Family, School and Community

Catalog description

This course explores the idea that interacting with the early childhood student extends beyond education programs that focus on child-centered care to family-centered practices, taking into account that the early education student always comes to school in a context. UrieBronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development is introduced to emphasize the numerous influences on early childhood students, including families, teachers, schools, communities, and so forth. This course explores how building relationships with families requires inclusive collaboration, effective communication, and ongoing development for parents and the adults in the early childhood student’s lives. This course examines developmental theory and adds diverse perspectives from a base of solid academics, constructivist theory, and the experiences of the author of the text.