CHS236 Full Course Latest 2020 February

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 1 Discussion

DQ1 Introductions

It’s time to introduce ourselves to each other! Feel free to share any name/nickname that you would like us to use when addressing you in the discussion forums. Please provide the following information:

Where you live;

Your experiences with young children from birth through 8 years;

Your current and future goals;

Why you chose this course and what you hope to learn; and

Your opinions/beliefs about families as their children’s first and most important teachers and advocates.

DQ2 Ethical Responsibilities to Families

COMBINE ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES 1.2 AND 2.1

In 1999, NAEYC created the first "Code of Ethical Conduct" for early childhood professionals.  Our first group discussion requires us to examine NAEYC's position and share our own experiences. 

1. Read the brief article:  Freeman, N. (2013). Spotlight on ethics: Early childhood educators' responsibilities to families. ABC Child Care. South Carolina Quality Improvement System. 

2. View three videos to build a deeper understanding of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct:  Parts 2, 3 and 6.

3. In your work or personal life, write about an experience that presented an ethical dilemma and/or required ethical responsibility.  How did you handle it? How might the Code of Ethical Conduct have helped?

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 2 Discussion

DQ1 States Implementing Protective Factors

Determine if your state is a member of the "Strengthening Families National Network". If not in the network, select a state of your choice.

Read the "State Initiative Profile."

Analyze what your home or a selected state is doing to promote protective factors for families and children.

Now, imagine you have been asked to give an introductory presentation on the Protective Factors Framework to a community organization interested in working with your child care center/school to help support children and families. 

Explain how the SF approach helps the state in building family and community partnerships that impact young children’s positive development.

Describe specific practices that connect home, school and community.

Identify one way that you would you apply this information in your work with children and families.

In your responses to classmates' posts, discuss observed similarities and differences across states.

DQ2 Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues/Community

1. Read Sections 3 and 4 in the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.

2. View the three videos.

3. Now please respond as follows:

Articulate your understanding of professional responsibilities to either colleagues or community and society.  Be sure to reference at least one ideal or principle.  Cite all resources used.

Describe specific connections to your own life/experiences.

Provide substantive responses to classmates’ reactions that also include the ideals and principles.

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 3 Discussion

Help Me Grow

Discuss with your learning peers your understanding of the Help Me Grow policy brief. Be sure to cover these things:

How was the Protective Factors Framework applied to demonstrate the efficacy of the Help Me Grow system in promoting children’s optimal development?

How were families strengthened?

If you live in a Help Me Grow state, feel free to add what you have learned about your state’s plans and implementation strategies.

Provide substantive responses to classmates’ reactions.

NOTE: For this discussion it is important that you have gained a thorough understanding of the Help Me Grow system’s core components. This information is obtained by viewing the two videos, and reading the policy brief and affiliates' profiles.

 

 

 

 

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 4 Discussion

DQ1 Cultural Competence

Knowledge about family diversity, strengths, and structures is critical for teachers and human service providers serving families with young children.  Hopefully this course has helped you to gain new insights for understanding and supporting families.

Now, please read “In Hartford, A Call For 'Cultural Competence' In Schools” (Hartford Courant), and “Addressing Differences: How Can You Deal with Issues of Race, Class, and Culture?" ( Beyond the Bake Sale, Chapter 6), reflect on specific ways to ensure culturally competent practices with children and families.  Please react to the following questions:

What are educators and service providers’ ethical responsibilities?  (Recall the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.)

How might you use the checklist “How Well is Your School Bridging Racial, Class, and Cultural Differences?" (Beyond the Bake Sale, pages 146-149)

What additions might you make to the checklist to further ensure culturally competent practices?

Provide substantive comments to at least three classmates.

DQ2 Theory Application

1.  Review Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory (refer to course resources including Chapter readings, website article, and supplemental video).

Write a detailed description of each of the five bioecological systems.

2.  Review the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Accreditation Standards, Categories and Criteria.  The descriptions of the standards, categories and criteria are provided in the Couchenour & Chrisman textbook (see pages below) and the document:  NAEYC Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards and Assessment Items.

Standard 7. Families   -- Three Categories  (Pages 20-21, Figure 1-7)

7.A.  Knowing and Understanding the Program's Families

7.B.  Sharing Information between Staff and Families

7.C.  Nurturing Families as Advocates for Their Children

Standard 8. Community Relationships  --  Three Categories  (Pages 21-22, Figure 1-8)

8.A.  Linking with the Community

8.B.  Accessing Community Resources

8.C.  Acting as a Citizen in the Neighborhood and the Early Childhood Community

3. Think about the meaning of this theory for yourself.  

As a teacher, family service provider and/or a parent, describe one to two ways Bronfenbrenner’s theory has changed your perspective and/or practice.

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 5 Discussion

Children’s Defense Fund: Status of Your State?

Please visit and explore the Children’s Defense Fund website:   http://www.childrensdefense.org/

Now visit the “State of America's Children 2020":  https://www.childrensdefense.org/policy/resources/soac-2020-fact-sheets

Read about the status of children in your home state (or a state you reviewed in a prior unit from either the Strengthening Families or Help Me Grow networks).

Identify the state’s strengths and its greatest challenges.

Share any startling statistics.

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 6 Discussion

Caring Communities

Read the article “Laws of Physics Can’t Trump the Bonds of Love” and view the video on “Wright’s Law.” 

View the Parent Leadership Training Institute 8-minute video.

Identify at least one message from each video that portrays caring communities. 

Share specific thoughts on how you can advocate for a more caring community where you work and/or live.

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 7 Discussion

DQ1 Every Kid Needs A Champion

Please view the video of Dr. Rita Pierson’s presentation:  “Every kid needs a champion.”

Answer the following questions:

What is the significance of “human connections”?

Why must teachers implement authentic family and community engagement?

What messages are you taking away from this video?

DQ2 Community Strengths, Needs and Resources

In this course, you have accomplished a tremendous amount including your work as:

researchers of state conditions and initiatives of Strengthening Families, Help Me Grow, and the Children’s Defense Fund; and

data collectors and assessors of family engagement at local child care centers, family child care homes and schools.

For this discussion forum, share with classmates your one advocacy issue pertaining to children, families, and/or your community.  As done in prior forums, please support each other with constructive feedback.

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 8 Discussion

DQ1 Advocacy & Action Plan Sharing

Please read Dennis Vicar’s article “We the Parents” and think about how it connects to the Strengthening Families Approach.  Is there information in the proposed “Parent’s Bill of Rights” that can be incorporated into your advocacy and action plan?

Use this forum as an opportunity for collaborative sharing and support with your advocacy and action plan. Please share at least one idea for bringing the Strengthening Families Protective Factors to life in your community.  Provide constructive responses to peers.

DQ2 Course Reflection

This discussion forum is optional.

You are asked to reflect on all that you have learned in this course and answer at least one of the following questions:

What would you identify as the essential components of a family- and community-based philosophy in education and authentic partnerships?

As we close this course, what resonates with you?  (It might be a key concept, one sociological theory, a program model, state statistics, or perhaps a checklist from Beyond the Bake Sale.)

How are you planning to apply your gained knowledge and strategies?

 

 

 

 

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 2 Assignment  

Self-Reflection: Home-School-Community Connections

Write a 2 to 3 page self-reflection paper describing your home-school-community connections experienced during early childhood and/or elementary school years.  Review the Beyond the Bake Sale checklist: “4 Versions of Family-School Partnerships” which helps to assess partnership practices.  In your paper, incorporate key concepts and professional terminology from your course readings and experiences.

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 3 Assignment  

Family Case Study

This assignment requires analysis of a family case study.  You will write a 2 to 3 page, APA-formatted paper not including the cover and references pages (a total of 4 to 5 pages).

Read the article, "Intentionally Thoughtful Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education". 

The case study is found on pages 4 and 5 (13 and 14). 

The case study focuses on a 4-year-old boy from China who does not speak English and behaves developmentally more like a 2-year-old.  You will read about relationships between the child, his family, grandparents and teachers.

When reading the case study:  Reflect on what you have learned about the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, professional standards for Building Family and Community Relationships, sociological theories, the Protective Factors Framework, and Help Me Grow.

Write your paper:

Identify and present in explicit details the issues concerning the family.

Design a plan of support for the family utilizing at least two of the following:  1) NAEYC’s ideals, 2) guiding principles, 3) professional standards, 4) theories, 5) the protective factors, and/or 6) Help Me Grow core components.

Demonstrate comprehension of key concepts and terminology in the articulation of your plan.  For example:  Use key terms such as ideals, principles, ethical responsibility.  State the full names of protective factors.

APA Format:

Use APA (American Psychological Association) 6th edition to cite and reference all work.  This includes in-text citations and bibliographic references.

 

 

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 6 Assignment  

Program Visitation

Application Assignment (80 Points) Early Childhood Program Visitation: Family Engagement Evidence – due Unit 6

Part A. Environmental Observation:

Conduct a program observation in a local child care center, family child care home or early elementary school (grades 1 through 3).

Use the “assigned observational checklist” to determine evidence of family representation, family engagement and a caring community.

Part B. Documentation Review:

Use the “assigned family engagement instrument” to review and record the program’s family-engagement practices

Documents may include: family handbook, intake and family-teacher conference forms, curriculum and assessment plans, and communication practices and tools.

 

CHS236 Home, School and Community

Unit 8 Assignment  

Final Project Action Plan

The Final Project is due Wednesday at 11:59 PM.

The final project requires you to create an Action Plan for your center, school and/or community.  This action plan is a culmination of the fundamental concepts, contextualist theories, NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, NAEYC Families and Community Relationships Standards, model programs, and strategies learned throughout the course. Using the knowledge and resources you have gained, you will apply the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework to:

support and partner with families as their children’s first teachers and advocates; and

promote authentic Home-School-Community Partnerships.

Please see the attached document for detailed directives for this assignment.   Post any questions about the assignment to the "Ask Your Instructor" forum so all may benefit from responses.