Early Childhood Education: Family Systems Theory

Early Childhood Education
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Early Childhood Education
Theories
Family Systems Theory
The main concept in this theory is that the family is made up of members who are interrelated, and every member influences the other members in recurring and predictable ways (Christian, 2006). This theory is focused not on the behaviour of the individual, but rather on the behaviour of the family. The specific aspects of this theory that are connected to the visit experience are the family’s characteristics as a system. These characteristics are climate, rules, roles and boundaries.
Climate is about the physical and emotional environment that children grow up in (Ackerman, 2009). In relation to climate, I was able to observe staffs at Willowdale Ontario Early Year Centre, or simply Centre, work with families during the program by providing opportunities for families, especially the parents, to talk about their viewpoint regarding their youngsters including how they support their development and what they want for them. Through these discussions, the staffs learned how to support families in the best way possible as the families support their young ones. Moreover, the staffs created a classroom climate of healthy sensory experiences, constructive feedback and guidelines, as well as safety. This was important in making the children feel the school as a great place to be.
Rules refer to the sets of traditions, laws or standards which stipulate the way that people should live relative to one another. They might be unspoken or spoken (Christian, 2006). In relation to rules, staffs at the Centre were able to work with families by making distinctions between school rules and home rules, for example by allowing every child to serve themselves at mealtimes which was part of school rules, but not part of their home rules where meals are served by their parents. The staffs also watched for unspoken rules, particularly those that pertain to power, gender, and the way people treat one another. For example, while some activities such cooking and building structures were enjoyed by both boys and girls, it was important for the staffs to recognize that this might create a conflict in some traditional families. Furthermore, the staffs asked for assistance and input from families whenever disagreements over rules occurred. The parents shared information that was helpful in resolving some issues.
In every family, there are roles for the individual members, for example a victim, a rescuer, a clown, and a peacemaker. Every role has specific behavioural expectations (Christian, 2006). In relation to roles, I was able to observe staffs at the Centre work with families by giving the young ones opportunities to engage in role play in unstructured and structured situations. The staffs helped the children in experiencing new roles and working through their present roles. In the roles that they adopted, the staffs recognized the significance of the children’s cultural backgrounds. In addition, the staffs observed the children carefully and created situations that allowed each child to play different roles. The staffs also helped parents to identify the various strengths of their children ...