NAEYC Standard 2

Reflective Analysis of Portfolio Artifact

Rationale/Reflection

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NAEYC Standard: 2

STANDARD 2. BUILDING FAMILY AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS

Candidates prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that successful early childhood education depends upon partnerships with children’s families and communities. They a) know about, understand, and value the importance and complex characteristics of children’s families and communities. They use this understanding to b) create respectful, reciprocal relationships that support and empower families, and c) to involve all families in their children’s development and learning (NAEYC, 2010).

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Brief Description of Evidence:

During the spring semester of 2021 during my ECED 204-Families in Transition course, I created a Family Case Study and Resource Kit. The purpose of this project was to help a family within the community recognize its strengths and weaknesses. Based off of those findings, then offer valuable resources to help the family continue to thrive in their strengths and grow to reach goals in what they felt were weaknesses. 

Analysis of What I've Learned:

While preparing for this project I reminded myself that as an educator, family is my biggest ally. Collaboration was key in this project. Being able to prove myself a partner to this family was nerve-wrecking at first. I learned that, respecting and listening to the family created a reciprocal relationship of transparency and trust. Spending time with each member of the family regardless of age, skills etc. helped me to personalize goals and resources. Which in the end helped the family to feel empowered with all of the resources, programs and activities that they now had access too. Working alongside families, offering resources and tools not only helps the sense of community in my classroom but it may help bring families closer together at home as well. This mindset drove my motivation and dedication for this project. I have learned the importance of partnership and collaboration. The collaboration between a teacher and the students’ families. A collaboration between a teacher and the community. A collaboration between the students’ families and the community. In order for children to be best supported, prioritized, educated and cared for, I believe that all three of these entities must work collaboratively.

This collaboration is what made this project personal. Being able to introduce this family to community resources that they did not know was available to them, was valuable. Some of these resources included information and resources in Muncie for pregnant moms, chore/reward charts for young children, extracurricular activities for kids, childcare, WIC, SNAP, CCDF, mental health resources and so much more!

How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the NAEYC Standard:

My competence in building family and community relationships is proven by my partnership and dedication to the families of my students and my association with the community. I have learned that in order to offer a unique, high-quality, loving and developmentally appropriate learning experience for my students, I have to get to know who they are. By getting to know our students and families, we are learning how to best support them, while building positive relationships. These relationships are built on a foundation of mutual respect, trust, positive guidance, consistency and so much more.

My time at Ivy Tech has taught me to be the bridge between my students, their families and the community. As educators, it is important to do our research and help families find resources available to them. It is so rewarding as an educator, to be able to work alongside families and talk about goals, create plans and offer resources and support to help meet goals.

The community offers so many resources for families and as an educator it is my job to obtain those resources and contacts, have them readily available and accessible for the families of the children in my care. Some of these resources may include; physical and mental health care, children's extracurricular activities, public transportation, food programs, baby necessities, rental/utility assistance and an abundance of more.

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 I understood that this was not your "traditional" nuclear family. Studies show that children in nuclear families receive empowerment and stability from the two-parent structure and generally have access to more opportunities because of finances. Going into this project I knew I wasn't working with a two-parent household. I was working with a pregnant single mother with two toddlers at home. Just getting by on this project was not an option. This mother was tired and struggling to find ways to keep herself empowered and her children's minds stimulated and bodies active.

Theorist Vygotsky believed that, as a child and caregiver participate in an activity, the adult begins by guiding and leading the experience, slowly giving more control to the child. By building a positive relationship with the family, I believe that I helped in guiding them into new and healthy opportunities.

With this theory in mind, I spent hours with this family and hours in the community researching programs, getting pamphlets, registration forms etc. and reporting back to the family with what interested them and what did not. I wanted the children to see that I was passionate about helping them to find enjoyable things to participate in. It was important to me to help mom find her sense of self and be able to offer more resources, time and energy to her children therefore, practicing a form of Vygotsky's theory. I know that when mom is feeling confident in her role, her children will reap the benefits of that in and out of the classroom.

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If given the opportunity to create another family resource kit, I believe that I would spend more time following up with the family on what goals they met and what did not work for their family. 

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