1. Creating and Sustaining Partnerships for Our Children
Why is This so Important to the Development of Children?
By Christina Montell

2. My Role as a Child Development Specialist
To Build a bridge between your family at home and your child’s development at School.
Be a Resource for you to rely on when it comes to your child.
To foster healthy growth and development in your child.
Provide Positive Guidance and Influence in your Child’s life.
Nurture a Sense of Community for your Family and Child.
By building a bridge of communication I can help to make sure you never feel left out of your child’s development at school. It is so important that we work together as a team in order to get the most of your child’s education and development.
I am happy to always be a resource you can count on for information and guidance for you, your family and your child. We will always encourage involvement in your child’s experiences here at school and hope you will always feel comfortable asking questions you may have regarding your child’s growth, development or educational goals.
At school we will strive to provide a healthy and developmentally appropriate environment for your child and family.
We will always be a positive influence in your child’s life and provide guidance in their growth and development.
At school we encourage family involvement and we will always be out in the community building relationships and connections through our many programs.

3. Middle Childhood: The Elementary Years
What is Happening Developmentally for Your Child? An Overview:
Physical Development
Cognitive Development
Social/Emotional Development
Children grow an average of 2 inches in height per year and gain an average of
5-7 pounds
Reached Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage
(Reversibility, Flexibility and Decentration)
Children Increasingly regulate their own behavior.
A Marked increase in Speed, Strength, agility and balance.
Further Moral Development
(Kohlberg and Piaget)
More capable of taking the perspective of others into account.
Fine Motor Skills also Develop further
Language Development has become more sophisticated
Parental Involvement is still a vital role, but peer influences are becoming more important to the child.
Physical Development:
1. Because Children are experiencing large growth spurts a healthy and nutritious diet is still very important to their development.
2. Children in Middle childhood become increasingly interested in organized sports and activities such as baseball or ballet at this age as a result of their motor development.
3. At ages 6-7 children learn how to tie their shoelaces and hold small items properly such as pencils and pens.
Cognitive Development:
In what is called Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage children are better able to think about problems from multiple angles at once, also called decentration. Also, children understand seriation, that is to place items in order or a series according to a trait, such as largest animal to smallest animal.
Moral development makes progress during middle childhood. According to Piaget, children of this age are in the Autonomous Morality stage. This means that children in middle childhood make moral judgments based on the motives of a person and the amount of damage done.
Language Development has become more sophisticated and children begin to realize that one word can have multiple meanings, also articulation and grammar have improved. Being bilingual is firmly established at this point for children that have been exposed to two languages.
Social/Emotional Development:
Because children are reaching an age where they better self-regulate, parents now play more of a co-regulating role with their child. That means the child takes on more of the responsibility to regulate their own behavior.
Because children in Middle childhood children are better able to think of a situation from another’s perspective it is easier for parents and teachers to explain complex situations to children. Such as why people cry when they are happy as well as sad.
Peers are beginning to play a bigger role in the middle childhood’s life. Parents are still vital, but elementary age children begin to experience pressure to conform as well as build important social skills (sharing, relating to leaders and handling aggressive behavior). (Rathus, 2011).

4. Why is it so Important For us to Work Together?
Promotes Motivation and Achievement in Your Child
Sends a Message to your Child that Education is Important!
You Model Constructive Ways to Solve Academic Problems
Teaches your Child how to Make Wise Educational Decisions
You will Learn From Other Parents
Builds Bridges Between Home Culture and School Culture
Your Child will Receive More Consistent Messages from School and Home
According to Berk (2013), Keeping tabs on your child’s educational progress, communicating with teachers often and ensuring that your child is being challenged by well-taught courses will promote motivation and achievement in your child.
Also, Berk (2013) states that being involved in your child’s education you are sending a message that education is important to you and to them.
By interacting and communicating with your child’s teachers you are modeling you your child how to constructively solve academic issues that may arise.
Because you are involved in your child’s education from an early age, when they get a little older they will have an understanding as to what wise educational goals and decisions look like.
The networking and interaction that you receive from other parents can prove invaluable to you and your child’s educational experience. You can gain an insight into what teachers or classes may better suit your child, based on information from another parent for example.
By communicating regularly with teachers and staff and being involved in your child’s education and school community the highway of information flows both ways. You gain important insights, but the school community also gains knowledge about your families culture and can more easily incorporate the school and home cultures.
When families and teachers work together your child will be receiving the same message from both and consistency is very important, especially in the Elementary child. (Berk, L., 2013, Pg 647).

5. Bronfenbrennar’s Ecological Systems Theory: A Funny Name with Important Ideas!
Urie Bronfenbrennar studied Child Development and all of the important elements of a child’s life that effected how they grew and developed. As a result he established this: the Ecological Systems Theory.
This theory is so important to understanding how we all play an important role in your child’s life. In the center of this circle is your child and within that circle are the aspects of his or her environment that directly effect them or have the most significant influence, called the Microsystem. Notice within this Microsystem are us, your child’s school, you and your immediate family, as well as peers, Doctors and church.
The interaction between the different environments within the Microsystem is called the Mesosystem. For example, our interaction as teacher and parent operates within the mesosystem.

6. Why is The Ecological Systems Theory so Important?
“Witness the American ideal: the Self-Made Man. But there is no such person. If we can stand on our own two feet, it is because others have raised us up. If, as adults, we can lay claim to competence and compassion, it only means that other human beings have been willing and enabled to commit their competence and compassion to us--through infancy, childhood, and adolescence, right up to this very moment” ~Urie Bronfenbrennar
The Ecological Systems Theory is so important to understanding and building community, teacher and family involvement because we all have such an impact on the children who surround us. We can all work together to positively effect our children and have a positive influence on who they become not only as learners, but members in our society. By understanding the Ecological systems theory we can apply its concept to building a learning community where our children benefit from us working together as a team.

7. School Learning Community and Epstein’s Types of Involvement
There are Six Types of Involvement Styles:
Parenting Style
Communicating Style
Volunteering Style
Learning at Home
Decision Making
Collaborating with the Community
“…a school learning community includes educators, students, parents, and community partners who work together to improve the school and enhance students' learning
opportunities. One component of a school learning community is an organized program of school, family, and community partnerships with activities linked to school goals. Research and fieldwork show that such programs improve schools, strengthen families, invigorate community support, and increase student achievement and success” (Epstein, J. Salinas, K., 2004). By getting you and your child’s family involved directly with your child’s learning experience we will create the most beneficial environment for your child to thrive and for all of us to support each other.
Epstein developed a school learning program that supports student achievement and success. This program is made up of 6 types of involvement that school programs can implement to positively effect children and support family and community involvement. These are: (slide)

8. Parenting How This Influences Learning and Development
Appropriate Ways we Could Implement This Style
Child Benefits:
• Awareness of family supervision; respect for parents.
• Positive personal qualities, habits, beliefs, and values, as taught by family.
• Balance between time spent on chores, on other activities, and on homework.
• Good or improved attendance.
• Awareness of importance of school.
Parent Benefits:
• Understanding of and confidence about parenting, child and adolescent development, and changes in home conditions for learning as children proceed through school.
• Awareness of own and others' challenges in parents.
• Feeling of support from school and other parents.
Parenting Strategy Groups:
Hold evening discussions on Middle Childhood and share effective parenting strategies, while also networking on other important topics related to parenting. Dinner will be provided by the local Salvation Army and childcare will be provided for those who request it in advance.
Epstein, J., (2004) Retrieved from
Raising a child is one of the most challenging things we will all do in our lives. Just when you think you have a grasp on your child’s phase of development they rapidly change to the next. We are continuously learning and in that learning process we seek the best ways to help them thrive. We are here to help! We want to invite you to join us for parent strategy groups where you can meet with other parents of children with similar ages, learn some research based parenting techniques and gain a true feeling of support and a place to turn to for help.

9. Communicating Style How This Influences Learning and Development
Appropriate Ways we Could Implement This Style
The Child Benefits:
• Awareness of own progress and of actions needed to maintain or improve grades.
• Understanding of school policies on behavior, attendance, and other areas of student conduct.
• Informed decisions about courses and programs.
The Parent Benefits:
• Understanding school programs and policies.
• Monitoring and awareness of child's progress.
• Responding effectively to students' problems.
• Interactions with teachers and ease of communication with school and teachers.
Coffee Mornings and Evenings:
Hold an early morning and evening “Coffee or Tea Time” every Wednesday.
This is an opportunity for parents to meet with other parents, teachers, administrators, and other staff involved with their child’s learning in order to discuss topics like homework, curriculum, testing and reading programs as well as many other topics. Translators will be available to encourage families of other language backgrounds to attend. Students are encouraged to attend with their family.
Epstein, J., (2004) Retrieved from

10. Volunteering How This Influences Learning and Development
Appropriate Ways we Could Implement This Style
The Child Benefits:
• Skill in communicating with adults.
• Increased learning of skills that receive tutoring or targeted attention from
volunteers.
• Awareness of many skills, talents, occupations, and contributions of parent and other volunteers.
The Parent Benefits:
• Understanding teacher's job, increased comfort in school, and carry-over of school activities at home.
• Self-confidence about ability to work in school and with children or to take steps to improve own education.
• Awareness that families are welcome and valued at school.
• Gains in specific skills of volunteer work.
Incorporate a “Diversity Celebration Program” where Parent and Community Volunteers provide culturally relevant items and work with students and staff on cultural “costumes,” plays, foods, and other creative displays. This program encourages the community and students to learn and appreciate other cultures within their environment. This is an ongoing program throughout the year.
Also, we have a Volunteer Roster where parents can sign up to be called when the school or community holds events that require volunteer help.
Epstein, J., (2004) Retrieved from
Having your direct involvement in the school is an invaluable way for us to come together as a team and a unified force to help you child.

11. Learning at Home How This Influences Learning and Development
Appropriate Ways we Could Implement This Style
Student Benefits:
• Gains in skills, abilities, and test scores linked to homework and classwork.
• Homework completion.
• Positive attitude toward schoolwork.
• View of parents as more similar to teacher and of home as more similar to school.
• Self-concept of ability as learner.
Parent Benefits:
• Know how to support, encourage, and help student at home each year.
• Discussions of school, classwork, and homework.
• Understanding of instructional program each year and of what child is learning in each subject.
• Appreciation of teaching skills.
• Awareness of child as a learner.
Family Literacy Night!
Join us every Thursday evening for a fun filled family night where we share new books as well as some old favorites concentrated on your child’s age and development. There will be literacy activities for students and families to engage in together.
Epstein, J., (2004) Retrieved from
With this approach we hope to foster family engagement and really express to your family how important this time is for you and your child.

12. Decision Making How This Influences Learning and Development
Appropriate Ways we Could Implement This Style
Child Benefits:
• Awareness of representation of families in school decisions.
• Understanding that student rights are protected.
• Specific benefits linked to policies enacted by parent organizations and experienced by
students.
Parent Benefits:
Input into policies that affect child's education.
• Feeling of ownership of school.
• Awareness of parents' voices in school decisions.
• Shared experiences and connections with other families.
• Awareness of school, district, and state policies
Link Families to Parent Representatives:
An important aspect of our parent/teacher meetings is to get information regarding school decision making to our families. We do this by providing contact information of school board parent representatives to all families during their parent/teacher meetings.
Epstein, J., (2004) Retrieved from
We want our families to be directly involved in the decision making process in our school. After all, these decisions directly effect your child and we want you to have every opportunity for involvement and to have a feeling of personal responsibility for what your child’s experience is here at school.

13. Collaborating With Community
How This Influences Learning and Development
Appropriate Ways we Could Implement This Style
Child Benefits:
• Increased skills and talents through enriched curricular and extracurricular experiences.
• Awareness of careers and of options for future education and work.
• Specific benefits linked to programs, services, resources, and opportunities that connect students with community
Parent Benefits:
• Knowledge and use of local resources by family and child to increase skills and talents or to obtain needed services
• Interactions with other families in community activities.
• Awareness of school's role in the community and of community's contributions to the school
Community Reading Activities:
Local Police, Firefighters, Doctors, and other community members come to school during, before and after school hours to hold a reading activity in the library. Families are encouraged to attend!
Medical and Health Awareness Days:
Our local Medical Center produces volunteers to come out and provide students and families with simple preventative testing, presentations on health and fitness as well as nutrition.
Epstein, J., (2004) Retrieved from
Involving the community in which we live is so important to model to our children how to be a part of their community and what wonderful things they can gain from that community and what they can contribute.

14. References
Berk, L. E. (2013).Child development. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Center for the Social Organization of Schools. (n.d.) Epstein’s Framework of the Six Types of Involvement. Retrieved from pdf. Epstein, J., & Salinas, K. (2004). Partnering with Families and Communities. Educational Leadership, 61(8), Retrieved from _epstein.pdf Rathus, S., (2011). CDEV: Child and Adolescent Development. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning