Abundant research demonstrates the family’s significant impact on a child’s learning and success in school. The practices, behaviors, and language of the family during childhood affect early brain development and provide the foundation for future formal learning. How parents interact with children linguistically and socially shapes the child’s perception of the world and help children develop their first notions of self. These interactions enable the child to both build and test psychosocial concepts essential for learning, such as trust, confidence, consistency, persistence, and dependability. Parents play an essential role as the child’s first teacher.
Families who work often rely on early childhood education programs and public schools to provide care and education for their young children. Increasingly, early childhood providers—especially those who teach children who face challenges like poverty and learning disabilities—are expected to enlist the active support of families in their work. Given that schools alone cannot fulfill all of a child’s needs, collaboration with families provides an effective use of home and school resources that are critical for supporting children’s learning. Effective partnership with families can extend the child’s opportunity to learn specific content and practice expected behavior beyond the hours of the school day. By engaging in partnership with the school, families support teachers in understanding children’s learning styles, dispositions, social-emotional strengths and limitations, and health conditions that might affect learner success. Each participant in a strong school/family partnership works collaboratively as an effective consultant, thought partner, pathfinder, and intervener to support the child’s needs, development, and success. By working together, the partners create supportive home and school environments—mitigating challenges and expanding opportunities for success.
Part of the mission of the Partnership for Early Education Research (PEER) is to use collaborative research to support collaboration between schools and families in an effort to reduce performance disparities based on race, socio-economic status, gender, and English learner status. In establishing PEER’s long-term research agenda, early childhood stakeholders affirmed the importance of family engagement programs and services. Stakeholders expressed the need for research that identifies programs targeting the relationship between school and family, presents usable implementation strategies, suggests evaluation protocols that can be used to measure impact, and provides support for bringing effective programs to scale. PEER stakeholders realized that while the research may not address the specific programs being implemented in their communities, analysis of national models of impact can aid local providers in designing research-informed practices and policies most suitable to the challenges that face their communities.
Partnering with families is also a priority of the Connecticut State Department of Education and the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. This spring, these two agencies launched a new effort to support family engagement across the developmental spectrum. As part of this effort, representatives from these agencies and several others are working together to draft a Family Engagement Blueprint that will provide early childhood education providers, school districts, and out-of-school-time providers with guidance on the best practices in family engagement. PEER was pleased to be included in this process and looks forward to seeing how this resource will inform the conversation on school-family partnerships in early childhood and beyond.
Additional Reading
Fantuzzo, J., C. McWayne, M. A. Perry, S. Childs. (2010). Multiple Dimensions of Family Involvement and Their Relations to Behavioral and Learning Competencies for Urban, Low-Income Children. School Psychology Review, 33(4), 467. https://repository.upenn.edu/gse_pubs/438/
Henderson, A.T. & Mapp, K.L. (2002). A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. Austin, Texas: National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED536946.pdf
Liontos, L.B. (1991). Involving the Families of At-Risk Youth in the Educational Process. Trends & Issues Series, Number 5. Eugene, Oregon: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, Eugene, OR. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED328946
Sheridan, S. M., Knoche, L. L., Edwards, C. P., Bovaird, J. A., & Kupzyk, K. A. (2010). Parent Engagement and School Readiness: Effects of the Getting Ready Intervention on Preschool Children’s Social–Emotional Competencies. Early Education and Development, 21(1), 125–156. http://doi.org/10.1080/10409280902783517