Preschool Network

Network News http://cdd.unm.edu/ec/psn

January 2007 Volume 6 Issue 1

The Preschool Network is funded by

The New Mexico Public Education Department, Special Education Bureau

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The Center for Development and Disability is a University Center for Excellence for Disabilities Education, Research and Service (UCE)

In This Issue… Building Family and School Partnerships 1

Strategies that Support Families 3

Book Reviews 3

Professional Development Opportunities 4

Building Family and School Partnerships by Betty Lansdowne

This edition of the Preschool Network newsletter is all about the family/school partnership which is either the easiest and most satisfying of experiences or the more difficult one to create. I have always understood the value of building relationships with children’s families but sometimes it was perplexing as to how to include everyone. Thus I asked three people who are very invested in this topic to write articles from the parent/family and the professional perspectives. I am very grateful for their taking the time to share their thoughts about the importance of creating strong partnerships which, in turn, supports the children in our programs. Partnerships from the Parent Perspective: Bird Podzemny is a parent whose child Cole attends Jayme Swalby’s preschool program in the Moriarty Public Schools. In her role as Family Specialist with the Early Childhood Network at the CDD she often speaks from the parent perspective at training presentations for Early Interventionists around the state. I am a proud, (if not somewhat tired) parent of four children ages eleven, seven, four and 9 months. I work part-time and the drama surrounding our departure each morning for school and work is “reality television” material. One morning as the frenzy to get my children out the door began, I had an “ah ha” moment. As we frantically searched for shoes, (matching not necessary), homework, (the baby was eating it), put together lunches (peanut butter and grape jelly, white bread, no crust), I realized that what felt like “chaos” was, in reality, “normal” for my family. Once I embraced the chaos I focused on helping my four-year-old son Cole. I have learned that a significant part of my successful exit is contingent on his ability to eat, dress and follow a routine.

Cole is a graduate of early intervention. He is a shining example of a positive early intervention experience. Cole, however, still struggles with motor planning and sensory issues. He needs a great deal of one on one attention and predictability to help him start his day. Cole’s emotional state and motivation hinges a great deal on this interaction and how he will function at his preschool. The challenge was to figure out how to successfully walk out that door. My solution came in the form of a preschool teacher named Jayme Swalby. Each day Ms. Jayme sends home a notebook that shows a picture of my child engaged in the classroom activities. Next to the picture it describes not only what the class was working on, but how MY CHILD handled it. Her comments are positive, honest and offer suggestions to help him at home. Every day Cole and I sit down after school and eagerly chat about his day, his friends, and his successes. The notebook encourages my child and fosters a sense of accomplishment and pride that makes him want to go to school. Ms. Jayme communicates in volumes with a busy mother who wants to know everything, but can’t be in five places at a time. The notebook has a section with a lunch menu, a class schedule, a snack schedule, folder for “take home,” “return,” and “parent signature.” I am repeatedly invited to visit anytime and feel welcome to do so. I am always asked at IEP’s “what do I see for my son’s future?” I want Cole to feel safe, loved and secure. I want Cole to have friends and to experience acceptance and success. Ms. Jayme and her staff have demonstrated to me that they love and care for my child. A notebook may seem like a small tool, but for this parent it means the world. Partnerships from the Teacher Perspective: Jayme Swalby is a teacher in a developmental preschool program in the Moriarty Public Schools. It is always wonderful to know that the notebook I have created for my classroom is being used and appreciated. I, Ms. Jayme as my students call me, teach a Childfind Preschool class that currently consists of 18 students split amongst two classes. We are extremely busy each and every day. Along with my two Educational Assistants, support from my students’ families, and a

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little humor, we manage a great bunch of kids. When I began teaching this class, I realized quickly that daily communication with the parents/families of my students was a must. I needed a convenient way to write a little note home EVERY day for EVERY student. It didn’t have to use perfect grammar, or be extremely thoughtful; it just needed to share the day. With the guidance of some colleagues, what I came up with is a notebook that is fun and functional for everyone. The notebook itself is contained in a three ring binder that has the student’s name, picture, and class days on the front of it. On the inside is a zipper pouch, a monthly newsletter, a lunch menu, a snack calendar, a daily schedule, a folder for papers to keep at home, a folder for papers to return, and some blank computer pages for daily notes and pictures. I have received parental consent to take digital pictures of my students, so each day I try and take a picture to put in each student’s notebook. Along with the help of my EAs, we print the pictures at naptime and write a little something about the day. We will write about good things, bad things, silly things, funny things, important things, and reminders. To us, anything worth remembering is worth writing about. My parents are encouraged to write notes to us in the notebook as well; so each morning as we take care of our “preschool business”, we quickly check each notebook. We look for notes, money, papers, etc. The zipper pouch is perfect for those little things that inevitably get lost between home and school. My students love their notebooks, and they are amazingly responsible with them. It is only on the rare occasion that a parent calls me because something has been lost. Now, my ability to communicate everything I want in the notebook is not perfect. There are days when we get so busy that I can not send a note home. I wish this never happened, but I have come to realize that perfection is not what my families want. They simply want to be welcome in their child’s classroom and to know that the teacher is there whenever they need something. If I can accomplish this, my students will surely be better off because of it.

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Strategies that Support Families by Tanya Baker-McCue

Tanya Baker-McCue is director of the Family and Community Partnerships Division at the CDD. She has experience in building partnerships from both the parent and professional views. Let’s start with the assumption that everyone benefits when families and professionals work together as partners. I know this to be true after 25 plus years of experience as the parent of two children with special needs. I am a veteran parent, at least a generation removed from the experience of early intervention and early childhood with my own children, although my memories of those times are still vivid. Through the years, and along the way, I have intimately observed the dynamics of family–professional collaboration, and made a career of helping families and professionals work together on behalf of children with disabilities and chronic illness. Books and articles abound describing family-professional partnerships and their benefits. The hard part is coming up with practical strategies and applying them on a consistent basis. Let’s be honest: partnerships don’t just happen. They take time and effort and require a belief that they are essential. Family-professional collaboration is a real shift in thinking. It means that everyone respects the skills and expertise brought to the relationship. As a frequent flyer and veteran parent, I am often asked to provide suggestions and tips to professionals wanting to develop good partnerships with families. So if I were to write down my recipe for cultivating family-professional collaboration and partnership it would look something like this:

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The cover of Cole’s notebook created by Ms. Jayme.

One of the note pages from Cole’s notebook. It highlights the day’s

activities and has pictures to accompany the narrative.

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From Parents to Partners: Building a Family-Centered Early Childhood Program

Keyser, J. (2006). St. Paul, MN: RedLeaf Press.

In her introduction, Janis Keyser writes that we are drawn into the field of education because we enjoy working and being with the children but that we discover that working with the families is just as much a part of our work. Often educators feel at a loss for how to build relationships with families or become concerned at the amount of time and energy it takes. She explains that the relationship between families and teachers significantly affect the lives and successes of children and their learning (If you like my mom and my mom likes you, then this place is ok and I will work hard here.) Included in this very readable book are ideas for building these partnerships (a partnership is a relationship among equals) such as creating an environment that physically welcomes families as well as suggestions for more formal communication. Questions for reflection such as “What do you consider your strengths in working with families?” and “Do you remember any special visitors to your home as a child? How did you and your family feel?” are found throughout the book. This is a great resource for experienced team members as well as staff who are new to the field. It includes questions and topics that could be used for reflecting to stimulate discussions for problem solving in meetings.

Spreading the News: Sharing the Stories of Early Childhood Education Carter, M. and Curtis, D. (1996). St Paul, MN: RedLeaf

Press. Although Margie Carter and Deb Curtis wrote this 64 page book ten years ago, the message it relays is timeless: “As teachers dedicated their parent bulletin board space and newsletter energy to visual displays that told the story of the life evolving in their classrooms, their relationships with parents improved, as did family involvement and support for their programs.” (p. 9)

This richly illustrated book includes ideas for themes, methods for gathering and communicating the information, format ideas for the actual presentation to most effectively get your message across, and thoughts for when and where this form of communication can be used.

These visual stories of what is happening in an early childhood program assure parents and others that learning is taking place. Children, too, while visiting these documentation displays, are naturally encouraged to recall and talk about their activities (communicate) with peers, parents, and others.

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Step (1) Pre-heat the oven: Start by looking inward to recognize and address your own fears and prejudices. If you honestly don’t believe that parents and families in general (or just some families) are your equal and have as much to contribute as you, then you will have a tough time masking your true feelings and being a good partner yourself. Step (2) Review the recipe: Families must have the same information and tools as you to make informed choices about their loved one. Provide information that is understandable and in a family’s preferred language. Remember that not all families read well or learn by reading. Simply leaving written material may not be helpful. Be prepared to go over the same information more than once. Sleepless nights and new routines can make it difficult to absorb new and scary information. Assist families in establishing a notebook or filing system for their copies of information contained in your records. There should be no secrets between you and the family. There should be open ended, two-way sharing of information. Step (3) Break a few eggs: Assist families in learning to be their own advocates. Provide the names and phone numbers of advocacy organizations that provide information and support to families regarding the rights entitled to them. Give up some of what you learned in college. Share something personal! Trust is a two way street. When a professional first meets with a family they are usually toting a hefty file folder under their arm that contains all kinds of information about the family: where they live, how much money they make, how many pregnancies they’ve had, the names and ages of every member of the household, and more. Share something with them about your family or your life. Step (4) Substitute ingredients: Part of partnering is a willingness to negotiate and be flexible. Don’t treat every family and child the same. They are different, with different needs, abilities, styles, personalities and values. Just as one size of clothing cannot possibly fit everyone’s body, a single model cannot possibly meet the needs of all the different families the programs serve. Flexibility means that programs are tailored to fit the preferences and needs of the families it serves. Step (5) Mix the batter and knead the dough: Encourage active participation of the family. Remind parents that their experience and information regarding their own family is just as important as the specific expertise that you bring as a professional. Families should be supported to be the final decision makers about their own priorities and needs. As the professional you can contribute appropriate resources, insight and information to the situation at hand. Long standing evidence indicates that individuals who are in control of defining and addressing their own needs experience both enhanced capacity and enhanced belief in their own ability. Step (6) Bake until done: (This may be the most important step) Look for and reinforce the everyday strengths of a family. Too often we are taught to focus on the problems and fix the deficits. Families want you to look for what is right in the situation and their child’s progress, not what is wrong. They already know the problems - they live with them everyday. All children and families have strengths, even when they are masked by difficult situations. Your role as the professional can be to seek them out, remind the family of them and help the family to build on them.

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Preschool Network Staff

Mette Pedersen Sophie Bertrand Alison Noble Division Director Program Manager Division Coordinator (505) 272-1040 (505) 272-1506 (505) 272-2756 mpedersen@salud.unm.edu sbertrand@salud.unm.edu anoble@salud.unm.edu Betty Lansdowne Leslie Sandoval Holly Harrison Training & Development Training Support Analyst Program Consultant Consultant (505) 272-9924 (505) 272-0403 (505) 272-8192 ldsandoval@salud.unm.edu hharrison@salud.unm.edu blansdowne@salud.unm.edu Janet Alvarado Kathleen Trumbull Training & Development Consultant Training & Development Consultant Ph: (505) 524-1115 Ph: (505) 525-9673 Fax: (505) 526-1113 Fax: (505) 527-0806 jalvarado@salud.unm.edu katrum@zianet.com Mailing and Physical Address: Preschool Network 2300 Menaul Blvd. NE

Newsletter content by Betty Lansdowne. Editing, design, and layout by Leslie Sandoval.

“Special Education – What Are We Talking About?” 9:30 – 12:30; January 13, 2007, First United Methodist Church, 200 N. Pennsylvania, Roswell, NM. Free. Target audience: Child care providers who would like more information about Special Education services and systems. For more information and to register contact Katie Harton: 505-623-9538.

“The 90-Day Transition Conference…A Crucial Step in the Transition Process.” Full day training for everyone involved in supporting families who are transitioning into preschool program. Free.

January 19, 2007, Albuquerque February 2, 2007, Taos February 22, 2007, Ruidoso

For more information and to register: jeanetten.romero@state.nm.us or call Nicole Romero at 505-827-2578

“Visual Impairment and Early Intervention.” Two-day training February 15 and March 20, 2007, Clovis, NM. For information and to register contact Julie Pino: 505-268-9506 or 1-800-437-3505, ext. 320.

Professional Development Opportunities:

NMAEYC 2007 Annual Spring Conference “As is the sapling, so grows the tree: the importance of early years.” Full day: March 3, 2007. Keynote speaker: Roberto Bahruth. For more information and on-line registration: www.nmaeyc.org

“Inclusion in the Child Care Setting.” 8:30 – 12:30; January 20, 2007, Best Western Mesilla Valley Inn and Conference Center, 901 Avenida de Mesilla, Las Cruces, NM. Free. Target audience: Child-care staff, administrators, directors, parents, advocates, attorneys, and early childhood special education staff. For more information and to register contact Janet Alvarado: 505-524-6044, ext. 107.

“Respecting and Safeguarding Children’s Right to Play in an Age of Accountability.” NMAEYC pre-conference workshop with Betty Jones, Ed Klugman, Walter Drew, Sue Blandford, Bobbie Brown, Baji Rankin, Lois Vermilya and Paula Steele. 8:30 – 12:00 and 1:30 – 4:30 sessions; March 2, 2007,UNM Rotunda, Albuquerque, NM. $15 for 1 session, $25 for all day.

Do you or your staff need NM Early Childhood Outcomes training, or training on the use of the Child Outcome Summary Form? If so, please call Leslie Sandoval at (505) 272-9924 to schedule a training date.