Child, Family, and Community: Family-Centered Early Care Education

9780135132302

0135132304

This popular text discusses the effect that contexts, such as families, child care programs, schools, media, and communities, have on child development and education. It provides many strategies for professionals to help children and families resolve conflicts, advocate, understand issues and differences, and maximize children's potential. Throughout the field, this text is known for its excellent coverage of cultural responsiveness and providing many helpful, descriptive scenarios. To respond to shifting needs, this edition includes some key changes:Broader Theoretical Focus includes Ecological Theory and Family Systems Theory. This edition expands the coverage of Bronfenbrenner's theory of ecological development and helps students to look at children in the contexts in which they are raised so that they can better address their needs. Family systems theory gives students a framework for understanding family dynamics, which helps them to relate better to children and their families.Expanded Coverage Includes New Chapter on School-Age Children. Chapter 5 has been added to this edition to accommodate course coverage of school-age children. It includes discussion of children transitioning from the initiative stage to that of industry, how family-centered approaches can ease children's entry into kindergarten, affirmations and the power of positive adult attention, and teaching morals by promoting prosocial behaviors.Greater Focus on Strategies for Communicating and Working Collaboratively with Diverse Families. This revision includes new strategy sections in each chapter on "Strategies for Working with Diverse Families" and a more deliberate focus in the prose on including suggestions for working with all types of families in a collaborative way.Author Janet Gonzalez-Mena is working on an NAEYC project, "Strengthening Family-Professional Partnerships", which trains trainers and focuses on building relationships and communication strategies between ECE professionals and families.