There is overwhelming evidence that children benefit when early years educators and parents work together (Excellence in Schools, 1997). Research has shown that 'young children achieve more and are happier when early years educators work together with parents and share ideas about how to support and extend children's learning' (Athey, 1990; Meade, 1995).
Having in place systems that support an ongoing dialogue between parents and early years educators is critical. Only then will early years practitioners be able to foster a child's learning and development, both in the setting and within the home, and respond appropriately to a child's current interests and situation (see case studies).
If you are thinking about developing your work with parents, an important first step is to discuss with colleagues your beliefs and values in relation to engaging parents more actively in your setting.
Just as parents may feel threatened and nervous when talking to professionals, many professionals feel unsure of their role when talking to parents. It can be helpful, therefore, to share your fears and anxieties with colleagues in a supportive environment, for example during a staff meeting or training session. This process of discussion with colleagues will enable you to acknowledge any apprehensions and gain reassurance from each other.
VALUE BASE
At the Pen Green Centre, we agreed that the following six values underpin our work with parents:
Parents and children both have rights
* Services to support families are not always fairly distributed. We need to find a balance so that both parents and children get what they want from early years services.
Being a parent is a complex and difficult role
* No one is trained to become a parent. Most of us would welcome support for what can be a lonely and demanding job.
Parenting is a key concern for both men and women
* Fathers, as well as mothers, have rights and responsibilities as parents.
Fathers are often ignored and undervalued. Early years settings need to involve fathers as well as mothers.
It is important to believe that parents are deeply committed to their children
* We need to begin with the firm belief that all parents are interested in the development and progress of their own children. Parents want to be effective advocates on their children's behalf. The StartRight Report (Ball, 1994) acknowledged parents' deep commitment to their own children and described parents as having their own 'proper competences'.
Early years educators need to recognise parents' roles as their child's first and most enduring educator
* Developing a genuine partnership with parents involves power sharing and requires staff to work in an enabling and respectful way.
Educators must create a culture of high expectations in early years centres In the area served by the Pen Green Centre, very few adults have traditionally gone on to further or higher education. Staff need to believe in the parents' deep commitment to their children's learning. They need to encourage parents to increase their knowledge and understanding. Parents and staff need to have high expectations of the children. They can work together to give the children the best possible start.
If workers and parents have shared aspirations for children, then they are more likely to foster children's emotional well-being and cognitive development in settings and at home.
GOOD EXAMPLES
We knew that it was important to have an equal and active relationship with parents, but this was easier to say than to do. What helped us was to build on the work of others, among them Patrick Easen at Newcastle University. He says, 'The roles of professional experience and parents' everyday experience are seen as complementary but equally important. The former constitutes a "public" (and generalised) form of "theory" about child development, while the latter represents a "personal theory" about the development of a particular child' (Easen et al, 1992).
We realised that we could have a more equal relationship with parents if we shared our knowledge of child development with the parents. Chris Athey, as director of the Froebel Project during the 1970s, shared the theory of how children learn through 'repeated patterns of actions' (schemas) with parents. She says that 'Nothing gets under a parent's skin more quickly or more permanently than the illumination of his or her own child's behaviour.
The effect of participation can be profound' (1990, p66).
WAYS OF WORKING
At the Pen Green Centre over the past 20 years, we have worked with parents in many different ways. Traditionally our work with parents has been described as focusing on children's needs, or focusing on adults' needs.
Groups focusing on children's needs include:
* drop-in groups for parents and children to play together
* baby massage for parents and children to enjoy close contact.
Groups focusing on adults' needs provide:
* long-term support, for example, for single parents or for parents of children with additional needs
* education, for example, through study groups, computer classes or GCSE Ordinary and Advanced levels
* health and self-help, for example, by encouraging parents to stop smoking.
Overleaf we show some of the methods we use.
FURTHER READING
* Athey, C (1990) Extending Thought in Young Children: A Parent Teacher Partnership, Paul Chapman, London
* Bion, W (1962) Learning from Experience, Heinemann, London.
* Bowlby, J (1969) Attachment and Loss, Vol 1, Hogarth, London.
* Easen, P et al (1992) Parents and Educators: Dialogue and Developing through Partnership, Children and Society 6:4 pp 282-296.
* Fonagy, P, Steele, M, Moran, G, Steele, H and Higgitt, A (1991) Measuring the Ghost in the Nursery: A Summary of the main Findings of the Anna Freud Centre-University College, London Parent-Child Study. Bulletin of the Anna Freud Centre, 14, 115-131.
* Growing Together at the Pen Green Centre (2004) and Involving Parents in Their Children's Learning Training Pack (2000), Pen Green Centre, Corby, Northants
* Laevers, F (1997) A process-oriented approach to child monitoring, Centre for Experiential Education, Leuven University, Belgium.
* Trevarthen, C (2001) Tuning into Children: Motherese and Teacherese, Pen Green Conference, March.
* Whalley, M (1994) Learning to be Strong, Hodder and Stoughton, London.
* Whalley, M (Ed) (1997) Working with Parents, Hodder and Stoughton, London.
* Whalley, M and Arnold, C (1997) Effective Pedagogic Strategies, TTA Summary of Research Findings.
* Whalley and the Pen Green Team (2001) Involving Parents in Their Children's Learning, Paul Chapman, London.
CASE STUDIES
Bob
Bob started nursery when he was two and a half years old. He was not using much language at the time. After the settling-in period, he seemed happy but quite aggressive in his play. Bob liked nothing better than to throw heavy objects across the outdoor area. He would shout as he did this. His worker was struggling to understand and to support and extend his play until his mother mentioned that he enjoyed going to the civic amenity tip with his grandad.
Once his keyworker understood that he was role-playing what he had seen his grandad do at the tip, she was able to set up an area for Bob to play 'going to the tip'. His worker and other staff were able to offer him language to accompany his actions and real experiences to extend his knowledge of going to the tip.
Courtney
Courtney (pictured) was looking at a book about her family. She told Denise (the worker anchored in the area where she was playing), 'Look. My granny's sad'. Denise listened and allowed Courtney to ask about why her granny was feeling sad. Denise knew that Courtney's granny's brother had just died and was able to talk with Courtney about this. Courtney was trying to make sense of what had happened and was also wondering why granny was staying at home rather than going to work that day. Courtney went on to talk to Denise about other members of her family before expressing her wish that her granny could stay with her. Finally, she asked Denise why her great- uncle had died. Denise was honest and said, 'I don't know why he died, darling'.
By knowing what had happened within Courtney's family, Denise was able to support Courtney in trying to make sense of her great-uncle's death and its effect on the rest of the family.
