ASSIGNMENT #1: Family Involvement & Special Project*

Family Involvement Assignment

Professor Nidhi Menon
Carmen Yuen
500702866
CLD 262-041
Monday, October 3, 2016

ASSIGNMENT #1: Family Involvement & Special Project*

The three principles from the Guiding Principles of Family Support (2002) that I chose
were: family support programs are open to all families, recognizing that all families deserve
support. Family support programs affirm parenting to be a life-long learning process. Lastly,
family support programs advocate non-violence to ensure safety and security for all family
members. The meaning of the first chosen principal is that the programs are available for all
families to bring their children, and recognizes that all families deserve the support that they
need. In my placement site, there is a Parenting and Family Literacy Centre, which is a free
TDSB play based program for all parents who have children from infants to 6 years of age
(Board, T. D, n.d., para 1). There are many activities for the children and parents to partake in,
for example music time, family and story times, gym time and nutritional snacks. This centre
accommodates all families in providing children with developmental and play based learning
opportunities, nutritious snacks and that is free of charge. Through the childrens play and
learning, they build up important skills that support their smooth transitions to school, for
example communication, language and literacy skills, as well as fine and gross motor skills. In
addition, the centre supports emotional, cognitive and physical development. The next principal
is that this program shows parenting as a life-long learning process and parents constantly learn
something new and different each day. The parents learn to connect and communicate effectively
with their child and with other parents through daily activities. They are exposed to different
parenting styles and ways of disciplining children from the educator and other parents.
Therefore, they can see what changes they can make in their own parenting philosophies. The
last principal is that this program advocates for no violence, making sure that all family members
are safe. The program ensures that the learning environment is caring, safe, positive and

ASSIGNMENT #1: Family Involvement & Special Project*

respectful. The centre embraces and appreciates the diversity of all families promoting positive
interactions with others.
In my placement site, families are involved in their childrens learning and development
through providing an opportunity to communicate with their children using the French language.
The children are in the French Immersion Program and they have the opportunity to
communicate at home in French. For example, there is a mother who speaks French therefore;
she can also converse with her daughter in French at home. She can become more fluent in
understanding and speaking French in her school and home. On a daily basis, the children bring
back and take home these communication bags. They are sent home from school for the families
to see newsletters, their childrens artwork, and song folders. The parents can send any notes to
the teacher in the classroom through these communication bags. They can see the artwork that
their children made and talk about them together. The parents can really see their childrens
progress in fine motor, communication, language, and literacy skills. They can see the control in
the lines and the exploration of colors in their artwork. Through any written work, they can see
their childrens abilities to spell out words correctly and form simple sentences. The song folders
allow the children to practice singing the French songs at home. Parents can learn the songs as
well, and sing with them. Everyday, many parents drop off and pick up their children from
school. They provide them with lunch and money towards the snack and lunch programs.
Families are involved in bringing care to their childrens safety, health, and well-being. During
one special event, which was the Curriculum Night many parents came to experience the type of
environment that their children are exposed to daily. They want to be part of their childs learning
environment by understanding the curriculum of the French Immersion Program. They have the
opportunity to provide feedback regarding their thoughts of the program, and of the structure of

ASSIGNMENT #1: Family Involvement & Special Project*

the classroom. They have the opportunity to influence the program; if they feel concerned they
can speak to the teacher about it. For instance, there was a parent expressing their concern in
regards to the dismissal routine of having the children walk up to the fence with the teacher
before getting dismissed. She felt that it was not a good idea to have them all stand along the
fence, watching them one by one go to their parents or caregivers. She felt that it could affect her
childs well being in the winter. She spoke to the teacher about her concern, and after hearing the
response she accepted the routine as it was.
There is a specific mission statement in relation to family involvement at my placement
site. The mission of the school is to enable all students to be able to attain high levels of
achievement and to obtain the knowledge, skills, and values that they need to become
responsible members of a democratic society (Board, T. D, n.d., para 3). Students are able to
achieve high levels of success in the school with the many co-curricular and after school
enrichment programs. The programs help students reach their goals and meet the curriculum
standards of the school. In addition, the school provides several partnerships which includes;
Toronto Foundation for Student Success, The Learning Partnership, Arts for Children and Youth,
Scientists in School programs, Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club, and the Davenport-Perth
Neighborhood and Community Health Centre (Board, T. D, n.d., para 1). The school makes
sure all students are prepared for full day kindergarten through holding a Welcome to
Kindergarten night and a two-week program called Ready For School Connects (Board, T. D,
n.d., para 1). These programs are extremely helpful because they provide ample opportunities for
families to be involved in their childrens learning and development. The decision in allowing
their children to take part in these programs shows the familys involvement in their success in
school. Students are more capable of obtaining the knowledge, values, and skills that are needed

ASSIGNMENT #1: Family Involvement & Special Project*

to become responsible members in society when families are involved in these programs. The
mission of the school should not only value enabling students, however state that family
diversity, inclusive education for all students, and the accepting and belonging of all members
should also be valued. It is important to also consider families as a whole, embrace the diversity
of families, inclusion in education, and provide a sense of belonging in the school.
Drawing from my current coursework and other resources discusses that the value of
having families involved are because family involvement is extremely important for the success
of the school. Families are resources and advocates for programs in the school (Shimoni &
Baxter, p. 3, 2014). For example, parents are provided with opportunities to be involved through
taking part in assisting their children with their homework, volunteering in the school, or joining
the school council (Carleton Village Junior and Senior Public School, n.d., para 1). Families
are valued for the involvement and dedication of their time and efforts to help their children with
schoolwork. They are already valued for choosing the school that their child will attend. They are
participating in looking for appropriate programs that are beneficial for their children. Parents are
provided with the opportunity to influence or also control the programs where their children are
involved (Shimoni & Baxter, p. 241, 2014). The participation from families in expressing their
views of the programs benefits the staff, children and parents in these programs. Better changes
can be made to benefit every single member of these programs. Many parents are not directly in
the school, such as part of the school council, or volunteering in the school. However, they are
indirectly involved, such as helping their children with their homework. The participation and
given input from families in programs and extra curricular activities also show their involvement.
It is hard to see the needs of every single family and to accommodate every single one of those
needs. Therefore, it is extremely important for families to provide input on changes to programs

ASSIGNMENT #1: Family Involvement & Special Project*

that work for many others. The success of the students depend on the familys involvement in
their schoolwork, the particular school they attend, and the appropriateness of the programs.
I think that families can become more involved in their childs learning and development
by demonstrating more direct involvement in their school. For example, being a part of the
school council, expressing opinions of changes to be made in certain programs, volunteering in
the school, attending Curriculum Nights, and attending Parent and Teacher Interviews. Many
families are involved indirectly in their childs learning and development through homework
help, choosing the school and considering programs already. Families can even try attending and
being a part of the many partnerships of the school. Parents can bring their children to partake in
these partnerships that help with success in school, in making new friends and meeting new
people as well as engaging with other families. Some strategies that can enhance their
involvement are having more programs within the school, so that it is much more accessible for
families in the neighborhood. It is more convenient for families with children who live a walking
distance from the school or without a car. For children to stay healthy and physically active,
parents can allow their children to take part in sports activities. Families can also allow their
children to take part in more extra-curricular activities to make more friends and connect with
their teachers. They can take part in an activity together in their classroom such as having each
family give a piece of artwork by the child to put in a time capsule. They can come into their
childs classroom to see and compare their growth in the development of their skills from the
beginning to the end of the school year. There can be written quotes taken from what the children
say in French, which could develop into longer sentences, with photos of pieces of artwork.

Bibliography

ASSIGNMENT #1: Family Involvement & Special Project*

Board, T. D. (n.d.). School Parenting and Family Literacy Centre. Retrieved October 02, 2016,
from http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Findyour/Schools/SchoolPFLC.aspx?schno=5209
Board, T. D. (n.d.). Toronto District School Board Find your... Details. Retrieved October 01,
2016, from http://www.tdsb.on.ca/FindYour/details.aspx?schno=5209
Carleton Village Junior and Senior Public School. (n.d.). Carleton Village Junior and Senior
Public School Parents. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from
http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/carletonvillage/Parents.aspx
Shimoni, R. & Baxter, J. (2014) Working with families: Perspectives for Early Childhood Professionals (6th edition). Toronto: Pearson Education Canada.
The Guiding Principles of Family Support. (2002). Retrieved October 2, 2016, from
http://frp.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage