1. Working with Families

2. What do you remember about your family’s involvement in school?
Share with a partner your memories of parent conferences, school fairs, social events, class parties, etc…. How did that make you feel at the time?

3. Understanding Families
What are families like?
What issues do families face?
Family Systems Theory

4. What are Families like? Single-parent families Fathers
Multigenerational families
Grandparents as parents
Linguistically diverse families
Teenage parents
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) families
Military families
Incarcerated parents

5. What are families like?

6. What are families like?

7. Issues facing families: Poverty
16.1 million children in the United States (22% of all children) live in below the federal poverty level ($23,550/year for a family of 4)
32.4 million children live in low-income families ($44,700/year for a family of 4)

8. Parenting Matters: Supporting Parents of Children Ages 0-8
Released July 2016
Written by the Committee on Supporting the Parents of Young Children, Board on Children, Youth and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

9. Effective Parenting Practices
Research-based practices associated with positive child outcomes in physical development, emotional, behavioral, social, and cognitive competence
Contingent responsiveness
Showing warmth and sensitivity
Routines and reduced household chaos
Shared book reading and talking to children
Practices that promote children’s health and safety
Appropriate use (less-harsh) discipline

10. Elements of Effective Interventions to Support Parenting
Viewing parents as equal partners in determining the types of services that would most benefit them and their children
Tailoring interventions to meet the specific needs of families
Integrating services and collaborating to support families with multiple service needs
Creating opportunities for parents to receive support from peers to increase engagement, reduce stigma, and increase the sense of connection to other parents with similar circumstances

11. Elements of Effective Interventions to Support Parenting
Addressing trauma, which affects a high percentage of individuals in some communities and can interfere with parenting and healthy child development
Making programs culturally relevant to improve program effectiveness and participation across diverse families
Enhancing efforts to involve fathers, who are underrepresented in parenting research

12. Understanding How Families Work

13. Family Systems Theory (Christian, 2006)
Boundaries
Roles
Rules
Hierarchy
Climate
Equilibrium

14. Boundaries Roles Rules Family Systems Theory
Expectation for togetherness or separateness
Disengaged vs. Enmeshed
Understanding who is in or out of the family
Boundaries
Parts that individual family members play in their relationship with others
Roles
The standards and procedures that give directions about how to behave and relate to others
Rules

15. Hierarchy Climate Equilibrium Family Systems Theory
The determination of which family members have decision-making power within the family
Hierarchy
The emotional and physical environment of the family
Climate
The amount of stability or consistency offered by the family
Equilibrium

16. Family Systems Theory: Working with Families
Considering Boundaries
Recognize different parenting styles and boundaries
Recognize that for some families, everything is a family affair
Balance children’s activities and curriculum to incorporate both individual and group identities
Respect families’ need for control
Considering Roles
Give children ample opportunity for role play, both in structured and unstructured situations
Observe children carefully… are the “problems” really the child acting out their role in the family?
Help families recognize their children’s many and varied strengths

17. Family Systems Theory: Working with Families
Considering Rules
Make distinctions between home rules and center/school rules
Watch for unspoken rules
Ask for families’ input and assistance when conflict arises over rules
Considering Hierarchy
Engage in careful observation Who returns calls? How does the child role play?
Note the signs a family’s hierarchy is in the process of changing
Watch out for hierarchies emerging in the classroom and on the playground

18. Family Systems Theory: Working with Families
Considering Climate
Provide opportunities for families to discuss their beliefs about children
Create a classroom climate of safety, positive feedback and guidelines, and healthy sensory experiences
Considering Equilibrium
Consider inviting a trained family professional to facilitate discussion when a big change or issue is impacting a number of families (e.g., changes in resources)
Provide as much consistency as possible, especially when you are aware of changes within a family

19. Involving Parents & Families
Home Visitation
Family Conferences
Children and Conferences
Technology
Teacher website
Twitter
Video chat
Teacher-parent blog