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This second edition of Parent-Friendly Early Learning brings to life real scenarios that care providers face in today's world. We know parent engagement is important for a child's success, but how do you turn parent-provider relationships into partnerships? Learn how to improve parent-teacher communication, deal with family issues and special complications, and how to work with the modern family.
Julie Powers has worked with children, families, educators, and communities for over forty years. She started preschool programs at the Dodge Nature Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, an inclusion-based program for Catalina Foothills School District in Tucson, Arizona, and was a consultant for the Air Force Child Development Centers. She has taught at colleges across the country and is currently an associate professor of early childhood education at University of Hawaii Maui College.
"Strategies indeed! Julie Powers anticipates most dilemmas that come up between teachers and with parents and offers helpful ways to think through what to do in the moment and how to build strong relationships before and after a dilemma might emerge. I especially like how with each scenario she helps the reader identify the problem, be self-aware, and consider the parent’s perspective." — Margie Carter, best-selling author of Design's for Living and Learning
"From developing and enforcing new policies and understanding the modern family's special concerns and challenges to using social media and developing or revising school or classroom policies, this encourages teachers to understand and tackle the basics of communicating with parents. The addition of case history examples makes for a specific, important guide especially recommended for teachers who find parents challenging and who want to craft better lines of communication with improved results for all."
—California Bookwatch
"Thoroughly 'user friendly' in commentary, organization and presentation, Parent Engagement in Early Learning: Strategies for Working with Families is very highly recommended for academic library Professional Development and Parent Participation reference collections and supplemental studies curriculums."
— Midwest Book Review
Introduction
Chapter 1: Developing Relationships with Families
Scenario 1: What is Going on at School? or Building Trust
Scenario 2: Fear of Men, Strangers, and Dangerous Persons, or the Boogeyman
Scenario 3: The Parent Who Drains You, or "Excuse me, but I have some children here who need my attention."
Chapter 2: Communicating with Families
Scenario 4: Recommending Children for Assessment, or "What is wrong with Tim?"
Scenario 5: When Parents Don't Read Your Newsletters, or "Why didn't you tell me she has a field trip today?"
Chapter 3: Policies that Work for Families and Staff
Scenario 6: Parents who Don't Follow School Rules, or "But we're special!"
Scenario 7: Fear of Health Problems Part 1, or The Sun Devil
Scenario 8: Fear of health Problems Part 2, or Typhoid Mary
Scenario 9: The Parent Who Won't Leave, or "How can I miss you when you won't say good-bye?"
Scenario 10: The Late Parent, or "Is it 6:15 already?"
Scenario 11: The Parent Who Wants Special Treatment, or "If it's not too much trouble..."
Scenario 12: The Child with Special Needs, or "Why didn't you tell us?"
Chapter 4: Finding Common Values between Home and School
Scenario 13: When Beliefs from home and the Program Don't Match, or Holidaze
Scenario 14: Controlling Pretend Play, or "Not my son!"
Scenario 15: Fear of Losing Influence over One's Own Child or "Whose child is this anyway?"
Scenario 16: Separating Twins, or "Why can't my boys be together?"
Chapter 5: Child Development Issues
Scenario 17: Taking School Toys Home, or "My little Jesse James"
Scenario 18: The Parent Who Personalizes her Child's Rejection, or "Then you can't come to my birthday party."
Scenario 19: The New School Year, or "Where are my daughter's friends?"
Scenario 20: The Child Who Can Do No Wrong, or "Not my baby!"
Chapter 6: Involving Your Director to Work Well with Families
Appendix: Checklist for Analyzing Scenarios
References