Key elements of the Framework’s policy on parent and community partnerships

This article discusses the key elements of the policy on parent and community partnerships in early childhood studies. It explores the importance of family and community involvement in a child's learning and development.

Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDIES
EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDIES
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDIES
Key elements of the Framework’s policy on parent and community partnerships
Family and the community partnership plays an important role in the learning and the
development of a child. They provided the children with opportunities, relationships, experiences
and the opportunities shaping each of the child’s sense of being, belonging and becoming
(Victoria State government, education and training, 2019).
The local community, the tradition, the spaces and the accessibility fosters a sense of
belonging and wellbeing of the family and the child. The policy frameworks provides a list of
responsibilities that an early childhood educators are likely to follow, for developing an effective
partnership with the families and the community.
Summarization of the policy on parent and the community involvement
The VEYLF framework has stated what the early childhood professionals would do to
engage the family in the growth and the development of the child. An early childhood
professional should show respect in relationship with the families, adopting an open, non-
judgmental and honest approach responsive to a family situation (Victoria State government,
education and training, 2019). It is the duty of an early childhood educators create a welcoming
and an inclusive environment where all the families are encouraged to participate and contribute
to the experiences enhancing the learning and the development of children. Family, culture and
tradition plays a crucial role in the development of children coming of aboriginal families. The
Marrung educational plan the exclusively focusses of the building of the community
engagement in the learning and the development of a child (Victoria State government,
education and training, 2019). This plan is also in agreement to the VEYLD framework that
believes that local collaboration with the parents/carers and the community organizations plays

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an important role in the provision of the structure and the development of the children, young
people and adults.
The main aim of this section of the VEYLD is to bestow the sense of cultural sensitivity among
the educators.
Identification and the investigation of one strategy
According to this framework, the pre-school field officers are accountable to provide
consultancy to the early childhood educators and the parents for facilitating the inclusion of the
children in the state funded kindergarten program. It should be mentioned that the early
childhood teachers as well as the other students of the childcare centers come from different
cultural background, hence they sometimes might lack the ability to apply culturally responsive
strategies (Grant & Ray, 2018). In such cases it is necessary to educate the educators about
culturally appropriate curriculum design and strategies to promote an inclusive classroom.
The pre-school field officers can partner with the families by inviting them to visit the
classroom and participate in activities with the class. The educators can also arrange to visit
children at home, where the educators might engage in informal discussions with the family
members to ask about the needs of the child. This encourages the families to share every
information about their child’s temperament, the primary play partners and home language.
However, one of the gap that can be identified in this policy, is that parents are not
consulted before the designing of an inclusive curriculum and an inclusive classroom.
Furthermore, the policy did not mention in details, as what kind of community involvement is
exactly needed, that will cater to both the intellectual and emotional development of a child and a
sense of responsibility towards the community.

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Connect the policy aims or gaps
The VEYLDF framework rightly observes all the accountabilities, which an educator
should possess for providing a teaching that is family, student and community centered.
However, it did not contain information as of how the parents can be involved in the designing of
an inclusive classroom. In relation to family engagement, Scully, Stites, Roberts-King &
Barbour, (2015) have refereed to an ecological perspective explaining the development of the
child. According to the social exchange theory, the development of social relationships, between
the family members and child care programs depends upon the exchange of information between
families and the educators (Grant & Ray, 2018). It has been found that educational centers
seeking parent participation in the continuous improvement process have better results.
In relation to this, it can be recommended that the curriculum designing committee or the
management of any child care educational center should at least contain one representative of the
families, such that all the needs and the grievances of the children are identified. I is necessary to
promote the acceptance of all the families, by inviting the role models of the different cultures to
participate in the community based programs.

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References
Grant, K. B., & Ray, J. A. (Eds.). (2018). Home, school, and community collaboration:
Culturally responsive family engagement. Sage Publications.
McCaleb, S. P. (2013). Building communities of learners: A collaboration among teachers,
students, families, and community. Routledge.
Scully, P., Stites, M. L., Roberts-King, H., & Barbour, C. (2015). Families, schools and
communities. Boston MA: Pearson.
Victoria State government, education and training .(2019).VICTORIAN EARLY YEARS
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK. Access date:
14.3.2019. .Retrieved from:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/
veyldframework.pdf
Victoria State government, education and training.(2019) .MARRUNGABORIGINAL
EDUCATION PLAN2016 - 2026.Access date: 14.3.2019. .Retrieved from:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/programs/aboriginal/
Marrung_Aboriginal_Education_Plan_2016-2026.pdf