Answer To: Assessment 4: Literature reviewWhy is family engagement an important aspect of early childhood...
Dilpreet answered on Aug 22 2024
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Why is family engagement an important aspect of early childhood educators' practice?
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Introduction
Family engagement in early education is strongly prioritized in Australia. It aims at creating meaningful partnerships between families and educators so that strong learning progress and the well-being of children can be ensured. In the following essay, the importance of engaging family in the process will be discussed by incorporating insights from various peer-reviewed journals. Apart from that, the concepts of ‘funds of knowledge’ and ‘funds of Identity’ will be elaborated to identify their importance in promoting family engagement. Suitable strategies that can be considered to obtain relevant information from families for improving learning strategies for children will also be demonstrated. Lastly, three examples will be incorporated that describe how this information can help educators in preparing a welcoming environment.
Section 1
Engagement of families in Early Childhood Education (ECE) is highly important to ensure a collaborative relationship between educators and parents. The main aim behind this is to enhance the overall learning experience of the child. In this regard, Barnett et al., (2020), have identified that patient involvement in an ECE setting is significantly linked to the acquisition of school-readiness skills by children. The authors have mentioned that in preschool-centred care, where parent-teacher engagement and parent-school involvement are high, the literacy skills of children are positively improved (Barnett et al., 2020). However, this direct involvement is better explained by underlying processes. The involvement of parents with schools influences their behavior at home which facilitates early learning. Moreover, engaging parents in an ECE setting helps educators indirectly influence home learning activities such as reading with children. Apart from that, parents obtain relevant resources, skills and knowledge which reinforce school learning at home. This is highly important for promoting school readiness among children. On the other hand, the article by Diniz et al., (2021), argues that the involvement of fathers in ECE can significantly help in the emotional regulation of a child along with improving their socio-emotional competence. Higher parental involvement enhances discipline among children which is associated with fewer problem behaviors. On the other hand, lower levels of supportive co-parenting decrease the social competency of children. However, the environment of parents and its impact on child development can vary or be influenced by other factors also including individual, cultural, ecological and social variables. In another article by Cohen & Anders, (2020), cooperation between parents and preschools is identified to be a key dimension of pedagogical quality in ECE. Apart from improving socio-economic skills, this also enhances the language skills of children at the age of 3. This improves both receptive and expressive language outcomes of the children. However, the article also argues that the high involvement of parents in curriculum decisions can increase their expectations for the daily pedagogical processes which might result in less satisfaction among teachers (Cohen & Anders, 2020). However, despite this, regular meetings with parents provide necessary organization information about their child’s growth which helps educators to make individualized language development plans. In this regard, Råde, (2020), outlines that partnership between educators and parents in an ECE setting should focus on trust valuing each other's knowledge of a child. Through this, potential conflicts can be avoided to ensure the growth of children. Thus, educators and parents must respectfully and freely communicate with each other along with sharing perspectives about each child. This significantly fosters shared decision-making that aligns with the ECE curriculum of Australia.
Section 2
As opined by Butler & Miretzky, (2020), ‘funds of knowledge’ refers to a set of familial skills and knowledge which are essential for individual well-being and functioning. This encourages teachers and other educational researchers to identify multiple knowledge within a household and their daily activities. In this regard, a home is identified to be a repository of knowledge and by focusing on it teachers can resist the tendency to focus on perceived deficits. ‘Funds of knowledge’ focuses on household knowledge which is necessary for legitimaging student experience (Butler & Miretzky, 2020). Thus, if classroom practices are focussed on familiar home knowledge, the learning experiences of students can improve. In early research of the concept, home networks are identified to be active, adaptive and flexible which fosters multiple relationships. In this network, children start assimilating information from numerous adults through social interaction. Thus, reciprocal practices within these networks help establish mutual trust in ECE settings. In another article by Daries & Ebrahim, (2021), funds of knowledge are identified to be an approach that values agency of children along with being sensitive to the abilities of children. This knowledge is rooted in culture and can also be influenced by place and time. Focus on this knowledge is necessary for bringing children into the learning space. Thus, if educators are to advance in children's learning, they must engage family members,...