Benefits and Challenges Essay

Using your text and the article, Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education, give four examples of the benefits and challenges of a Family-Centered Approach. Each of the four examples should include the child, the family, and the teacher’s perspective. Benefits: The child: One huge benefit is emotional security. Some children entering an early childhood program have separation anxiety, they feel stressed and overwhelmed when their parents leave them at school. If the child’s parent(s) are with them at school they can concentrate on learning and new discoveries at school. The child â€Å"strengths and needs† are also better understood in the class with the family present. Children also benefit by seeing the family and teacher interacting with each other in an adult manner by talking and sometimes having disagreements and resolving their issues as well. Children see teachers and parents developing positive, healthy relationships. Modeling good behavior is the best way for a child to learn. The Family: It is healthy for the family to be involved with their children at school, not only for the child but for the family as well. Families can feel alone at time if they have nobody around so the school can act as another family unit. Families need to be involved and aware of what their children are learning in school to see if it meets up to their family needs and if they are present they can see and hear what is being taught. It is also important to see how the child interacts with peers in a different setting rather than at home. Parents can learn from the teacher a better aspect of what the teacher is doing with the child during the day. The Teacher: The teacher can better accommodate the child if he/she has a better understanding of the family life as a whole. Families can help the teachers gain better strategies and guidance when working and observing different cultural backgrounds. Developing a strong partnership between the teacher and family will be beneficial to everyone. Parents can learn new things about their children by watching them with the teachers. Challenges: The Child: The child may torn and overwhelmed when the teacher is developing their emotional and social side when the parents want the child to learn at all times. If both parents work or if it is a single parent household, the child may look around at the other children with their families and feel sad that the he/she doesn’t have his/her family. The teacher and parent may not agree on teaching methods and interfere with the child’s learning. The Family: The family may have different views that can cause conflict with the teacher. Sometimes people just do not get along and if this is the case with the child’s teacher and family it may have a negative effect on the child’s learning. The family may not have the time to help the child out at school because of work. The Teacher: A teacher can easily judge a family, they need to be very cautious of this and stop it before it happens. Teachers can be more knowledgeable with their children and make the families aware of this and this may offend some of the families. It is difficult for the teacher to know every cultural background of the students. The teacher may get a lot of grief and disagreements if the family does not approve of the teaching method.