Reflective questions Evidence indicates that home literacy practices are more powerful than classroom literacy experiences – What are the implications of this for early childhood professionals? How does your current practice acknowledge the importance of home literacy practices? What could you do to improve connections between home literacy practices and literacy practices in your setting? BENEFITS FOR FAMILIES Partnerships with families have numerous benefits for families that in turn positively impact on children’s learning and development. Partnerships with families leads to: greater satisfaction with the service a stronger sense of self-efficacy and control more positive perceptions of their children more positive perceptions of their own competence. Case study As one educator said: “The benefits of partnership are that you end up building trust and a program that is far more responsive to a community of people who don’t just think about themselves but rather about how the group will benefit and gain from their collaboration. That collaboration is based on listening to other people’s perspectives. There’s no distinction between the philosophy and how it is enacted in the program for children and for families. We treat each other as citizens and believe that each person deserves respect.” (Educator and director in an education and care service) Case study A Preschool Field Officer explained that for her the best way to engage families was to take a very positive, respectful approach and to be accepting of differences: Just accepting or just being really positive ‘oh that’s great you’ve got kinder today’ even though they might be really late. ‘It’s fantastic you’ve turned up, it’s really great to see your child’. It’s about the interaction that you have with the family and the child. My personal feeling is the kindergarten teachers I’ve seen who’ve had a big success rate with these families they’ve just made a big fuss ‘it’s so good to see you, I’m so glad you could come today, anything we can do to help you with attendance’. Give them a ring and see how things are going, what can we do to help you out. So you put it back on them and ask how we can support you rather than being judgemental about them, which would be annoying. I think seriously it’s about your relationship and people pick up pretty quick whether or not you’re being judgemental and condescending and so on. Everyday experiences either contribute to or take away from families’ sense of control over major life events. Partnerships with families in early years services can make a significant contribution to families’ feelings of empowerment.
“I share information with families in different ways. For example, some are very keen to know what behaviour is normal, especially if it is their first child. And if I know a family is anxious about their child and they ask how their day was, I’ll think carefully about how I share a concern with them.” Professionals’ expertise is not disregarded in partnerships with families The table below provides examples of how families and professionals can make equal and complementary contributions to decisions about children in order to support their learning, development and wellbeing. THE FAMILY HAS… EXAMPLE PROFESSIONALS HAVE… EXAMPLE …specialised and expert knowledge of their child. A parent explains to a speech therapist that her child seems to stop using words when he is tired or frustrated. …specialised professional knowledge about language development and problems. The speech therapist works with the parent to find ways to reduce the reasons for the child getting frustrated. She also suggests some simple ways to encourage the child to vocalise his needs when he is tired. …specialised parenting skills. A Somali parent shows educators how she uses a long cloth to tie her baby to her body as a way to keep him close to her when he needs comforting. …specialised professional knowledge and skills in the education and care of many children. Educators reassure the parent that they have used the same practice with other babies and will use it with hers. …deep knowledge of the impact of family and community contexts on their lives. At school enrolment, the family of a child with complex additional needs discusses the impact of being involved with a range of health and early childhood intervention specialists since the child’s birth. …professional knowledge of and respect for the diverse contexts of children’s and families’ lives. The school staff asks the family for advice about who to contact in regards to working collaboratively with the other professionals involved with the child. …an interest in having a partnership with the professionals who A father identifies to a family day care educator that he feels isolated from …knowledge of the importance of partnership with families and being a The educator tells the father about a local ‘Saturday Dads’ playgroup and