PARENT PARTICIPATION in EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
What Is The Parent Participation in Early Childhood Education?
Purpose in family participation; to ensure coordination between school and home, to act together in the development and education of children, and thus to support this process. Knowing the conditions in which children live, the expectations of the family, the roles are given to families and cultural perspectives by the teacher have a lot of positive effects. Teachers will influence the framework, plan, activities, and evaluations they will set for family participation, and form the basis. Family involvement has benefits for the teacher thanks to this, s/he applies the education program to children more effectively. It is easier for them to reach the desired results and goals in a healthy way. They know children better and help them solve their problems. Even if the education programs implemented in preschool education institutions are of high quality, it will not be possible to provide permanent behavioral changes in children and reach the goals of preschool education unless they are supported by the family. It is necessary to ensure the participation of the school and the family in this cooperation.
Why is Important Family Participation?
Parents are the first teachers of children and are responsible for the development and education of their children until they start school. When children start school, these responsibilities do not end, they only share them with the school and the teachers. If we are aiming at a successful education as teachers, we have to make plans and create activities that include the mother and father, target family participation. The responsibilities and power of families regarding the education of their children can be made continuous and effective with planned family participation activities. Also, schools have to accept the effect of the family environment on the child and act together while performing their educational and teaching duties. This requirement also emphasizes the importance of family participation.
When working with families, the teacher should know the differences in the family. Different cultural perspectives are part of differences in families, and cultural differences can create barriers when trying to build a school-family relationship. Prepared family participation program is designed for families; the level of culture should adapt to their experiences, behavioral and developmental expectations. Getting informed about a child’s family is an important factor for the development of an effective school-family relationship.
Ensuring the participation of a successful teacher in various types of families and families; It has a variety of roles, such as being a listener, taking on a task at home, being a program supporter, counseling, and being a decision-maker. Family engagement activities, each requiring different materials and resources in different places and leading to different outcomes. There are some different meetings for family participation both formal and informal.
Types of Family Participation
· Parent Conference: One of the family involvement activities at the conference. Firstly, it is a formal report. Parents receive some information from the teacher to facilitate their child’s development. Information support is done through group meetings (such as conferences, seminars, panels, chat meetings) and individual meetings. In this way, it is possible to increase the knowledge of families about child development and education and to support their parenting skills. Meeting topics may be related to child education or the family can take place in activities that can increase child communication and be held at home with children. During the conference, the teacher should be private and concrete. While making the student’s evaluations, assessment reports should support them with art activities, observation records, video, or photo samples. The teacher should encourage parents to speak. A comparison of children with other children and families should be avoided. If there is a problem, the teacher should be approached realistically and invite parents to cooperate. The teacher should ask them their opinions and then after listening to the parents, s/he asks some say like “… we can try to do what we see”. In case of disagreement, the discussion should be avoided. By making the conference, parents’ expectations about children can be learned by the teacher. What they can do to reach these expectations can be discussed about how they can solve the problems they encounter with their children. These interviews can be planned by teachers or they can be organized upon request from parents. Conferences should not be planned only when there is a problem in school or child, sometimes it should be done for positive feelings about the child and family, and the development of the child. Firstly, positive behaviors should be told by the teacher. The teacher should always refrain from accusing and judging the family and give the feeling that the problem can be solved with the family. The main issue should be discussed without involving unnecessary chats. Parents may not be able to share the problem with their children comfortably at meetings with the group. Since mutual interaction is made in the conference, the source of the problem can be reached and solutions can be produced. Also, during these conference sessions, the teacher should cooperate with the school. The school should always support family involvement and create space and time for it. All teachers who take care of the child can give the main teacher basic information about the child.
On the other hand, it is important that families observe their children in the classroom and learn about the program. This can be provided by teacher informal reports such as notes, telephone messages, emails, and short notes, etc… They are both an easy way to access and useful.
· Telephone Messages: Telephone messages are a common way of communication by parents. Phone calls can be made not only to convey problems in emergencies but also to share positive emotions when children and families need them. The teacher should first make a telephone list of all parents. The teacher can share general announcements here. Today, WhatsApp groups are very active. Also, for the e-mail, the teacher can follow the same way and communicate effectively with parents.
