Encouraging all families in supporting a child's development

[Rose]

The best way to encourage families to support the development of their child is to have open communication. Explaining to families what activities in your program specifically accomplish or foster in their child's development will help them to better understand their child's individual, unique needs and help them to make the best choices possible for healthy development at home as well. Asking questions to better understand the child will also help you as a teacher to make the best possible choices for each individual child's developmental needs and learning strategies. You are a wealth of information for the family to access to aid in helping their child grow, and the family is a wealth of information to you as a teacher to better understand each child's strengths, weaknesses, and developmental needs.

[Gale Coleman]

Encouraging increased family involvement is linked to improved student performance, it is not always fully understood and examined within in child care programs and schools. Different types of involvement may include parenting, communicating with schools, volunteering at schools, supporting learning at home, participating in school governance and decision-making, and taking part in school-community collaborations. In order to encourage and foster involvement of all families, and care providers and teachers must develop mutual trust, consider the different cultural attitudes some families may have towards schooling, and be diligent in reaching out.