Our Children, Our Community, Our

Future
Heather Boyden
Early Childhood
"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.
Anonymous
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Early childhood development (from 2 to 6) is a time of
rapid physical, social, emotional and cognitive
development. Early childhood is not only a period of
amazing physical growth, it is also a time of remarkable
mental development. Cognitive abilities associated with
memory, reasoning, problem-solving and thinking
continue to emerge throughout childhood (Cherry, 2014,
p. 3). Children need the love and support of family,
school, and community in order to thrive in their
development.
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My role as a child development
professional is to encourage,
support, and respect children and
their families as they embark on
this amazing journey.
It is like to old saying, It takes a
village to raise a family. Through
partnerships with the school,
community, and family, we can all
work together to help your children
have a successful journey.

Did you know?

Parent, family, and community involvement in education correlates with higher academic performance and
school improvement
Research and fieldwork show that parent-school-partnerships improve schools, strengthen families, build
community support, and increase student achievement and success
Researchers cite parent-family community involvement as a key to addressing the school dropout crisis1 and note
that strong school-family-community partnerships foster higher educational aspirations and more motivated
students
What happens before and after school can be as important as what happens during the school day.
(Based on information provided by the NEA 2008)
Parents, families, educators and communitiestheres no better
partnership to assure that all students pre-K- to high schoolhave the
support and resources they need to succeed in school and in life (NEA,
2008, p.1)

At Lincoln Elementary School, there is a population of 765 students from PreK- 6
th
grade. Of these students, 94%
are eligible for free and/or reduced lunch and 58% of the students are second language learners. These statistics
show that parent and community partnerships are more crucial than ever. According to Berk (2013), Family-
neighborhood connections are especially important for economically disadvantaged children. In low-income
neighborhoods, in-school and after-school programs that substitute for lack of other resources by providing
child care and art, music, sports, scouting, and other enrichment activities are associated with improved
school performance and a reduction in emotional and behavioral problems in middle childhood (p. 27).
Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) is responsible for the
Ecological systems theory. Ecological systems theory views
the child as developing within a complex system of relationships
affected by multiple levels with environmental forces to mold
development (Berk, 2013, p. 26)
The mesosystem deals with interactions between home
(microsystem), school, neighborhood, and child care center.
Interactions that the parent and child have with school and
the community can have a direct impact on the childs
behavior and development. It is through these interactions
that the child learns about the world around them. They
learn about themselves and others and also how they fit
into the world.
Epstein's Framework of Six Types of I nvolvement
TYPE 1
PARENTING
TYPE 2
COMMUNICATING
TYPE 3
VOLUNTEERING
TYPE 4
LEARNING AT HOME
TYPE 5
DECISION MAKING
TYPE 6
COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNTY
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Parenting
Provides programs and
assistance to families that help
support a healthy and
educational home environment.
Involvement between parents, school, and
community can help provide assistance and
programs that are geared toward their childs
health and development.
The school can hold
monthly meetings to
address questions
or concerns the
families might have.
Type I
Communicating
Communication is key to the
success of the childs learning and
development. Both the parents and
the school will be involved with the
student and their progress.
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Type 2
Effective ongoing communication
between school and home.
Weekly folders will be
sent home every Friday
so communication is
ongoing with parents
and teachers.
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Volunteering
Type 3
Recruit the help of parents. This
allows parents to become more
involved and gives teachers extra
help.
When parents volunteer
in the classroom,
children learn how to
communicate and
interact with other
adults.
Set up flexible
schedules and many
opportunities for
parents to volunteer
and spend some time
in the classroom.
Learning at home Provides interaction between
families and their children. Allows
parents to support their childs
education.
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Type 4
Provide information and ideas to
families so they can help their
children with homework.
Send books home daily
with children so they can
read them to their
parents.
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Decision Making
Type 5
Include families in the school
decision making process.
This allows for all voices to be heard
and parents are able to make
choices for their children.
Set up an
organization (PTO)
that allows parents
to be part of the
school decision
making process. Let
their voices be
heard.
Collaborating with Community
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Type 6
Identify and integrate resources and
services from the community to
strengthen school programs, family
practices, and student learning and
development (Epstein, nd, p. 6).
Promotes interaction between
children and community. Children
learn about their community
through the socialization process.
The school and community
can partner up and have the
students set up a recycling
program.
References
Cherry, K. (2014). An Overview of Early Childhood Development. About.com.Psychology.
Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/ss/early-
childhood-development_3.htm
Epstein, J. (n.d.). Epstein's framework of six types of involvement. Retrieved from
http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement(2).p
df








NEA. (2008). Parent, Family, Community Involvement In Education. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB11_ParentInvolvement08.pdf

Berk, L. E. (2013). Child development. Boston: Pearson Education