1. Partnership, Power, Parents and Pedagogy: Putting Policy Into Practice
Trevor Chandler
Quarriers

2. 100+ projects 2000+ staff Quarriers HO also international links
Regional Office

3. Quarriers: 4 strands Children and Families Adults with disabilities
Young adults
Epilepsy

4. Ruchazie Family Centre: Aims
To support parents to meet their children’s needs
To improve self-esteem and confidence
To tackle disadvantage
To be rooted in the community
Open Access
Targeted
To offer a range of services

5. Mission statement
….our image of the child is rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent and, most of all, connected to adults and other children.
Loris Malaguzzi

6. Four Possible Approaches To Working With Parents
Parents as problems
Parents as a resource
Parents as consumers
Parents as partners
Schools need to consider these and choose their approach
‘ The Parents’ Survival Guide’ by Tony Attwood (1999)

7. Critical Questions
How can early years educators overcome traditional power relationships between themselves and parents, where the professional educator is perceived as having all the critical competencies?

8. Critical Questions
What are the challenges and opportunities for early years educators in the early years phase to release the untapped energies of parents?

9. “few professionals have been trained or feel prepared to manage relationships with parents.” and even with training it will be difficult since true partnership “involves sharing control and relinquishing status”
Moss and Pence, 1994

10. The roles of professional experience and parents’ every day experiences are seen as complementary but equally important. The former constitutes a ‘public’ (and generalised) form of ‘theory’ about child development, whilst the latter represents a ‘personal theory’ about the development of a particular child. Easen et al 1992

11. What matters to parents
Safe, welcoming place
Non-judgemental ethos
Being listened to / taken seriously / valued as an individual
Relationships with staff
Reliable advice and information

12. Value Base Parents and children both have rights.
Being a parent is a complex and difficult role
Parenting is a key concern for both men and women
The belief that parents are deeply committed to their children
Professionals, working with children and families, need to recognise parents’ roles as their child’s first and most consistent carers and educators
That we must create a culture of high aspirations for children

13. Creating a culture of high expectations
Parents have the right to expect high quality, flexible services that respond to the changing needs of their families
Staff need to believe in parent’s deep commitment to supporting their children’s learning. They need to encourage parents to increase their competence
Parents and staff both need to have high expectations of the children. They need to work together to get children the best possible deal.

14. Nothing gets under a parent’s skin more quickly and more permanently than the illumination of his or her own children’s behaviour. The effect of participation can be profound.”
(Athey, 1990)

15. Ways for parents and nursery staff to work together
Need for a common language and understanding of how children learn
Home visiting
Daily chats
Parent interviews
Parents meetings
Home/Nursery videos