Family and community involvement enhance the learning experiences of children. Early childhood administrators realize that there are cultural, economic, and other factors that break down communication and limit the ways family and community members can participate in programs for young children. They must be willing to learn how to meet diverse needs and establish trusting relationships with families and communities. Surveying parents and families at the beginning of the year will help you better understand the challenges and barriers they face. You will learn more about their parenting styles, views, values, and preferred ways to be contacted and involved in their child’s learning and development. Data from the surveys will help you create a plan for family and community involvement in your early childhood program.

For the Unit 9 Assignment, you will analyze four completed family surveys located in the Course Documents area of the course and compare the survey results to research-based theories of family systems and approaches to family and community involvement. You will use this information to create a family partnership plan for each of the families surveyed. The family partnership plans will be created to represent the specific viewpoints of the families for the purpose of increasing family and community involvement in your early childhood program.

You will use the Family Partnership Plan Template included in the Course Documents area of the course to complete the following components of the Unit 9 Assignment:

Part 1: Analyze the Family Survey Data

For Part 1 of the Assignment, you will analyze four completed family surveys, which are included in the Course Documents area of the course, to gain a better understanding of the needs and challenges diverse families face from the viewpoint of the families themselves. You will include your summary of your analysis of each family’s needs, challenges, parenting styles, values, and preferred ways to be contacted and involved in their child’s learning on the Family Partnership Plan Template provided.

Part 2: Compare Survey Results to Research-Based Theories & Approaches

For Part 2 of the Assignment, a 3-4 page expository essay should be written using Standard English, complete with citations and references. The essay should be written using standard paragraph structure and 12-point Times New Roman font. It should also follow all other APA formatting and citation guidelines and include separate title and references pages.

You will compare the survey results to research-based theories of family systems and approaches to family and community involvement. For each family surveyed, describe which family system is represented and which research-based approach or modified approach to family and community involvement will work best for the family. This expository essay should be original and insightful.

Part 3: Create Family Partnership Plans

Based on your analysis of the family surveys and comparisons of research-based theories of family systems and approaches to family and community involvement, complete the chart included in the Unit 9 Assignment Template to create family partnership plans for each of the families surveyed. Your plans will include communication, involvement, and various support strategies.

You will include a Reference page following APA formatting which includes at least three scholarly peer reviewed references obtained from the University Library directly related to research-based theories of family systems and approaches to family and community involvement. The Writing Center has information on how to use APA formatting. You can access the Writing Center with the following link: https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/MyStudies/AcademicSupportCenter/WritingCenter/Index.aspx