Classroom Communities/Parent Involvement

I am focusing on early childhood mental health, DAP practices, and parent involvement.
In this module I wanted to focus on parent involvement and creating classroom communities.  I observed in a preschool and a pre-k classroom and talked with the teachers as well as the administrative assistant about how the classrooms and the center tries to foster a sense of community in the classrooms and how they try and encourage family involvement  in the center.

Looking around the classrooms home and school connections were evident. I noticed pictures of the children and their families throughout the room as well as a family of the week posted outside each classroom. In both rooms there were class rules posted, and it was evident that the children knew the class rules. There was also an area called a “safe space” meant for one child where they can go if they wanted to be alone or if they were having a hard time.  I also noticed posters on the wall with some problem solving strategies. I didn’t see these used much in the time I spent, but in talking with the teacher she stated that when the children are having a conflict, they go over to the posters, which are very visual, and the teacher helps then determine which strategies they should try to work it out.

When talking with the administrative assistant, she told me that they have a lending library for families to take home books to read with their children. She also said that the classrooms have weekend take home packs with activities that are signed out by the families (2 families per week) that are used to increase parent involvement. There are also a couple parents involved in an action team that meets monthly to plan special events and a couple former parents on the board of directors.

The center also does a monthly newsletter, has a web site and a Facebook page. They use technology to try and reach the parents and share information regularly.

I also noticed good daily communication between the families and the teachers at drop off and pick up times.

If anyone has any information on strategies you use to increase parent involvement or on building classroom communities please feel free to share that info.

Interviewing Professionals In Early Childhood

I am the director of a child care facility in Euclid Ohio (kiddiecityeuclid.org). Because my site meets the requirements for this class I have chosen to do my internship there. I feel that this will give me a good opportunity to apply what I am learning at my place of employment and be able to implement the research I am doing in advocacy situations that I am already involved in.

When I started this process I felt that there were so many things that can be advocated for in the field...funding, worthy wages, special education, early childhood mental health, parent involvement, DAP (especially in K-3), health initiatives, the list can be endless.

I interviewed two people who I work closely with at my center, Sally McClintock, a licensed social worker who works for a program called daycare plus through the Positive Education Program and Donna Sudar, a preschool co-op director and Vice President of the Euclid City Schools School Board.
Both had a lot of insight and opinions and they helped me focus my topic for advocacy.

Sally felt that early childhood mental health is a crucial area to be an advocate. In this area she felt that there should be advocacy for parent involvement and improving environments; building a sense of community in classrooms and building better communities to live in. If children had more connections in life many early childhood mental health issues could be eliminated. Sally also felt that there needs to be more of a focus on social emotional development and less of a focus on academics. The academics will fall into place if a child's social and emotional needs are met. Some advocacy efforts in Sally's area of expertise are training on trauma informed care and conscious discipline as well as initiatives through the department of mental health to do DECA studies on children to see how they are rating in mental health issues.

This last statement goes well with what Donna Sudar felt was the biggest issue that needs more advocacy, DAP. She feels that DAP for young children is lost sight of in the standards. She thinks there should be more efforts through NAEYC in controlling politicians to show that current expectations are out of line with DAP. Other areas that Donna felt could use advocacy are parent support and education and parent involvement. She feels as educators we need to realize that children cannot fit into a mold. We have to meet each child's individual needs and also look at the individual needs of each family we work with. An advocacy effort Donna is involved in is PTA Kindergarten backpacks. These packs are sent home to every child registered to start Kindergarten in the Euclid City Schools. They include developmentally appropriate activities that the parents can do with their children over the summer to help them get ready for Kindergarten. The thought process with these packs is to increase DAP and parent involvement. She also is an advocate to not have children enter Kindergarten early. Many parents want their child tested into Kindergarten at the age of 4. Because most children are not socially and emotionally ready at the age of 4 she encourages families and centers in the area to not push children to enter Kindergarten early.

Test Post

This blog will serve as a record of my internship experience at Kendall College.