Press Room

Background

Introduction
Project Objectives
Advisory Committee
Deliverables
Rationale

Resources created to date
Press Release

Introduction
This project will develop new resources to support partnerships between early learning and child care practitioners and parents in order to enhance young children’s social development. It will result in user-friendly accessible tools that address key elements of social development, including learning positive behaviour, building self-esteem, enhancing problem-solving skills, strengthening communication skills and supporting cultural identity. The project will take an asset-based approach that recognizes and honours the strengths of families, while acknowledging the perspectives and experiences of practitioners.

CCCF gratefully acknowledges funding for these resources from the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program. The opinions and interpretations in the resources are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.

Project Objectives

  • Enhance the capacity of early learning and child care practitioners and families to work together in order to support the social development of children in their communities.
  • Increase and support parent’s understanding about their children’s social development
  • Support optimal social development for children in communities from a broad range of geographic, ethnocultural and Aboriginal and economic settings.

Advisory Committee
CCCF will bring its recognized expertise and experience in developing credible resources for early learning and child care practitioners to the project. An advisory committee comprised of several national partner organizations will inform the work of the project from various perspectives relating to the key themes of social development and parent partnerships.

Deliverables
Many of the resources will be promoted and disseminated through established communication vehicles highly valued by CCCF members — Interaction magazine and accompanying resource sheets. Additionally, program modules will be developed based on the main themes to support workshops with child care staff and/or parents. Online and print surveys will gather feedback on the resources and training from parents and practitioners. Finally a full-colour poster, available to those who deliver workshops, will illustrate the importance of parent-practitioner partnerships in fostering healthy social development in young children.

 

Rationale

  • Child care practitioners play a key role in supporting families – particularly in the case of disadvantaged children whose families may face serious challenges in terms of fostering social-emotional well-being.
  • Families increasingly rely on non-parental child care. Through their daily interactions with families, practitioners are well-positioned to boost the confidence of parents, provide support and promote positive parenting practices by understanding the challenges families face and building on their strengths.
  • Relationships between practitioners and families benefit children when those relations are respectful of family structure, culture, values, language and knowledge.
  • It is difficult to identify disadvantaged children according to cultural status or socio-economic status. A more successful approach to improving social well-being is to enhance the parenting practices of families – the first and most powerful influence on the lives of young children.
  • Parenting practices that hinder a positive parent-child relationship contribute to the development of behavioural and emotional problems in young children.
  • Most parents agree parenting practices are linked to social well-being, yet many feel they lack knowledge or confidence on how to positively influence this development.
  • A collaborative relationship between practitioners and families is a key element of quality child care; the ability to establish and maintain this relationship is a key competency of practitioners.
  • Yet practitioners often find it challenging to communicate effectively with families. Families using child care services are increasingly diverse, with complex needs and backgrounds. Practitioners are less likely to communicate with families who they may not understand or who they judge negatively. End result: the families especially in need of support are the least likely to receive it.
  • Together, parents and practitioners can foster communications skills, improved self-esteem and problem-solving (resiliency), cultural identity and improved behaviour guidance – key factors contributing to children’s social well-being.

Statistics Canada. (2005). Child Care. The Daily, February 7, 2005. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.

Weiss, H., Caspe, M., & Lopez, M. (2006) Family involvement in early childhood education. Family involvement makes a Difference. Harvard Research Project No. 1 in a series.

Willms, D. (2002) Vulnerable children. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press.

Peters, R. De V. (2007). The Most Important Things Parents Do. CEECD Bulletin. Volume 6, No. 1, March 2007. Montréal: CEECD.

Invest in Kids. (2002). A National Survey of Parents of Young Children. April 2002. Toronto: Invest in Kids.

Canadian Child Care Federation. (2007) National Statement on Early Learning and Child Care. Ottawa: CCCF.

Doherty, G. (2003). Occupational Standards for Child Care Practitioners. Ottawa: CCCF.

Kaiser, B. & Sklar Rasminsky, J. (1999). Relationships: Partners in Quality 2. Ottawa: CCCF.