THE CHILD. THE FAMILY. THE COMMUNITY. Shaunise Harris ECE497: Child Development Capstone Instructor Pilar Carroll May 26, 2014

Early Childhood Ages 2 to 6 Years - Middle Childhood Ages 6 to11 Early childhood is the most rapid period of development. There are so much bodily changes, evident cognitive growth, and emotional development. Middle childhood is a stage where cognitive development allows the child to think more logically and abstractly. Although every child develops at their own pace here are some key things to look for in these periods of development:  Physical growth (longer and leaner)  Constant improvement of fine-motor (picking things up, holding objects securely, writing with crayons and pencils) and gross-motor skills (walking, running, hopping)  Language (vocabulary expands)  Pretending (make-believe, story telling)  Building relationships (specifically with peers)  Ability to follow rules  Gains mastery of reading and math

Elementary Teacher K-5 The role of the elementary school teacher is to create a balance of play and academics within the curriculum. Teachers should help improve a child’s capacity to learn, their emotional health, and their confidence. Through play and mastering the skills such as reading and math children are building a foundation that will allow them to maneuver through life. As the children progress through elementary school, fundamentals such as reading, writing, and math naturally takes precedence.

The Child. The Family. The Community. While the child is the star of this show, as teachers we recognize there are other leading roles; the parents and the community. We know that parents and the community has a great influence on a child’s development. “When family engagement and community involvement is linked to learning, we see improvement” (Anderson, 2008, para. 4). For that reason we must build and sustain relationships with our students’ parents and the community. We do this through communication logs, school activities, teacher conferences, referring parents to community services, and joining school and community activities.

Bronfenbrenner’s Mesosystem  Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System describes different systems within a child’s life and factors within the systems that influences a child’s development.  The Microsystem is factors such as, the child’s family, school, and community.  The Mesosystem is how those factors interconnect with one another. Well, the child’s family, school, and community do not always hold the same values or rules. According to vvc.edu, when the mesosystem has a positive influence on children it creates the opportunity to provide children social support and consistency in their daily activities. Children need consistency to foster development. When relationships between the family, school, and community are built we find common values and rules and enforce them.

Epstein’s Types of Involvement Epstein’s Types of Involvement is a 6- type framework for teachers to develop school-family-community relationships.

Epstein’s Types of Involvement cont’d Type 1- Parenting  Educating parents on the different developmental stages their children go through will equip parents with the appropriate child-rearing strategies.  At Lincoln ES we will offer weekly classes, one in the morning (for parents who drop their kids off or go to work in the afternoon or evenings) and one in the afternoon that will end at the same time as school (for the parents who may not work or pick their children up from school) which will offer information on their child’s current developmental period, parenting tips, and answer the concerns of the parents.

Epstein’s Types of Involvement cont’d Type 2- Communicating  When the lines of communication are open between parents and teachers, parents can better monitor their children’s progress, and make home and schedule adjustments based on their child’s needs. Teachers can also gain a sense of each child’s family dynamics, so, they will know what is expected from the home and support the child appropriately.  The school will formulate 4 basic forms of communication (i.e notebook log, phone calls, text message, or ) for parents within their classroom. At the beginning of the year the parent will select which form of communication is most efficient for their family. Based on the form of communication that parent selected that is how the teacher will communicate the child’s progress and areas of need.

Epstein’s Types of Involvement cont’d Type 3-Volunteering  The school should be conscious of parents’ schedules. Therefore, activities should offered more than once or at different times of the day in order for parents to have the opportunity to take part.  Teachers should notify parents of activities and assemblies ahead of time, have parents fill out a form saying whether they will attend or not, and offer information on they can assist with the activity.

Epstein’s Types of Involvement cont’d Type 4- Learning at Home  When parents show interest in their child’s school activities and homework the child is more engaged in school assignments. They develop a sense of wanting to make their parents proud which in turn boosts their confidence to learn.  Include quick and easy family activities related to the lesson in child’s homework. Also, include notes and tips for parents to be assistance with homework.

Epstein’s Types of Involvement cont’d Type 5- Decision Making  Parents should have a voice in their child’s education. Involving parents in the decision making for the school bridges the gap between family and school. This builds a strong and positive mesosytem.  Formulate bilingual PTA/PTO groups according to parent interest in order for parents to be active and efficient participants

Epstein’s Types of Involvement cont’d Type 6- Collaborating with the Community  Involve the community in the school. Children carry the knowledge and values they learn at home and school everywhere with them. The community has expectations for the students also. The children carry a sense of pride in their community when they feel as if local businesses and centers care about them and their achievement.  Collaborate with the community to host activities, provide incentives, inform students and parents of helpful resources, and supply awards for academic achievement.

References Berk, L. E. (2013).Child development. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Gse.harvard.edu, (2014). Schools, Families, and Community Partnerships | Harvard Graduate School of Education. [online] Available at: community-partnerships/ [Accessed 11 May. 2014]. Vvc.edu, (2014). Bronfenbrenner developed a model for conceptualizing all the manyenvironmental influences on a child � s life and socialization. [online] Available at: ulty/lecture/cd6lectmicro.html [Accessed 11 May. 2014].