Page 3 - LESSION 18.pmd

Involvement of Parents and Community

writing, and so on. Talking with teachers provides information to the
families about how to help their children at home by engaging them in
various activities in a play-way manner. Notes
iv. Finally, involving community means identifying the resources from the
community and then utilising the same to strengthen the preschool
programme, family practices and young children’s learning. For example,
providing the relevant information to parents; taking support from village
Sarpanch for making provision of space for cultural programme of an
ECCE centre; creating awareness for sending children regularly and
timely to the ECCE centre; taking help of a community doctor to develop
health awareness among family members and so on.
Parental involvement in a quality ECCE programme helps the community
members understand that a child deserves to live in a healthy and happy family
environment. Bonding between teacher and parents is critical in strengthening
the school and community environments which ultimately enables teachers and
parents to encourage their children’s educational process. In a quality ECCE
programme, the families take part in programme planning and monitoring and
therefore, they are not only recipients of information but are full partners in
the implementation of the ECCE programme.

All the above can be achieved through parental education, training and family
support programmes.

18.1.2 Why We Need Parents and Community Awareness

In practical terms, the quality partnership means the preschool teachers and staff
need to respect the knowledge and understanding that parents have of their
children. Parents should acknowledge that preschool teachers know about their
children and their development. Children can only benefit when each partner
talks and listens to the other.

The National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy 2013 recognises that
young children are best cared for in their family environment and thus
strengthening family capabilities to care for and protect the child will receive
the highest priority. A major deterrent to ensuring the right kind of ECCE is
the lack of understanding of developmentally appropriate ECCE programme
among the parents and other stakeholders. In order to address this deficit,
extensive use of media will be made, including folk, print and electronic media,
to reach out to parents, caregivers, professionals and the larger community and
create awareness of the appropriate kind of ECCE.

Parents of poor families or those belonging to low–income families do not find
Early Childhood Education (ECE) necessary for children between the ages of

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION 149