A Social Ecology
Community Basis
- child and family development influence and are influenced by the individuals and systems that interact with families
- engenders a sense of ownership among parents who become engaged in schools
- child and parent functioning are enhanced when families can access resources and supports in their neighborhoods and when families feel a strong sense of community
- opportunities for civic engagement and social networking creates social capital (resources that come from strong social relations between parents, children, and school staff)
Stand UP (Stand University for Parents), a research-based, ten-week family engagement course for parents of elementary school children.
Cultural Competence
Social Support
- defined as the capacity to acknowledge the knowledge, skills, customs, values, beliefs, and practices that culturally diverse people consider their strengths
- essential to working with children and families
- Step 1: acknowledging that cultural differences between oneself and a child's parent may exist
- Step 2: asking questions of oneself and a child's family to understand cultural beliefs and viewpoints about a situation
- Step 3: adapting one's practice--as part of the resolution that the educator and the parent agree upon to address a conflict caused by cultural differences
- the resources provided by individuals and groups, contributes to healthy development of children and their families
- Schools can create opportunities for families to network and socialize with each other
The Exosystem
A Developmental Process
"That level of a developing person's ecology that connects that person's microsystems to other systems not containing that person."
Implications for Educators
The Exosystem:
Theoretical Perspectives
- parents have the ability to grow and develop over time like their children
- aims to promote parent development by empowering parents to act on their own behalf
- enhances families' potential to create healthy home environments
- schools can support and empower families by creating roles that support their talents and leadership potential
- focus on family strengths
- acknowledge social supports and services important to all families
- promote community through social networks and civic engagement
- respect the culture of families
Family Support: Premises
- central premises are grounded in developmental, social, community-based, ecological, and cultural perspectives.
- offer guidance for how professionals should interact with families
Jennifer Mills
EDL 787
source:
Weiss, H.B., Kreider, H., Lopez, M.E., Chatman, C.M. (2010). Preparing Educators to Engage Families: Case Studies Using an Ecological Systems Framework 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.