6.2 Partnerships With Children’s Families

Standard Five

Establish and maintain an open cooperative partnership with each child’s family that supports the family in meeting their responsibilities for the child.

1. The practitioner is able to establish and maintain an open, cooperative partnership with each child’s family by:

• • demonstrating to families respect and consideration for differences in child-rearing values and practices and individual, cultural and community values and traditions;
  • demonstrating to families a respect for their position as the child’s primary caregiver and creating opportunities for families to feel comfortable in expressing their wishes and needs;
  • providing families with accessible information about service philosophy, policies, approaches and procedures before the child begins attending the child care setting and on an on-going basis;
  • using a variety of approaches to encourage families to share information about the child on a regular basis, including the child’s likes, dislikes, and schedule and familial preferences regarding child-rearing practices, diet and dress;
  • assisting family members to feel welcome at any time that the child is present;
  • using a variety of approaches, including interpretation and the translation of materials as required, to communicate with families about the child on a regular basis, including the results of observations about the child’s daily experiences and development;
  • providing a variety of user-friendly ways for families to be involved in program activities to the extent that they wish and to participate in programming decisions;
  • providing a variety of user-friendly ways for families to participate in policy decision-making;
  • working cooperatively with families to develop and implement program activities and caregiving routines that reflect children’s cultural and religious backgrounds and the lifestyles of the children’s families;
  • using negotiation and positive problem-solving strategies to find solutions to differences of opinion or difficulties; and
  • keeping family inquiries, conversations with families, and children’s records confidential.

Standard Six

Strengthen the adults in the family in their roles as parents, nurturers and providers and empower them to act on their own behalf.

1. The practitioner is able to strengthen and empower the adults in the family by:

• • including them in a meaningful and active fashion in defining and determining their wishes, needs and goals for their child;
  • assisting them to identify and use their own strengths to address needs and problems;
  • being responsive to family requests for information or assistance;
  • providing parents with information about child development and suggestions to assist them in their parenting role in a way that respects cultural differences in child-rearing practices and the family’s right to transmit their values, beliefs and cultural heritage to their children, encouraging them to use their home language with their children and to teach the practitioner about their culture;
  • providing accurate and up-to-date information about other community agencies, programs and supports; and
  • assisting families to develop and maintain social support networks.

This section is copied and adapted from Standards of Practice section in Doherty. G. (2000). Partners in Quality: Tools for Practitioners in Child Care Settings. Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, Guide to Self-Reflection. Ottawa: Canadian Child Care Federation.