50 Strategies for Communicating and Working with Diverse Families, 3rd edition

Published by Pearson (December 22, 2012) © 2014

  • Janet Gonzalez-Mena Emerita, Napa Valley College
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For courses in Early Childhood Education

This text offers practical strategies for partnering with families to support, enhance, and maximise the quality of care and education of young children. It presents a plethora of ideas for creating the trust necessary for true collaboration between families and the early childhood professional, and guides the student how to develop useful programs that include all families and individuals

50 Strategies for Communicating and Working with Diverse Families, 3rd Edition presents practical strategies teachers can use to create a positive, family-centred approach to their classrooms. With myriad stories, examples, and vignettes throughout the text to help readers apply the information to real life, this text is based on the idea that a child cannot be separated from the context of the family and its influences, and when programs take a family-centered approach, everyone profits.  It honours diversity and emphasises how to make every child and family feel welcomed and respected. Key family communication issues are discussed in research-based, yet highly accessible prose. Useful strategies to facilitate communication and collaboration are presented in brief 2- or 3-page chapters. Many of the strategies in this book address ideas about how to create a climate of trust by communicating in a collaborative way. Teachers will love the fifty short chapters with information they can apply immediately. Practical and easy to use, the goal of the text is to create inclusive programs that respect and honour differences in families and individuals, keeping the welfare of the child at the forefront of all that is said and done. 

  • Section 1: Welcoming Everybody
  • Chapter 1: Appreciating All Kinds of Families
  • Chapter 2: Working with Immigrant Families
  • Chapter 3: Including Families of Children with Special Needs
  • Chapter 4: Creating an Antibias Environment
  • Chapter 5: Respecting All Families, Including Those with Same-Sex Parents
  • Section 2: Partnerships with Families
  • Chapter 6: Building Partnerships
  • Chapter 7: Removing Barriers to Partnerships
  • Chapter 8: Minimizing Competition with Parents
  • Chapter 9: Supporting Attachments
  • Chapter 10: Considering Authority
  • Chapter 11: Focusing on Family Strengths
  • Chapter 12: Helping Parents to Be Advocates for Their Children
  • Chapter 13: Encouraging Parents to Become Advocates for All Children
  • Chapter 14: Creating a Sense of Community
  • Section 3: Honoring and Working with Diversity
  • Chapter 15: Understanding and Appreciating Cultural Differences
  • Chapter 16: Establishing Culturally Responsive Education and Care
  • Chapter 17: Working with Conflicts Around Education and Care Practices
  • Chapter 18: Considering Cultural Differences in Guidance and Discipline
  • Chapter 19: Working with Families Around What You Believe Are Harmful Practices
  • Chapter 20: Thinking about Differing Ideas Related to How Children Learn
  • Chapter 21: Managing Conflicts
  • Section 4: Family Participation and Education
  • Chapter 22: Considering Family Participation
  • Chapter 23: Including Families in the Classroom or Center
  • Chapter 24: Focusing on Fathers and Grandfathers
  • Chapter 25: Taking a Transformative Approach to Parent Education
  • Chapter 26: Working With Families Around Holiday Issues
  • Chapter 27: Exploring Parents' Role on Decision-Making Boards and Councils
  • Section 5: Communication
  • Chapter 28: Creating Environments for Communication
  • Chapter 29: Empowering Self and Others
  • Chapter 30: Communicating Through Writing
  • Chapter 31: Holding Ongoing Conversations with Families
  • Chapter 32: Looking at Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures
  • Section 6: Meetings and Conferences
  • Chapter 33: Meeting with Families for the First Time
  • Chapter 34: Thinking About Meetings in General
  • Chapter 35: Holding Conferences
  • Chapter 36: Considering Cross-Cultural Conferences
  • Chapter 37: Talking with Families when Concerns Arise
  • Section 7: Working with Parents around Specific Issues
  • Chapter 38: Helping the Child Enter the School or Program
  • Chapter 39: Maintaining Home Languages
  • Chapter 40: Easing Children Through Transitions
  • Chapter 41: Bringing Nature into Children's Lives
  • Chapter 42: Addressing Obesity with Nutrition
  • Chapter 43: Dealing with Media Issues
  • Chapter 44: Maintaining Stability During Divorce
  • Chapter 45: Coping with a Death in the Family
  • Chapter 46: Finding Community Resources and Making Referrals
  • Section 8: Challenging Conversations
  • Chapter 47: Working with Parents Who Constantly Complain
  • Chapter 48: Working with Family Members Who Appear Hostile
  • Chapter 49: Talking with Families About Behavior Changes
  • Chapter 50: Referring Families for Abuse or Neglect

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