Teachers Can Promote Powerful Interactions Between Parents and Children

When children enter preschool programs, strong partnerships between home and school can support positive family relationships and promote learning at home. One way to encourage positive connections within families is by teaching adults in the home to use the Powerful Interactions™ framework with kids. Meaningful learning opportunities can be easily incorporated into everyday routines.

The book Powerful Interactions: How to Connect with Children to Extend Their Learning (Dombro, A.L., Jablon, J, Stenson C.) explores how adults can Be Present, Connect and Extend the Learning.  Early learning teachers are in a position to inspire primary caregivers—moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents —to use the approach to support interactions with young children at home.

Kristan Stewart-Henry and  Amber Friesen, “Promoting Powerful Interactions Between Parents and Children, Teaching Young Children, August/September,” Teaching Young Children, Vol 11, No. 5 (August/September 2018). Retrieved from NAEYC website.

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A review of research on early childhood programs over five decades shows a decline in the impact of programs on school readiness. Parent–child relationships and the family environment are key children’s mental health and well-being, and school success. The lack of funding for family life education ¾ as part of early childhood education ¾  discounts the role of parenting practices in early development and school readiness.

Palm, Glen. and Cooke, B. 2018. Parent Education and Family Life Education: A Critical Link in Early Childhood Education  Policy. Retrieved from the National Council on Family Relations   

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A survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) showed that two-thirds of K-3 teachers viewed themselves as “early childhood educators.”  The results from the spring 2018 survey were from a nationally representative survey of more than 530 current or recent K-3 teachers. The numbers were highest among kindergarten teachers, with 93 percent agreeing with that statement, while it dropped to 52 percent among 3rd grade teachers.  The article was published in Education Week.   [ Read More ]

NAEYC Survey, 2018. One of Us: K-3 Teachers are Early Childhood Educators.

Some 54 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in school, compared to the average enrollment of 80 percent for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The OECD is an organization of 35 countries whose purpose is to promote trade and economic growth. Among the 33 OECD countries reporting data in 2015, the percentages of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school ranged from 25 percent or less in Turkey, Switzerland, and Canada to 95 percent or more in Germany, Spain, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Belgium, France, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

The Condition of Education, 2018.  Preschool and Kindergarten Enrollment. Retrieved from The National Center for Education Statistics.

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