Family and Community Involvement in Early Childhood Education

Catalog description

This course focuses on strategies for developing family and culturally appropriate family-professional partnerships to benefit young children ages birth-4th grade (8yrs) of all abilities. Theories and research that support family-centered practices are explored. The courses also provides a focus on family and professional rights and responsibilities in the special education process. This course takes a family-centered perspective an emphasizes the role of collaborative planning with families and caregivers in inclusive environments. Stuents are expected to become familiar with the cultural context of the families with whom they are working an to consider ways in which their own socio-cultural context influences their work with families. To increase understanding of family perspectives, the impact of exceptionality on the family is stuies within the framework of family systems theory, functions, and the life cycle of the family. This course requires students to examine their values and beliefs about working with families, to challenge their assumptions, and to critically analyze their professional roles in working with families.