This essential text will help students and those working with children to understand what may constitute a 'family' and how to build relationships with a child's family in order to support the best possible learning.

How can adults in Early Years settings and primary schools fully embrace the diverse nature of family life of the children they are working with? This essential text will help students and those already working with children to understand both theoretically and practically, what may constitute a ‘family’. It explores how to build relationships with a child’s family to ensure early years settings and schools are working in partnership with children’s home environments, thereby supporting the best possible learning outcomes for children. It will help the reader to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of their professional practice in education, and chapter by chapter explores the challenges that may be experienced in working with the diverse nature of family life in the UK, including: mixed race families immigrant, refugee and asylum seeker families step-families and step-parenting gay and lesbian families families and adoption fostering and children in care families living in poverty families and bereavement families and disability (including mental health). Understanding Family Diversity and Home-School Relations is engagingly practical, using case study examples throughout, and providing reflective activities to help the reader consider how to develop their practice in relation to the insights this book provides. It is a unique road-map to understanding pupils’ backgrounds, attitudes and culture and will be essential reading for any student undertaking relevant Foundation and BA Degrees, including those in initial teacher training, taking post-graduate qualifications or as part of a practitioner’s professional development.

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

This core text offers you an accessible foundation to the topics of diversity, inclusion and marginalisation. Not only will you develop an understanding of how marginalisation happens, you will be encouraged to question and challenge policy and practice through case studies, reflective questions and activities. The book analyses issues encountered by marginalised groups and the impact these may have on the lives of those concerned, together with how you, as a practitioner, can help to empower these individuals and groups. With key chapters bringing attention to less cited marginalised groups such as transgender children, children with mental health conditions and looked after children, the author critically analyses the difficulties and challenges of inclusive ideology in practice, the role of mass media in reinforcing prejudice and examines theoretical frameworks and concepts related to marginalisation, inclusion and diversity.

An understanding of child development is an essential part of teaching. This new text supports trainee teachers and Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) to understand how children develop and how their development impacts on their learning. Importantly, the text is written specifically for teachers and focuses on what they need to know to be effective in the classroom. The text not only supports them to better understand children individually but also supports them to appreciate the needs of all children across the school Each chapter includes: - a focus on a theory of child development to support understanding. - case studies and critical questions to explore the learning and help the reader to develop critical thinking skills. - practical strategies for supporting children in the classroom which focus on how teachers can use an understanding of child development to enhance their practice.

The second edition of this indispensable textbook supports your academic development as you explore key concepts, theories, and practices. Engaging case studies bring theory to life, encouraging you to apply your knowledge in real-world scenarios. Reflect on your own beliefs and values with thought-provoking reflection points, while actionable steps guide you in translating theory into practice. Stay current with an extensive list of further readings, ensuring you remain at the forefront of research and practice. Includes key features such as: Learning outcomes Action points Case studies Reflection points Spotlights on policy/research Chapter summaries Further readings Each chapter begins with Learning Outcomes and ends with a summary, to guide your studies and package the most complex of subjects in a digestible and understandable form. Unsure how Early Years policies are implemented and impact young children? Curious about working with multilingual children and families? This updated edition covers topics ranging from children′s neurological development, to the impact of technology and digital culture, to childhood disability and SEND. Complete and comprehensive, this is the only textbook that will support you from the moment your degree begins right up to your graduation. Whether you′re embarking on a career in early childhood or seeking a deeper understanding of this vital field, this book equips you with the essential knowledge and tools to make a positive impact in the lives of young children.

This brand new textbook brings you up to date with all the latest developments and keys issues from around the globe, and helps you understand how these changes are impacting on practice in early years and primary classrooms. Key issues in contemporary childhood are explored through three sections on The Child, The Family, and Emerging Trends, with topics including: the ‘Digital Child’ and the rise of new technologies children’s security and the impact of poverty, austerity and conflict children’s happiness, mental-health and wellbeing the changing nature of families including LGBT homes, refugees, and asylum seekers the challenges of multi-agency working The pace of change in early childhood can be daunting, but this book helps students and practitioners understand the huge variety of issues affecting children in the UK and all over the world. Sean MacBlain will be discussing key ideas from Contemporary Childhood in the SAGE Early Years Masterclass, a free professional development experience hosted by Kathy Brodie.