Partnership with Parents in Early Childhood Settings examines how practitioners can work effectively with parents and families, acknowledging the complex nature of these relationships. Drawing on policy, research and practice from kindergartens and early years settings in five European countries, it provides insight into how political, social and cultural contexts affect the relationships between educators and families and the impact this has on children’s early experiences. The book is based upon learning from an Erasmus mobility project between educators from five countries in OMEP (the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education). It presents examples from practice and research from the different countries and highlights some positive and practical ways in which professionals can work with parents, as well as potential barriers to parental partnership and how these might be overcome. Each section focuses on a different country and allows for a detailed exploration into how relationships are developed and sustained for the benefit of young children and their families in different places. Throughout, the reader is encouraged to reflect on their current understanding of parental partnership and how they can plan for positive parental partnership working in the future. This thought-provoking text will be an indispensable resource for students of early childhood and teachers and practitioners, as well as academics and those with an interest in early years social and educational policy.

Partnership with Parents in Early Childhood Settings examines how practitioners can work effectively with parents and families, acknowledging the complex nature of these relationships. Drawing on policy, research and practice from kindergartens and early years settings in five European countries, it provides insight into how political, social and cultural contexts affect the relationships between educators and families and the impact this has on children’s early experiences. The book is based upon learning from an Erasmus mobility project between educators from five countries in OMEP (the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education). It presents examples from practice and research from the different countries and highlights some positive and practical ways in which professionals can work with parents, as well as potential barriers to parental partnership and how these might be overcome. Each section focuses on a different country and allows for a detailed exploration into how relationships are developed and sustained for the benefit of young children and their families in different places. Throughout, the reader is encouraged to reflect on their current understanding of parental partnership and how they can plan for positive parental partnership working in the future. This thought-provoking text will be an indispensable resource for students of early childhood and teachers and practitioners, as well as academics and those with an interest in early years social and educational policy.

Proven tools and strategies for partnering with parents as an essential element in successful ECE programs.

Both home and school play a crucial role in the long-term development of a young child, yet many children experience a disjunction between their two worlds. This book explores strategies for developing effective partnerships between teachers and parents for a more integrated approach.

This book reports initiatives to listen to parents and families, to ascertain what families believe and do as they seek to engage collaboratively with their children’s educators, and what educators and educational systems might do to facilitate and/or establish barriers to such engagement. Parental engagement in children’s learning and development has many positive benefits. However, in the current environments of accountability and performativity which are pervading early childhood education in many countries, the opportunities for parents and other family members to be part of the development of respectful, collaborative relationships with their children’s early childhood educators are becoming more and more restricted. Many educators feel forced to choose between curriculum outcomes and parental engagement, as both involve their time. There is a danger that the voices of parents and families in their children’s early learning and development will not always be heard, seen, or fully understood. This volume addresses this important issue. Researchers, educators, and families will all benefit from this book, to the ultimate benefit of the young children who are the future. This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal.

Parents and Professionals in Early Childhood Settings addresses the complex and sometimes controversial issues that emerge from the care and education of young children. Staff and parents in early childhood settings can find ample advice about how to promote good communication, but much of that advice has no grounding in their daily lives. Instead, it prescribes an established set menu of communication tools, such as newsletters, notebooks and message boards that rarely respond to what staff and families say about relationships between them. Drawing on the authors' research with hundreds of parents, staff and students, the book explores relationships between staff and families through a series of 'issue stories'. Each story features the voices and perspectives of 'real' staff and families and captures their various understandings, desires and feelings about a complex, difficult and/or controversial issue. The authors support each 'issue story' with snippets from relevant international research, 'Fairness Alerts' that highlight unfair thinking habits and show how to challenge them, and some 'points to ponder' and 'points to discuss' that encourage readers to extend their thinking about the issue/s in the story. Parents and Professionals in Early Childhood Settings is written for the diverse people in the international field of early childhood education and care. They include staff, students, academics, trainers, curriculum advisors, policy officers and managers, together with the parents and other carers of young children.

This publication discusses issues of parent-teacher partnerships that affect children's development. An introductory chapter suggests that the central figures in fostering the development of a child's potential are the significant adults in the child's world. Chapter 2 considers family relationships as prototypes for later partnerships, and lists several family attributes, such as love, communication, and commitment, that promote partnerships. Chapter 3 lists attributes of parents and teachers that promote parent-teacher partnerships, and explains several paradigms of parent and teacher involvement in family and school. Chapter 4 stresses the importance of establishing partnerships during the child's early years, and warns of the dangers of degrading partnerships for at-risk parents. Chapter 5 suggests a framework for teacher-parent partnerships and offers examples of successful partnership programs. The chapter also suggests partnership strategies, including home visits, training programs, conferences, newsletters, efforts to welcome parents, homework activities, and the involvement of parents in decision making. Chapter 6 addresses the topics of evaluation of partnerships, role conflicts and confrontation within partnerships, cultural differences as learning experiences, and support for at-risk families. Chapter 7 discusses issues concerning the process of strengthening families and schools. A bibliography of 130 items is included. (BC)