PARENT PRESENTATION

ECE497: Child Development Capstone

Course
May 18, 2015
Instructor: Karen Foster
Josh White

LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

Lincoln Elementary School is located in Gilbert, Arizona. Gilbert is a relatively large

city with a strong sense of family and community. The school has a population of
765 students from PreK to sixth grade. At Lincoln Elementary School, 94% of the
students are eligible for free and/or reduced lunch, and 58% of the students are
second language learners. The majority of the students at Lincoln Elementary
School are Hispanic (93%). Five percent of the student population is white, and 2% is
American Indian

The period of development this study focuses on is the early childhood development
stage. This stage focuses on children between the ages of 3-8 years old. During this
development stage, Children are developing language and social skills as they go
through different growth spurts. They are learning a variety of cognitive skills and
the ability to expand their vocabulary.

MY ROLE AS CHILD
DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL:

As a child development professional, my role in this field is to

make sure that my students have structure and are able to follow
a curriculum that enhances their learning. It is also my job to
make sure each child has time to socialize and interact with their
peers. This will allow each child to develop their own sense of
identity with the ability of expanding different stages of their
development process.

RATIONALE FOR MY
PRESENTATION:

The rationale for this presentation is to showcase the importance

of relationships between families and communities within the
learning environment of young children. My presentation is for
parents to see the type of learning opportunities their children
will have experience at Lincoln elementary. It is also my job to
help parents see that there is benefiting from the different
aspects of learning and social interaction in their school.
Families who partner up with their community can help improve
a childs learning and development skills as the child can see that
other people care about their education.(Lehorn, 2014).

MESOSYSTEM FROM
BRONFENBRENNERS ECOLOGICAL
SYSTEM:

This system focuses on the relationships between the

microsystems and in someone elses life. Ultimately this means
that family experiences are related to school experiences. For
example, if a child is disrespectful to their siblings, they will
have a hard time interacting and developing relationships with
their peers in school. This can lead to the child having social
problems and difficulty working within groups in class.

EPSTEINS TYPES OF
INVOLVEMENT

Epsteins six types of involvement were designed to bring programs to

schools. These programs are effective educational programs that brings
families and the community together. The programs within Epsteins type
of involvement are meant to create positive atmospheres at home, school
and within their community. These programs are meant to help children
grow and become successful in their learning environment.

EPSTEINS TYPES OF
INVOLVEMENT: PARENTING

This type of involvement focuses on families creating a good home

environment so that their children can become better students.

This type of involvement influences a childs learning and development

because it focuses on a healthy home setting that is needed for learning
and development stages. When children are in happy home environments,
it is easier for them to complete assignments and to stay focus in school.
This creates positive relationships with their peers and teachers. Children
feel as if they can get the help they need to be successful when their
parents are involved.

The community can promote this type of involvement by creating

fundraisers and classroom activities that involve the parents and children
from all cultural backgrounds. This will bring families closer together
along with the community.

EPSTEINS TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT:

COMMUNICATING

This area of involvement focuses on forms that provide communication between

school and home and a childs progress.

This area of involvement influences a childs development and learning because it

informs a childs parents about their overall progress and informs them about
information that is going on in their childs school. Since this information is
communicated to parents, they are able to help their children in areas in which
they struggle in. This may be a certain subject or an activity. This allows parents to
provide their child with the proper help and resources before things get worse.

Schools can implement a class each month on areas and subjects that children are
struggling in. These classes would include both parent and child so that that parents
would know how to help their child in areas they struggle in. These classes should
include suggestions from other cultures as well.

EPSTEINS TYPES OF
INVOLVEMENT: VOLUNTEERING

This area of involvement is important as it focuses on parent help

and organizing programs in a school setting.

Volunteering helps with a childs learning and development

because it shows them the importance of being involved. It
teaches them responsibility and helps them understand the
importance of helping others.

The community can help with volunteering activities by posting

up flyers and promoting important events at their local schools.
This may include fundraisers that raise money for local schools
and helps with a childs education. These activities should
include children and families from all cultures.

EPSTEINS TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT:

LEARNING AT HOME

This area provides families with resources on how to help

children in lesson planning, homework and curriculum related
activities.

Learning at home helps children in their development and

learning areas by allowing them to practice and focus on a
variety of learning areas outside of school. Parents are able to
provide their children with the tools they need in there home
setting that will help their child during the school day.

Schools can send home weekly newsletters that state how

beneficial learning at home is for children. This method should
allow children from other cultures the same beneficial learning
aspects as everyone in other families.

EPSTEINS TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT:

DECISION MAKING

Decision making means to include parents in school decisions

along with new parent volunteers and representatives.

Decision making can help with a childs learning and overall

development because the decisions being made within the
childs school may affect their education. This could be a change
involving their learning environment, materials or school
supplies. This can sometimes affect the way children
communicate with their teachers.

Schools can make sure that parents are involved in the decision
making by inviting parents from all cultures to board and district
meetings. This will allow parents to have a voice in the overall
changes their childs school could face due to decision making.

EPSTEINS TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT:

COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNTY

Focuses on creating resources from the community that makes

local school programs and family practices stronger, which
enhances the learning and development skills of each child.

Collaborating with the community benefits the learning and

development skills of children because it allows new ideas and
creative learning methods to be brought into local schools. This
may include technology based programs or games that help
children learn. Children will also be able to benefit from the
local businesses when collaborating with the community.

The school could reach out to the community in an effort to

collaborate with different cultures and allow them to be involved
in the learning projects for children.

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_S
ix_Types_of_Involvement(2).pdf

Lehorn, D. (2014) Families and Public Education 7(3) 23-66

http://Washingtonpost.com/families