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Spring 2000 Volume 7, Issue 1

Official Newsletter of the Illinois Subdivision of the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.

Home-School Collaboration: How It Can Work for You

By Cori McDermott, Erica Blaford, and Ginger Lin

Families are their children's first teachers. Their influence can directly impact children's motivation and their success in school. "All young children, especially those with special needs, seem to benefit when they have the support and understanding of the significant adults in their lives. This is most effective when communication between home and school is productive and ongoing" (Spinelli, 1999, p. 20). When educators and families work together, additional support is provided for school achievement.

Teachers can help increase home-school collaboration by addressing the following questions:

  1. How can I effectively communicate with families?
  2. How can I understand a family's culture to help me better educate their child?
  3. How can I make my classroom environment project what I wish to convey to children and families?
  4. How can I empower and encourage families to become more involved in their children's education?
  5. What techniques can I use to encourage family involvement?

Communicating Effectively. Effective collaboration begins with communication. Letting families know how they can become partners in their children's education is an initial step. There are several techniques that can help educators better meet the needs of children and their families (Turnbull & Turnbull, 1997).

Some possible activities include: calling home to share accomplishments as well as problems, sending home easy?to?read weekly newsletters or taped messages, sending notes home, and using technology such as e?mail or hotlines. Teachers can build bridges by making home visits, listening to family feedback, and talking to them at school if they transport their children to and from school.

Understanding a Family's Culture. Understanding cultural characteristics of families can help teachers communicate and collaborate with families, effectively. Families may speak different languages or practice different religions. They may also have unique concepts of time or priorities, holidays, beliefs and values, or family structures (e.g., single?parent family, nuclear family, extended family).

In order to effectively collaborate with families it is important to learn about the family's culture and understand differences that may exist between what is expected of their child at home and what is expected at school (Sturm, 1997). Teachers can show families that their individual culture is valued at school through incorporating information sheets about the , books or audiotape of songs and stories created by families, student of the month posters, a unit on families, or family members sharing information and skills in the classroom. Interpreters can act as liaisons for families whose first language is not English (Linan?Thompson & Jean, 1997).

Arranging Your Environment. The classroom environment can affect how comfortable families feel visiting and taking part in school activities (Barta & Winn, 1996). Teachers can make their school more inviting to families in a number of ways: having a family center, implementing an open door policy, placing a class schedule in a highly visible location, reflecting the diversity of the student population in classroom materials and wall coverings, and placing children's work on display. Families can be directly involved in shared ownership of their children's school environment by participating in school improvement activities or helping to decorate the classroom.

Supporting Family Involvement. Involving families throughout the school year helps them take part in their child's education. Activities which provide opportunities for decision?making, shared ownership, and fun can be incorporated into individual classrooms as well as the overall school environment. Creating home reading programs, encouraging attendance at class/school activities or events such as Family Day, including family volunteers in the classroom and on field trips, and encouraging family involvement in Family?Teacher Associations are ways to create partnerships with families and support educational success. Families may also be asked if they would like to be involved in their child's class through activities they can do at home in the evening or weekends (Turnbull & Turnbull, 1997). These activities may include families helping the teacher to prepare materials for lessons (e.g., cutting, sorting, or coloring) or sharing a special talent such as quilting (e.g., sewing student? decorated cloth squares to make a class quilt).

Encouraging Family Involvement. Families and professionals are very busy. Issues such as time, work commitments, other children, and transportation can make it difficult for some families to get involved in their school programs. Teachers must build rapport with families and convey the importance of families' involvement in their children's school life (Spinelli, 1999). Ideas for encouraging families to participate include giving incentives for reading together at home, providing families a role in the class, inviting families to have lunch with their children at school, involving families in fun activities they can replicate at home, and sending home artwork/papers made by children especially for their families.

When evaluating how involved families are in their children's education, it is important to remember that each family is unique and families may differ in the ways they wish to be involved. There is no single strategy that works for every family. As teachers, it is our responsibility to provide a range of opportunities for families to become involved. It may help to provide a menu of possible volunteer opportunities to families at the beginning of the year. Keeping track (e.g., notebook or journal) of those families with whom you have made contact or who have participated in school activities will help you to assess the frequency and methods of families' involvement . This might help you pinpoint which types of activities appear to be most preferred. Working with families can be a rewarding experience for teachers, families, and children. Reflecting on your practices in the five areas of communication, culture, environment, involvement, and encouragement can provide you with goals to implement throughout the school year.

Neat ideas to create partnerships with families...

References

Barta, J. & Winn, T. (1996). Involving parents in creating anti?bias classrooms. Children Today, 24, 28-30.

Linan?Thompson, S. & Jean, R, E. (1997). Completing the family participation puzzle: Accepting diversity. Teaching Exceptional Children, 30 (2), 46-50.

Spinelli, C. G. (1999). Home-school collaboration at the early childhood level: Making it work. Young Exceptional Children, 2 (2), 20-26.

Sturm, C. (1997) Creating family-teacher dialogue: Intercultural communication in childcare. Young Children, 52 (5), 34?38.

Turnbull, A. P., & Turnbull, H. R., 111. (1997). Families, professionals, and exceptionality A special partnership (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

About the Authors:

Cori is a recent graduate of the masters program in Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Ginger and Erica are students in Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Erica is currently a masters student and Ginger is pursuing her doctorate degree.

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ISBE Content Area Standards for Educators Now Available

By Bernie Laumann

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has authorized the development of new standards for teachers and administrators to reflect the changing personnel needs of the state. The Illinois Professional Teaching Standards can be downloaded from the ISBE Website, or obtained from your area schools and colleges.

These standards lay the foundation for the design of teacher and administrator preparation programs, set criteria for the approval of preparation programs at colleges and universities, serve as the basis for the development of assessments (including performance based assessments), serve as guidelines for novice teachers, serve as criteria for certificate renewal, serve as a component of the institutional report card, and lay the foundation for ensuring the preparation of quality educators.

Advisory panels composed of practitioners, faculty and others have issued recommendations consistent with ISBE's effort to develop rigorous standards for the preparation of quality educators. These standards will apply only to teachers and administrators receiving degrees after July 1, 2003. When adopted, these standards will guide the continuing professional development of teachers for certificate renewal.

To learn more about the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and to voice your opinion, log on to: http://www.isbe.net/profprep/PDFs/ipts.pdfEditor's note: This url has changed:http://www.isbe.net/profprep/standards.htm

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IDEC Membership Committee Update

Donna Nylander and Tweety Yates

Our membership has increased due in part to the great success of the Sharing A Vision conference. Currently, we have 293 members, 58 of whom have been members for at least 10 years. We would like to acknowledge these members and thank them for their continued support of DEC.

Beverly Becker (Wheaton)
Teresa Bennett (Champaign)
Deborah Bruns (Champaign)
Lynette Chandler (DeKalb)
Larry Chapman (Gilman)
Ida Cockrum (Mattoon)
Rebecca Cook (Tuscola)
Billie Sue Darr (Monee)
Kathryn Erlenbaugh (Buffalo Grove)
Karen Fabianowicz (Des Plaines)
Tavia Floyd (Des Plaines)
Susan Fowler (Champaign)
Sharon Frys (Carol Stream)
Marjorie Getz (Glenview)
Donna Glaeser (Richton Park)
Marsha Glick (Highland Park)
Dorothea Goldenberg (Northbrook)
Lynne Golomb (Chicago)
Patricia Herendeen (Oak Park)		 Renee Hirsch (Glencoe)
Barbara Hocking (Lombard)
Judith Hundley (Olympia Fields)
Pam Janes (Makanda)
Linda Kolbusz (Hoffman Estates)
Bernadette Laumann (Urbana)
Raymond Lechner (Orland Park)
Janet Lerner (Evanston)
Barbara Lowenthal (Highland Park)
Barbara Lunnemann (Breese)
James Maynard (Canton)
Jeanette McCollum (Champaign)
Donna Nylander (Naperville)
Therese O'Shea (Chicago)
Michaelene Ostrosky (Champaign)
Georgia Peceniak (Naperville)
Linda Porter (Belleville)
Susan Prazuch-Vonache (Chicago)
Theresa Prosser (O'Fallon)		 Kenneth Randle (Morton Grove)
Karen Rossi (Rockford)
Kathy Roffulo (Bellwood)
Cynthia Rumpel (Lincoln)
Kathlene Shank (Charleston)
Joan Smutny (Wilmette)
Dennis Studinsky (Lombard)
Karen Sullivan (Hinsdale)
Elizabeth Tepper (Wasau, WI)
Mary Waldron (Aurora)
Therese Wehman (Park Ridge)
Mary Welter (River Forest)
Deborah White (Chatham)
Kim Whiting (Ankeny, IA)
Mary Witvoet (South Holland)
Tweety Yates (Champaign)
Mary Zabelski (Chicago)
Jill Zmuda (East Moline)

If you have any questions regarding membership, please email Donna Nylander at <donna_nylander@ipsd.org> or Tweety Yates at <t-felner@uiuc.edu>.

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Help Young Children Overcome Challenging Behaviors

Young Exceptional Children Monograph Series: Practical Ideas for Addressing Challenging Behaviors

Most challenging behaviors can be addressed without removing young children from inclusive settings. A new monograph from DEC shows how you can more effectively prevent, identify, and address challenging behaviors by taking a positive behavioral approach that utilizes developmentally appropriate management techniques. Information is also included on preventative measures and intervention strategies and ways to enlist families in designing and carrying out interventions.

Research-based strategies written in accessible language are accompanied by examples of how strategies are implemented in real-life situations in early childhood programs and at home.

This monograph contains articles, gathered from YEC, that offer proven interventions with challenging behaviors that can be used in early childhood programs and at home. Articles cover such topics as identification, prevention, environmental modification, instruction of appropriate alternative behaviors and more.

You'll gain positive practices for helping children stay on task, transition to the next activity, learn positive social interactions, gain attending skills and communicate wants and needs appropriately.

YEC monographs are $12.00 each (plus S&H). Fax or mail your order today to Sopris West at

4093 Specialty Place
Longmont, CO 80504
(Voice) 800-547-6747
(Fax) 303-776-5934

Please include Visa/Mastercard information or signed Purchase Order with your order.

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GET INVOLVED TODAY. WANTED: Committed individuals to fill positions in the IDEC Board

Are you looking for ways to get involved with state and national DEC? Here's your chance!

We are anticipating a number of openings in the IDEC Executive Board effective July 1, 2000. We need hardworking and committed individuals to fill four positions: Vice President, Treasurer, Student Representative and CEC Liaison.

The positions of Vice President and Treasurer are elected positions. The positions of Student Representative and CEC Liaison are appointed positions.

* The Vice President participates in all Board activities and serves as officer-in-charge in the absence of the President and President Elect. This is a 4-year commitment. He or she serves initially as Vice President for the first year, then as President Elect, President, and Past President during the following three years. This provides for continuity on the IDEC Board.

* The Treasurer prepares the annual report of the financial status of IDEC. This position serves for two consecutive years on the Board.

* The Student Representative should be a current DEC student member. He or she assists the IDEC Membership Committee in recruiting students to join DEC and IDEC.

* The CEC Liaison attends ICEC meetings as the voice of the IDEC Executive Board. He or she maintains contact with CEC and DEC on behalf of the Executive Board.

Members of the Executive Board are required to attend all IDEC Executive Board meetings held three times a year in designated locales in the state. To qualify for any of the above positions, you must be a current DEC member.

If you or someone you know is interested in running as a candidate for Vice President or Treasurer, please contact Susan Maude on or before April 28, 2000. Call Susan at 815-777-0152 or send her an email at <SusanMaude@aol.com>

If you or someone you know is interested in the Student Representative or CEC Liaison position, please contact Greg Anderson or Lynette Chandler on or before April 28, 2000. Call Greg at 815-725-2194 or send him an email at <Docgrega@aol.com>

OR

Call Lynette at 815-753-8424 or send her an email at <lchandler@niu.edu>

Ballots for the Vice President and Treasurer will appear in the May 2000 issue of the IDEC Newsletter.

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Sharing A Vision Conference Volunteers Needed!

It is time to start thinking about the Sharing A Vision (SAV) 2001 Conference. The 7th Sharing A Vision Conference will be held in Springfield in October 2001. We need volunteers for a number of activities and committees.

If you are interested in being a part of the planning committee, join us at our first planning meeting on August 18, 2000 in Champaign.

For more information, please contact Amy Santos at 217-333-4123 or send her an email at <rsantos@uiuc.edu>

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First Nationally Recognized Early Childhood Teacher Receives State Farm Insurance "Good Neighbor Award" for Innovative Practices

Mrs. Debbie Carter is being nationally recognized as a select member of the teaching profession who personify the "Good Neighbor" philosophy through her innovation, involvement, dedication, and leadership in the field of education.

State Farm Insurance's "Good Neighbor Award" was developed in cooperation with the Council for Exceptional Children. She was selected over a large number of outstanding educators recommended by national teachers' organizations.

Mrs. Carter has been an early childhood teacher for three years in Naperville. Her innovative idea is implementing a lending library program for the children at Prairie Children Preschool at Indian Prairie School District 204 called "Book Buddies."

No matter how much Mrs. Carter puts in these bags, children seem to get twice as much out of them! Each contains a story book and related games, toys, art and activities. It invites the child and parent to further explore the world of imagination the story has opened.

Mrs. Carter has also held a number of leadership positions in the filed of early childhood. She has worked for the Illinois State Board of Education as a Parent Resource Specialist. Her responsibility was to provide training, identify resources and services for families of young children with special needs. She was coordinator and toy librarian at DuPage Easter Seals and she also was a recipient of the Jeanine Nicarico Literacy Grant in January 1998.

As part of this award, State Farm recognizes Mrs. Carter's innovation and leadership by running a nationally advertised ad in December in Child Magazine, Parents Magazine, U.S. News and World report and National Geographic and is donating $5,000 to the school in her name.

Congratulations Debbie!!

No matter how much Mrs. Carter puts in these bags, children seem to get twice as much out of them!

Book Buddies

A unique lending library that packages books with other objects like games, toys, art and recipe cards that relate to each story. These objects, and the projects and assignments that go with them, invite children and their parents to further explore the world of imagination the story has helped open. This in turn has helped parents play a greater role in their children's education, especially for parents who have children with special needs.

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Parent-professional communication: How can we make it happen?

By Debbie Bruns

Miscommunication?
Lack of reciprocal understanding?
Resistance to services?

Professionals in the field of early childhood special education (ECSE) often face these types of issues when working with parents and families. We think we are providing the necessary information in an appropriate manner but can't understand why parents do not attend meetings, respond to phone calls, and such.

Based on research in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and ECSE, these types of communication problems are common between parents and professionals. For instance, numerous studies have highlighted the importance of timely, straightforward information to share with parents (e.g., Able-Boone, Dokecki, & Smith, 1989; Bass, 1991; Dunst, Trivette, & Johanson, 1994; Hammond, 1999; Minke & Scott, 1995). Yet, this does not always occur due to issues of time and staffing. While strategies and techniques exist to promote parent-professional communication (e.g., Beckman, Frank, & Newcomb, 1996), their implementation does not always match parent preferences.

Open communication is a cornerstone of services in the NICU and in ECSE. As professionals, personnel trainers, and students, we must strive to incorporate practices that focus on the "when" and "how" of communication as much as the "what". For truly successful parent-professional relationships to develop, existing practices must be reevaluated within this context to better match the realities of the young children and families we work with.

References

Able-Boone, H., Dokecki, P. R., & Smith, M. S. (1989). Parent and health care provider communication and decision making in the intensive care nursery. Children's Health Care, 18, 133-141.

Bass, L. S. (1991). What do parents need when their infant is a patient in the NICU? Neonatal Network, 10(4), 25-33.

Beckman, P. J., Frank, N., & Newcomb, S. (1996). Qualities and skills for communicating with families. In P. J. Beckman (Ed.), Strategies for working with families of young children with disabilities (pp. 31-46). Baltimore, MD: Brookes.

Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C. M., & Johanson, C. (1994). Parent-professional collaboration and partnerships. In C. J. Dunst, C. M. Trivette, & A. G. Deal (Eds.), Supporting and strengthening families, Volume 1: Methods, strategies, and practices (pp. 197-211). Cambridge, MA: Brookline.

Hammond, H. (1999). Identifying best family-centered practices in early-intervention programs. Teaching Exceptional Children, 31(6), 42-46.

Minke, K. M., & Scott, M. M. (1995). Parent-professional relationships in early intervention: A qualitative investigation. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 15(3), 335-352.

About the Author:

Debbie received her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Debbie is currently the student representative to the IDEC Board.

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WHAT'S NEW. UPCOMING EVENTS - OPPORTUNITIES

Request for Manuscripts

YEC Monograph Series on Inclusion and Natural Environments

We are inviting authors to submit manuscripts for review for the 2nd Young Exceptional Children Monograph on Inclusion and Natural Environment.

The YEC Monograph Series is designed for teachers, early care and education personnel, administrators, therapists, family members and others who work with or on behalf of children ages birth to 8, who have identified disabilities, developmental delays, are gifted/talented, or are at risk of future developmental delays.

One of the goals of the YEC series is to translate research findings to effective and useful strategies for practitioners and families. All manuscripts will be reviewed following YEC review guidelines. Deadline for submission of manuscripts is May 31, 2000.

For more information, contact:
Susan Sandall at 206-543-4011 <ssandall@u.washington.edu>
OR
Micki Ostrosky at 217-333-0260 ostrosky@uiuc.edu

Call for Papers

Issues in Early Childhood Education: Curriculum Design, Teacher Education, and the Dissemination of Information

Join us in celebrating Professor Lilian Katz's distinguished teaching career at a symposium in her honor. As both professor of early childhood at the University of Illinois and director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Dr. Katz has contributed internationally to the field of early childhood curriculum, teacher education, and the dissemination of information.

ERIC/EECE invites paper submissions for the symposium to be held from November 5-7, 2000 in Champaign. Accepted papers will be included in the proceedings of the symposium to be published by ERIC/EECE. Deadline for submission of paper proposals is May 15, 2000.

For more information, contact:

Ellen Swengel at 217-333-1386
eswengel@uiuc.edu
OR visit the ERIC/EECE Web site
http://ericeece.org/katzsymposium/Editor's note: This url has changed:http://ecap.crc.illinois.edu/pubs/katzsympro.html