Take a Moment to Reflect on… Families
The Council is excited to announce the release of Essentials for Child Development Associates: Working with Young Children this June. The newly-revised textbook will be organized around each of the thirteen Functional Areas and other key topics of interest to contemporary teachers and caregivers.
Here is an advanced sneak peek of “Chapter 11: Families” for you to reflect on…
Throughout the chapters of this book, an ongoing theme has emerged: the importance of partnering with children's families. You and the children's families are the most constant people in the children's lives. What each of you say and do is of major consequence to the child.
When there is a true partnership between families and caregivers, children receive a common message. This makes them feel safe and more trusting of their caregivers. Plus, they know what to expect at preschool.
Transitions between home and school are also easier when teacher/parent partnerships are in effect. Parents are welcome in the program at any time and caregivers encourage children to bring photos and mementos from home. Shared support goes a long way in easing children into life at child care.
Nearly every aspect of a child's life at school is improved when families support caregivers and vice versa. Mealtimes, children's behavior and the curriculum are all positively affected by this bond. It is no wonder that research and advocacy organizations like NAEYC are firm in stating that child care must be a collaborative effort between parents and caregivers: "The experts have been polled and the results are in: a positive parent-teacher relationship contributes to school success". Your ability to develop an effective relationship with families is at the heart of earning a CDA.
While everyone can agree on the importance of this relationship, almost no one believes forging this bond is easy. It takes perseverance to overcome personal feelings when you don't immediately take to someone. There may be cultural problems and language barriers. It can be exhausting and a test of your patience and skills. Yet, the rewards make you forget how hard you might have had to work to get there.
In this chapter, we will discuss five tasks involved in forming a positive bond with families:
1. Establishing a partnership with families
2. Encouraging family participation
3. Communicating with families
4. Conducting home visits, conferences, and parent meetings/workshops
5. Supporting families in their development
Please take a moment to reflect on your own teaching practices. What else might you add to the above list? What do you think are the most important goals to remember in partnering with young children’s families? What tips and strategies would you share with others?
Send your thoughts, along with your first name, last initial, city and state, to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Next month, we’ll share with you all of the wise responses we received from across the national CDA community. In addition, we may also print your name and reflection in the new Essentials textbook and share your great ideas with all of the CDA-seeking community college students around the country who use Essentials as their primary textbook!
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CDA Community Reflections on our last topic… “Guidance” Last month, we asked the CDA community to send us their thoughts about the topic of the last article, “Guidance”. Thank you to everyone who responded. Here are a few very wise responses we received: “We never do time-outs in our classroom or the red/yellow/green cards! It doesn’t teach children anything except to feel humiliated in front of the other children and bad about themselves! - Alethia J. “Disciplining kids today as a teacher is really hard. The way I have do it at my job is very different than the way I was raised and the way I raise my own kids. It works but I have to be very conscious all the time so that I don’t do at work what I do at home.” - Veronica W. “If you put your energy into setting up your classroom right before the kids arrive, you have a lot less behavior problems once they’re there!” - Jim H. |
Send your thoughts to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Next month, we’ll share with you all of the wise responses we received from across the CDA community. In addition, we may also print your name and reflection in the new Essentials textbook and share your great ideas with all of the CDA-seeking community college students around the country who use Essentials as their primary textbook!
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