Programs

Course Details

Course Code:  ECEC 201

Credits:  3

Calendar Description:
This course examines the knowledge, competencies, and attitudes needed by the early childhood educator to build collaborative partnerships with families. The focus includes an examination of family systems theory, family-centered practice, and opportunities for collaboration in professional-family partnerships.

Date First Offered:  2010-09-01

Hours:

• Total Hours: 45
• Lecture Hours: 45

Total Weeks:  15

This course is offered online:  Yes

Interaction Hours:  3

Pre-Requisites:

• HDEC 100 Essential Skills
• ECED 109A Practicum 1
• ECTA 121 Interpersonal Relationships
• or permission of instructor

Non-Course Pre-Requisites:  None

Co-Requisites:  None

Rearticulation Submission:  No

Course Content:

• Understanding Families Through Different Lenses
• Understanding Diversity and Celebrating Differences
• Conceptual Framework of Family Systems Theory
• Family-Centered Practice
• Building Collaborative Partnerships
• Implementing Partnerships
• Mutual Appreciation, Respect, and Support
• Community Resources and Supports
• Family Advocacy
• Professional Attitudes

Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes in order to build collaborative partnerships with families in the field of early childhood education.

Knowledge:
A student who successfully completes this course will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Explain and illustrate the roles and responsibilities of the early childhood educator for building collaborative partnerships
• Define, describe, and apply family systems theory
• Define and illustrate examples of family-centered principles
• Demonstrate knowledge of cultural, socioeconomic and family diversity
• Identify ways to build rapport and collaborative partnerships with families
• Identify community resources and referral services available to families
• Explain how to advocate with and for families
• Compare and contrast the multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and trans disciplinary models

Attitudes:

• Demonstrate a respectful appreciation for the diversity of family characteristics, function, interaction, and life cycles
• Demonstrate a respectful appreciation for cultural, socioeconomic and family diversity
• Demonstrate professional growth, attitude and conduct, including professional development, Code of Ethics, and the ability to advocate

Skills:
A student who successfully completes this course will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Explain and illustrate collaboration as a means of empowerment in professional-family partnerships
• Promote opportunities for family involvement in policy and programming decisions
• Demonstrate effective professional conduct and interpersonal interactions which are mutually supportive of co-workers, families and communities
• Demonstrate ways to facilitate opportunities for family involvement and support
• Access information on support systems for children and families and related resource and referral services
• Describe how to refer families to appropriate sources of assistance

Technologies:

• Basic computer skills
• d2l use

Grading System:  Letters

Passing Grade:  C (60%)

Grading Weight:

• Assignments: 80 %
• Participation: 20 %

Number of Assignments:  4

Nature of Participation:

• Participation will be based on teleconference seminars and online group participation on an alternating weekly basis. (Teleconference seminars will occur every other week. For those weeks in which there is not a scheduled teleconference seminar, students are required to participate in groups on the d2l discussion board to complete group scenario assignments.)

Writing Assignments:

• Students are encouraged to present assignments in a format that bests reflects their skills and abilities to represent the required criteria; this may take the form of written work, oral or power point presentation, or creative submissions.
• Mandatory Case Study Family Scenario (15%)
• Mandatory Participation and Collaboration (25%)
• One Experiential Choice: Family Centered Practice (20%)
• Family Resources (20%)
• Family Issues Brochure (20%)
• One Academic Choice: Family Systems Theory (20%)
• Galinsky's Stages of Parenthood (20%)
• Movie Review (20%); Application of Learning (20%)

Percentage of Individual Work:  80

Percentage of Group Work:  20

Other Pertinent Information:
Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology  and the Ministry of Health; Registry Competencies:

Function No. 2: Plan and implement developmentally appropriate programs that meet the observed needs of children

• 2-c-3
• 2-c-4
• 2-c-6
• 2-c-7
• 2-d-2
• 2-d-4
• 2-d-5
• 2-d-6
• 2-e-1
• 2-e-3
• 2-e-4
• 2-e-5

Function No. 4: Support families

• 4-a-1
• 4-a-2
• 4-a-3
• 4-a-4
• 4-a-7
• 4-a-9
• 4-b-1
• 4-b-2
• 4-b-3
• 4-b-4
• 4-c-1
• 4-c-2
• 4-c-5
• 4-c-6

Function No. 6: Develop yourself and contribute to the development of others to meet current and future needs

• 6-a-1

Function No. 8: Advocate for a high quality, accessible and comprehensive child care system

• 8-b-1

Course Offered in Other Programs:  No

Additional Comments:
*Full-time students only co-requisites

• ECEC 202 Administration and Leadership in Early Childhood Education
• ECED 150 The Early Childhood Education Professional
• ECEC 200 Curriculum 2
• ECED 111 Practicum 3

Assignments:

• Late assignments or projects will only be accepted at the discretion of the Instructor. If there is a documented medical reason or extenuating circumstance, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the Instructor immediately. In these situations, missed work may be completed or prorated.

Ethics:

• NLC assumes that all students attending the institution will follow a high standard of ethical behavior. Incidents of cheating, plagiarism, or unethical conduct may, therefore, result in a grade of zero for the assignment or project for all parties involved and/or expulsion from the course.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend all teleconference seminars and online discussions.

Supplies:

• Computer with internet connection.

Text Books:

• Required - Gonzalez-Mena, J. , 2007, 50 Early Childhood Strategies for Working and Communicating with Diverse Families (Merrill Prentice Hall, Columbus, Ohio). Chapters Covered: All
• Required - Wilson, L., 2010, Families and Communities in Early Childhood Development (Nelson). Chapters Covered: All
• Required - Turnbull, A. P., Taylor, R.L., Erwin, E.J. & Soodak, L.C. , 2006, Families, professionals, and exceptionality: Positive outcomes through partnership and trust. (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall. ISBN10: 0131197959. Part 1. (Pearson). Chapters Covered: Part 1