′It is inspiring to see a text which attempts to shift our worldview. This shift could give us the chance to achieve more open, inclusive, democratic early childhood practice that has the capacity to answer the deeper questions and which sees both parents and children as powerful and positive agents in their own futures′ - Chris Pascal and Tony Bertram, Directors of the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC) The role of parents in the early years is fundamental. In order to achieve the best outcomes for children, mutually beneficial relationships between parents and practitioners need to underpin children’s care and learning. There are many services for children and many different settings in which care and education can take place. Whether you work in children’s centres, outreach and dual-focused services, preschools, kindergartens or schools this book will help you develop the skills and strategies to work alongside parents whatever your role. Focussing on: The importance of involving parents The nature of learning How to engage and build relationships with parents How to reflect on and develop shared learning environment in settings Transitions and attachment This book has examples taken from real settings and practical advice to help you put the ideas into practice. Reading and using it will help ensure the wellbeing and development of all children in your care. Dianne Jackson is an Adjunct Fellow at the University of Western Sydney and the CEO of Connect Child and Family Services Martin Needham is Academic Division Leader: Education, Professional and Community Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University

Solidly grounded in theory and practice, this book will assist practitioners to examine their setting and enable them to embed partnership with parents into their practice

Exploring the importance of parental engagement in early childhood education, this book delves into research and practices in 25 countries to bring students, researchers, teachers and policy-makers insights into working families around the world. The incorporation and consideration of parental engagement and involvement in early childhood education are a new phenomenon to many countries. Yet, increasing research recognises the importance of parental engagement and involvement in early childhood education services, and the role both parents and teachers play to support children’s learning and development. Using a range of materials from curriculum to policy documents, Garvis et al. demonstrate differences in practices and terminologies pertaining to the topic and provide an international perspective on the importance of parental involvement and engagement in early childhood education services. The content covers a range of countries as well as countries beyond an ‘Anglo-Saxon’ perspective. The different policy settings across these countries highlight how countries work with, and involve, parents differently, which is useful for jurisdictions where early childhood education is a developing aspect of a country’s education system. Looking at cultural influences, partnership approaches, parental collaboration, institutional dominance and child involvement in parent meetings, the content offers readers real understanding of parental engagement and involvement in different settings. The readership includes students in early childhood education, and researchers, teachers, policy makers, and general members of the public interested in parental engagement or involvement in early childhood education across the globe.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

This book is written for all students of the Early Years. It begins by examining the role of a parent in a child′s life and the importance of good working relationships between parents and Early Years practitioners. It goes on to discuss the preconceptions and assumptions that we all have about families and parents and considers the practical implications of working with parents in a respectful and trusting partnership. It explores both interpersonal and communication skills and the formal and informal ways of involving parents in the early years experience of their children. About the Early Years series This series has been designed to support students of degrees and foundation degrees in Early Years, Early Childhood and related disciplines. Each text takes a focused look at a specific topic and approaches it in an accessible and user-friendly way. Learning features help readers engage with the text and understand the subject from a number of different viewpoints. Tasks pose questions to prompt thought and discussion and further reading suggestions, including useful websites, are included to help students access extended learning in each topic. Other titles in the series are Early Childhood Studies, Becoming a Practitioner in the Early Years, Child Observation for the Early Years and Exploring Play for Early Childhood Studies. Ute Ward has been involved in the Early Years sector for more than 20 years in a range of different roles and contexts. In October 2011 Ute became Senior Lecturer in Early Years at the University of Hertfordshire where she teaches on Foundation Degrees and on undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

The concept of "funds of knowledge" is based on a simple premise: people are competent and have knowledge, and their life experiences have given them that knowledge. The claim in this book is that first-hand research experiences with families allow one to document this competence and knowledge, and that such engagement provides many possibilities for positive pedagogical actions. Drawing from both Vygotskian and neo-sociocultural perspectives in designing a methodology that views the everyday practices of language and action as constructing knowledge, the funds of knowledge approach facilitates a systematic and powerful way to represent communities in terms of the resources they possess and how to harness them for classroom teaching. This book accomplishes three objectives: It gives readers the basic methodology and techniques followed in the contributors' funds of knowledge research; it extends the boundaries of what these researchers have done; and it explores the applications to classroom practice that can result from teachers knowing the communities in which they work. In a time when national educational discourses focus on system reform and wholesale replicability across school sites, this book offers a counter-perspective stating that instruction must be linked to students' lives, and that details of effective pedagogy should be linked to local histories and community contexts. This approach should not be confused with parent participation programs, although that is often a fortuitous consequence of the work described. It is also not an attempt to teach parents "how to do school" although that could certainly be an outcome if the parents so desired. Instead, the funds of knowledge approach attempts to accomplish something that may be even more challenging: to alter the perceptions of working-class or poor communities by viewing their households primarily in terms of their strengths and resources, their defining pedagogical characteristics. Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms is a critically important volume for all teachers and teachers-to-be, and for researchers and graduate students of language, culture, and education.

‘I would recommend this book to students and trainees who wish to extend their knowledge and understanding of early years practice beyond level 3. This book is accessible, up to date and focuses on translating theory into practice, incorporating the essential higher order skill of reflection. The pedagogical foundations within place children firmly at the centre, whilst acknowledging the highly influential early years practitioner in the wider context of family, community and inclusive practice.’ Sarah Barton, Senior Lecturer and EY ITT Programme Leader, School of Education and Continuing Studies, University of Portsmouth Are you studying to become an early years teacher or educator, or studying for an early years degree, and looking for a book to guide you through your qualification? With stories of practice, questions for reflection, further reading and links to the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years), this book links professional practice with theory and research and will help you: · understand how children learn and develop · engage with the curriculum and the practice of teaching · learn more about the structure and reality of early years provision and practice for children aged from 0–8 years · develop ways to reflect upon your practice · develop professional skills and attributes needed to take a leading role · understand how to apply all of this to practice. This core textbook is ideal for students of early years and early childhood courses and will support you in your practice in the early years.