What Is a Collaborative Approach and Why Is It Important?
As an expanding number of households have both parents working outside the home. As of 2010, the number of women in the workforce is 58.6 percent or 72 million; women are projected to account for 51 percent of the increase in total growth in the labor force between 2008 and 2018 (United States Department of Labor, n.d.). Therefore it can be challenging to effect a significant representation of families in the affairs of programs and schools. In one survey, approximately 58 percent of parents with students in grades K-12 did not volunteer or serve on a committee at their child’s school; 26 percent did not attend a school or class event (Noel, Stark, Redford, & Zukerberg, 2016).
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) states that there is no single formula for collaboration between programs and families. However, as part of their recent Engaging Diverse Families project, they have outlined six principles that focus on communication, engagement, and decision making. The principles suggest that:
- Teachers and programs engage families in two-way communication
- Programs implement a comprehensive program-level system of family engagement
- Programs and teachers engage families in ways that are truly reciprocal
- Programs provide learning activities for the home and in the community
- Programs invite families to participate in program-level decisions and wider advocacy efforts
- Programs invite families to participate in decision making and goal setting for their children (NAEYC, 2012)
Many years of research and well over one hundred studies on initiatives connecting families, schools, and communities overwhelmingly attest to the value and benefits of strong, positive connections (Fiese, Eckert, & Spagnola, 2006), not just for the children but for the parents and teachers as well. When families are actively involved in the daily lives of their children in school or care and they know what their children are doing during the day, children feel more secure, have a higher sense of self-worth, and learn better. Parents can benefit from feelings of affirmation, increased knowledge about early education and child development, and higher self-esteem. Teachers feel supported and gain additional, relevant knowledge and resources from working closely with families (Gestwicki, 2004).
These kinds of positive correlations with student achievement are most closely associated with programs that feature:
- Support and respect for family values and expectations
- Attention to and observation of parent behaviors and interactions
- Promotion of parent and family participation in school activities and affairs
- Inclusion of parents in decision-making processes that affect their children (Weiss, Krieder, Lopez, & Chatman, 2005)
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