Parent Presentation

Rhonda Berryhill
ECE 497-Child Development Capstone
Instructor: Chandra Farmer
Nov. 3, 2016

Lincoln Elementary School

Although Gilbert, Arizona is a big city, we are proud of the fact that family
and community are of the utmost importance!
We at Lincoln Elementary School must establish a connection, build relationships, and form a
partnership with our students, the teachers, the faculty, and the families. Building a partnership
will ensure the success of our students academically, socially, and emotionally!
This presentation will provide the framework of how we can get started by building this partnership!
Facts about our school*We have 765 students enrolled from pre-k to sixth grade.
*The majority of our students here at Lincoln
are Hispanic.
*94% of our students are eligible for free or reduced lunch
*58 % of our students are second language learners

What You Can Expect From Me

As a Child Development Professional, I am here to serve you in many ways

I will educate our community on the needs of our children. I will do this through conferences,
workshops, presentations and trainings.

I will be a valuable resource for parents, children and families.

I will guide and nourish the children in everyday learning.

I will coordinate special events and activities in order to create partnerships, a connection and
sense of community.

I will facilitate learning with engaging activities and environments.

I will dedicate myself to the children and families of Lincoln Elementary to ensure their success!

Early Childhood

The Early Childhood Development Period is from the ages 2 to 6.

The body becomes longer and leaner, motor skills are refined, and children become more
self-controlled and self-sufficient. Make-believe play blossoms, supporting every aspect of
psychological development. Thought and language expand at an astounding pace, a sense of
morality becomes evident, and children establish ties with peers (Berk, 2013, p. 6).

Bronfenbrenners Ecological System

Theorist Urie Bronfenbrenners belief was that child development is influenced by many
different types of environmental systems.

Microsystem- The innermost level of the environment, the microsystem , consists of activities
and interaction patterns in the childs immediate surroundings (Berk, 2013, p. 27).
Mesosystem- The second level of Bronfenbrenners model, the mesosystem, encompasses
connections between microsystems, such as home, school, neighborhood, and childcare center
(Berk, 2013, p. 27).

Exosystem- The exosystem consists of social settings that do not contain children but that
nevertheless affect childrens experiences in immediate settings (Berk, 2013, p. 28).
Macrosystem- The outermost level of Bronfenbrenners model, the macrosystem, consists of
cultural values, laws, customs, and resources (Berk, 2013, p. 28).
Chronosystem- According to Bronfenbrenner, the environment is not a static force that affects
children in a uniform way. Instead, it is ever-changing (Berk, 2013, p. 28).

Mesosystem

The mesosystem is extremely important during the early childhood period.

For example, a childs academic progress depends not just on activities
that take place in the classrooms but also on parent involvement in school
life and on the extent to which academic learning is carried over into the
home (Berk, 2013, p. 27).

Family-neighborhood connections are especially important for

economically disadvantaged children (Berk, 2013, p. 27).

Our goal is to build strong relationships and connections between our

school and our community!

Epsteins Six Types of Involvement

PARENTING
COMMUNICATING
VOLUNTEERING
LEARNING AT HOME
DECISION MAKING
COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY

Parenting

Parenting sets the environment to support and encourage learning for each
age and developmental period.

According to Epstein, Parenting helps all families establish home

environments to support children as students
(http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement)

We can help!
The teachers, school, and community can help by offering trainings,
workshops and educational classes geared towards topics that families face
in todays world. We will choose topics that will help you to support your
child and family in various ways!

Communicating

Communications about school programs and student progress to

mean two-way, three-way, and many-way channels of communication
that connects schools, families, students, and the community
(http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement)

We can help!
We will improve our communication system by providing conferences
with parents frequently.
We will provide Spanish speaking translators when needed.
We will improve by sending home newsletters, memos, and other written
communication on a regular basis.
We will follow up as needed!

Volunteering

Volunteering is a wonderful way for students, parents, and teachers to

connect! It is a way for parents to understand the job of a teacher. It is also
a great way for a parent to experience what the child is learning at school
so she can expand upon it at home. Volunteering bridges the gap between
school and home.

We can help!
Our school will begin to organize and recruit parents to volunteer in many
different capacities. We will have something for everyone! We are looking
for everyone to be involved. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays will be
declared our volunteer days. We will be contacting parents soon to fill the
positions.

Learning at Home
Help at home to mean encouraging, listening, reacting, praising,
guiding, monitoring, and discussing-not teaching school subjects
(http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement )

Homework to mean not only work done alone, but also interactive
activities shared with others at home or in the community, linking
schoolwork to real life
(http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement)

We can help!
We will provide information on how you can help your students at home!
The information will include tips for helping with homework and other ideas
related to curriculum. We will also provide a book-exchange program free of
charge and set up computers for families to use.

Decision Making

Decision making to mean a process of partnership, of shared views

and actions toward shared goals, not just a power struggle between
conflicting ideas
(http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement)

When parents are included in school decisions, the students experience the
benefits!

We can help!
We encourage all parents to join our parent organization groups. Together
we will face challenges and work towards solutions. We will be
responsible to be sure our parents are informed and aware whenever
decisions need to be made.

Collaborating with Community

Community means all who are interested in and affected by the quality
of education, not just those with children in the schools
(http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Types_of_Involvement )

Students will be enriched through extracurricular activities. Students will

receive benefits in many ways from opportunities that connect them to the
community.
We can help!
We will provide volunteers to teach classes such as dance, karate, language
tutoring, and art!
We will provide resources and services from our community which will
promote student learning and student development. I will be your personal
liaison and will help connect parents and students with whatever type of
resource is needed.

References
Berk, L. E. (2013).Child development. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Epstein, J. (n.d.). Epstein's framework of six types of involvement. Retrieved from
http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Type
s_of_Involvement(2).pdf
Griffin, D., & Steen, S. (2010). School-family-community partnerships: applying
Epstein's theory of the six types of involvement to school counselor
practice. Professional School Counseling, (4), 218