1. What are some of your preconceived notions about how families should be?

2. What can you do to get to know the families and make everyone in your classroom feel welcome?

There is widespread agreement that home/school/community programs succeed only when mutual trust is well established among those involved (Dombro & Lerner, 2005; Fiese, Eckert, & Spagnola, 2006; Sciarra & Dorsey, 2007). Other factors are important as well. Parent education efforts, especially literacy-focused programs, require that educators appreciate and respect many “ways of knowing” and the life experiences of parentsa sociocultural perspective that doesn’t regard teachers as the only authentic source of knowledge or information (Grant & Ray, 2010; Ordonez-Jasis & Ortiz, 2007). Involvement programs that establish clear goals (Fiese, Eckert, & Spagnola, 2006; Ordonez-Jasis & Ortiz, 2007) and boundaries (Christian, 2007; Sciarra & Dorsey, 2007) help create a climate for partnership and define vision and purpose.

Educators have also learned many lessons over time about pitfallsthe factors that can challenge those working to establish relationships and create practical and meaningful family and community-friendly activities and processes. Memories of past experiences with school, particularly negative ones, are powerful disincentives, especially for those who might feel marginalized to begin with by limited education or language proficiency (Gestwicki, 2004; Grant & Ray, 2010).

Some parents who might otherwise be very interested in participating in their child’s classroom might be limited by logistical considerations, such as access to transportation or work schedules (Eliason & Jenkins, 2008; Gestwicki, 2004; Grant & Ray, 2010). Other factors, such as a lack of self-confidence, self-consciousness about family structures or alternative lifestyles, perceptions parents may have about teachers’ “turf,” or cultural norms and expectations may also be present but are even more difficult to acknowledge or recognize (Clay, 2007; Eliason & Jenkins, 2008; Gestwicki, 2004; Grant & Ray, 2010).

5.3 Helping Families Understand Curriculum, Goals, and Expectations

If we want families and the community to be more involved in our children’s early education, we need to help them understand the nature and purpose of learning standards and how they affect the curriculum as well as the systems in place for achieving accountability to the standards. For instance, we need to explain that a curriculum standard is a statement that reflects society’s current values about what children should know and be able to do. Families also need to know that standards do not dictate the specific curriculum a program or school uses but that school districts, child care, and preschool programs choose or design a curriculum that will address and meet learning standards. Finally, families deserve to know how their children’s growth and progress is documented with respect to standards.