ABSTRACT
Central to young children’s learning are high-quality adult interactions and a challenging and stimulating learning environment, both at home and in early years settings. For this reason, partnership between early years practitioners and parents is critical to the development of children’s social, language, and thinking skills from an early age. This chapter explores how early years practitioners can work with and listen to families in the best interests of the children. A framework for developing high-quality, caring, and respectful relationships between educators and families is presented with an emphasis on how these relationships are negotiated and shaped by interactions between staff, parents, children, and extended family members. The author highlights the impact of family characteristics such social class, race, and composition on these relationships, and presents a strong argument to support family engagement, while acknowledging the challenges early childhood educators may encounter in efforts to build partnerships with families and local communities. Finally, as much of a child’s learning takes place in the home, the chapter examines how early years educators can encourage and support families as children’s first and most influential teachers.
