Analysis of the Significance and Effects of working in collaborative partnerships with young children and their families

This essay presents the writer’s analysis of the significance and effects of working in collaborative partnerships with young children and their families. Further, a set of principles that will ensure collaborative partnerships which will facilitate building resilience and support positive outcomes for young children and their families will be raised.

Early childhood centres in New Zealand provide a diversity of service and support to the families depending upon the varying “philosophies of EC education services” (Duncan, Bowden, and Smith 2006). The centres’ philosophies may vary; however, the centres’ implementation of “child's rights in early childhood” (Convention on the Rights of the Child 2005, p.4) is observed. This is an act that can “effectively prevent personal, social and educational difficulties” that may occur in “middle childhood and adolescence” (CRC 2005, p.4).

EC education is the most practical means of making children learn the "non-cognitive abilities such as motivation, trustworthiness, self-discipline, perseverance and dependability" (Heckman & Krueger 2005; Schweinhart, Montie, Xiang, Barnett, Belfield, Nores 2005 as cited in Jacobson and Notman 2018). These soft skills are crucial in confronting life challenges when they grow old and “are essential for success” (Heckman & Krueger 2005; Schweinhart et al. 2005 as cited in Jacobson and Notman 2018).

Quality early childhood education (Duncan, 2006; Jacobson and Notman 2018; CRC 2005 p.4) has been proven to be effective in preparing a child for adulthood/life. Research labeled as Perry Pre-school study (Scheinhart et al. 2005 as cited in Jacobson and Notman 2018) confirmed that “those who had quality ECE had higher lifetime earnings, were more likely to hold a job, had committed fewer crimes, and were more likely to have graduated from high school than those who did not” (Scheinhart et al. 2005 as cited in Jacobson and Notman 2018). This study was conducted in Michigan from 1962 to 1967. One hundred twenty-three “African-American children from high poverty families” ((Scheinhart et al. 2005 as cited in Jacobson and Notman 2018) were chosen as research subjects. They were divided into two groups, one group categorized as the recipient of a quality ECE program and the other without preschool experience. Forty years after, an interview with the subjects who still lived was administered and such was the result, a verification that ECE is of vital importance during the developmental stage of every child (Duncan 2006). For the attainment of quality ECE parents’ participation is a must. In a study conducted by Wiley, Thompson and Kerslake Hendricks 1996 as cited in Duncan, Bowden and Smith 2006) parents “identified the benefits from being involved in their child’s EC service as support, friendship, and company”. They said that they understand the activities, the teachers, and their children better as they got involved in EC programmes, thus leading to quality childhood education.

Collaboration is synonymous with teamwork or partnership (collinsdictionary.com) wherein people involved work together for the achievement of a certain goal or target. One example of this is the collaboration among medical experts and specialists in the Ministry of Health as they designed strategies and safety plans for the protection of the individual and his/her whānau (health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines). In the Ministry of Health’s website, a page featuring the vaccines available and booster doses as well as the side effects and reactions as one gets vaccinated. Apparently, this collaboration saved the people from misinformation and Coronavirus disease.

In early childhood education, school authorities are advised “to provide programmes that complement the parents’ role and are developed as far as possible in partnership with parents, including through active cooperation between parents, professionals” for the complete development of the child’s personality and potentials (CRC, art 29.1 (b)). “Working with families” (Sanders and Munford 2010) fosters the advancement of life chances especially for the children in poverty. Nowadays, “family involvement is seen as a means to an end; partnerships with families” (Stonehouse, 2011). According to Duncan (2006) the context of relationship between the teachers and the parents/families changed in response to the “families’ changing needs and the recognition that the family is the cornerstone of the child's education, care and over-all well-being”, thus the modification of the terminologies, from “working with parents to partnership with parents” and now “collaboration with parents” (p.14).Further, “reconceptualisation” of the part played by EC centres to families transpired (Duncan 2006). Collaboration with parents generated EC centres the image of an institution that accord services for “wider health, resilience and robustness of children and families and whanau, within a wider community of relationships” (Duncan 2006).

“The family provides the initial resources for making sense of the world” (Drewery, and Claiborne 2010/2012). The family and its members are the foundation of the child’s language, behavior, and dispositions. This idea relates to Smith’s (2013) as he writes “children’s lives are profoundly influenced by their family/whānau experiences”. From birth to adulthood people undergo “transitions”, (Smith 2013) and during each transition, there are others who become part of it. However, nobody among those ‘others’ “provides the most stable and enduring feature” of one’s life (Smith 2013) except the family.

Provision of constant interaction regarding academics or school activities, household chores that teach children specific intrapersonal skills like self-control, assertiveness and resilience, purposeful directions through games during family or leisure time, guidance as the child does his/her homework, reads, or tells a story constitute to the children’s learning of “diligence, independence and commitment” (Amatea, Smith-Adcock, and Villares 2006) and to the formation of the child’s schema that is significant to his success in academics (Clark, 1983; Dornbush et al., 1987 as cited in Amatea et al 2006).

References:

Collaboration. Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/collaboration

Convention on thr Rights of the Child (September 2005). Committee on the Rights of the Child Fortieth Session Geneva, 12-30 September 2005. Retrieved from https://www.refworld.org/docid/460bc5a62.html

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Duncan, J., Bowden, C. & Smith, A.B. (2006). A Gossip or a Good Yack? Reconceptualizing Parent Support in New Zealand Early Childhood Centre Based Programmes. International Journal of Early Years Education. Vol.14 No.1, March 2006, pp.1-13. Retrieved from https://web.s.ebscohost.com.vlib.interchange.at/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=97e8b572-ee5b-4225-baec-f2ee9563a68a%40redis.

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