommy or Daddy leaves?

3.  Why does he cry when Mommy or Daddy comes back?

4.  Why does he grab a toy from another child?

5.  Why does he hit another child?

6.  Why does she pull another child’s hair?

7.  Why does he bite another child?

8.  Why does she walk away from the table with food?

9.  Why does she look at me and smile when she is doing something wrong?

10.  Why does he keep playing with something he shouldn’t (like the tv remote, the radio, the artwork on the walls) even though he knows better?

Go Out and Play!

If this gorgeous pre-summer weather isn’t enough to make you want to stay outside all day, try this…

Young children are kinesthetic learners, which means that they learn through movement. Physical activity fuels the connection between mind and body. What a great excuse to get outside and play!
As young children move their bodies to explore their environment, they build knowledge, strength, and skills…

Children learn problem-solving skills as they try different movements to figure things out; they learn to turn their ideas into actions to accomplish a goal. They learn important concepts like in, out, up, down, over, and under. They learn social skills like cooperation, turn-taking, and self-control.

Sand and water play lays the foundation for future math and science learning, as children explore displacement by playing with sizes and shapes of objects. Mastery of physical skills like walking, running, jumping, balancing, climbing, and swinging also helps children gain self-confidence.

Childhood obesity is a growing concern in our nation, and daily outdoor play is a great natural remedy. From birth, you can help instill a love of movement in your child when you make time for playing outside together. What are you waiting for? Go outside and play!