(Unit 4) Topic 3: Family and Community Partnerships

3 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Family-Centered Practice

Topic 3 Page 3

The home is the center of children’s development, and families are their first and most enduring teachers. As a result, a family-centered focus is considered one of the indicators of quality in early childhood education. At the heart of family-centered practice is the belief that families are the most important teachers in a child’s life.

Family-centered practice also means that you understand the important effect all family members have on each other and on the young child. Each family member affects the other and the ways that the family functions. All family members are interconnected. From our family, we learn skills that enable us to engage in school and the workplace.

When considering family-centered practice, you are viewing young children as part of a larger system; you are viewing family members as a whole. You become aware of and sensitive to the interactions and relationships taking place within the family, as well as outside interactions and supports that affect them. In an effort to maintain relationships and to work effectively together, you learn, respect and understand characteristics of each family and its support system. You can also consider the characteristics and stressors of families which may affect their involvement. What affects one family member can affect all family members. A family is a system in which no one member can be viewed independently.