Standard II - Reflection Questions Building Family and Community Relationships 1.

The children in your program come from a complex context. Describe the characteristics of the children and families in your community (program). The mission of head start programs is to promote school readiness by enabling families; through connecting families with community resources, fostering a healthy parent-child relationship, and promoting families lifelong educators. The children in my program are a reflection on the mission statement described above. Heart start families are from lower socioeconomical standing than our average American family. Hence, working with families, creating a positive teacher-parent relationship is essential to a childs development. Creating a positive teacher-parent relationship breaks the distrust barrier, parents can talk openly about to teachers about any issues or problems, vice-versa. In doing so, teachers can connect the families with community resources that may help the family in many ways. 2. How do you create reciprocal relationships with the families you serve? By inviting parents to join in activities, to volunteer, to join in decision making, and by asking for parents opinions and advice if their child is having problematic area/issues at school. Parents involvement in the classroom is of utmost importance to creating a positive and reciprocal relationship. Teacher can make small talks with parents during pick up and/or departure, to begin building a positive relationship. By building a trust factor, parents can feel that can come to the teachers about anything, and teacher can ask parents about their child. 3. How do you empower families? We empower families by giving them the foundations to live a healthier, more resourceful style of living. We foster a positive parent-child relationship, by connecting families with resources to promote child development, and a healthier home. When parents leave Headstart they are enabled to be lifelong educators to their children, and they are connected to community resources to help the family out if needed. 4. How do you involve families in the education of their children? Families can be involved by inviting parents to the classroom, in small activities or chaperon to a field trip. Another method is by giving the children activities to being home from school to do with parents. Also, small talks about their childs developmental needs or progress at pick up or arrival, then giving parents suggestions on activities to do over the weekend to promote childs education. Another way is to connect parents with resources, such as libraries, and encouraging parents to encourage reading and writing with their children at home.

5. What might you include in your portfolio that demonstrates your understanding of the complex nature of building family and community relationships?