Parent & whānau relationships in early childhood education

HomeEarly childhood education resourcesParent & whānau relationships in early childhood education
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Parent & whānau relationships in early childhood education

HomeEarly childhood education resourcesParent & whānau relationships in early childhood education

Topic summary

Parent partnership practices that increase family involvement in early childhood education are related to a range of positive outcomes for children’s learning and development.

Parent partnership involves teachers in developing genuinely responsive and reciprocal relationships with families in which teachers and families collaborate in making curriculum decisions about children’s learning. 

Parent partnership in early childhood education can support a healthy developmental trajectory for a child that continues into the schooling period. Parental participation in early childhood education is related to children’s increased achievement, self-esteem, motivation, and wellbeing. Parental participation can decrease the achievement gap between high and low income families, and is associated with the support and maintenance of children’s culture and languages.  

Strong parent partnerships enable teachers to develop knowledge of children’s home experiences to support higher quality learning interactions in the setting, and families to develop skills and confidence for enhancing their children’s learning at home. This enables greater continuity between home and the early childhood setting. This is important because discontinuity has a negative effect on children’s development, particularly their behaviour, social competence, language and motor skills.  

Parent partnership is well-established in the research literature as a key factor in effective early childhood programmes and interventions. There is a large body of research documenting a greater impact on children’s achievement when early childhood settings include parents and families in making a change to practice and provide parental education in areas such as picture book reading, joint writing or elaborative conversations. 

  • Develop strategies for two-way communication and collaboration
  • Strengthen relationships with families through regular and positive interactions 
  • Create a sense of reciprocity with families that is about helping each other and sharing information 
  • Uncover shared goals, attitudes and values
  • Empower families with equal power in decision-making

  • How regular are your interactions and discussions with parents?  
  • How do you find out about parents’ needs, aspirations, goals and concerns?
  • How do you promote the two-way exchange of information between families and early childhood settings? 
  • How open are you to differences in expectations and values of families? 
  • Do you collaborate with families to make curricular decisions about programmes and learning?  

Research reviews

Principles for parent partnership: A four-step approach

Four key principles from the research on building parent partnership in ECE.

13 ideas and activities for promoting partnership in early childhood settings

A set of practical strategies that can be used to develop partnerships with parents and whanau in ECE.

Common partnership challenges and how to address them

Ideas and strategies to help you troubleshoot your partnership practice.

What to try when building partnership with families is challenging

A taxonomy to help you reflect on partnership practice at your ECE setting.

Understanding the families you work with: Reflective questions to uncover cultural differences

A set of useful questions to help you notice and understand the beliefs, values and practices of diverse families.

What is parent partnership?

A brief overview of the research on parent partnership in ECE.

Webinars

Diverse cultural and gendered identities: Working with children and families in early childhood services

NEXT UP
LIVE EVENT: 7.30PM MONDAY APRIL 7, 2025
Associate Professor Sonja Arndt and Professor Kylie Smith explore how early childhood settings can support children and families with a range of identities

Superdiversity in early childhood

Angel Chan and Jenny Ritchie in conversation with Vicki Hargraves about understanding and responding to superdiversity in ECE settings.

Infographics

Snapshots

Integrating Te Tiriti o Waitangi with the superdiversity of early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand

Key insights from the webinar with Jenny Ritchie and Angel Chan on supporting and working with families from a range of cultural backgrounds in early childhood settings.
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