"At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents." -June D. Hull
The final day in the Week of the Young Child is Family Friday. You might be thinking, “I’m a parent, not a teacher.” The great news is, whether you’ve had training or not, you are your child’s first teacher. Families are the first, longest lasting and most important teachers and advocates for their children. As a child’s first teacher, the family’s relationship and interactions create foundational skills needed to be successful in school and in life. Understanding this importance is critical when engaging parents in their child’s education. When parents are actively involved in their child’s schooling, the results can include increased support for learning at home, empowered parents, and improved family well-being. Children are more likely to have better academic performance, increased social-emotional skills, and improved health.
Powerful interactions-listening and talking with your child-is one way to support their development and positive relationships. Some ideas to support these powerful interactions include: acknowledge and accept your child’s emotions, describe what you see your child doing, help your child make connections to things they know, repeat what your child says to you and build upon it, and use interesting words to build your child’s vocabulary.
Interested in learning more about the RPS 205 Early Childhood opportunities for families with children Birth-age 5? Visit https://rockfordpsil.sites.thrillshare.com/page/early-childhood or call the Early Childhood Screening and Placement Office at 815-229-2103.
Hillary Cook-Harris is the Director of Early Childhood Curriculum and Assessment. Hillary joined RPS 205 in November 2019. She has been an Early Childhood educator and director for more than 30 years.