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WORKING WITH FAMILIES is one of the most important aspects of being an early childhood professional, yet it is an area in which many educators have received little preparation (Nieto 2004). We spend hours learning about child development, developmentally appropriate practices, health and safety, playgrounds, and play. At times it seems that we focus on children as if they appear from nowhere, land in our classrooms, and merely disappear at the end of the day. We may ignore the settings in which they spend their time away from us, believing they are not very important. In fact the home environment greatly influences what goes on in school. Much has been written on parent involvement (Ginott 1965; Henderson & Berla 1981; Epstein et al. 1997), and the literature includes a growing number of references to family involvement (Birckmayer et al. 2005; Grosser 2005; Diss & Buckley 2005). However, a limited amount of research (Bredekamp & Copple 1997; Couchenour & Chrisman 2004) directly addresses understanding of family systems as a key component of early childhood education.
To serve children well, we must work with their families. To be effective in this work, we must first understand families who are diverse in ways such as culture, sexual orientation, economic status, work, religious beliefs, and composition. Singleparent families, families of divorce, blended families, extended families, homeless families, migrant families, and gay and lesbian families represent some of the diversity in families that we work with as early childhood professionals. Yet no matter how different families appear to outside observers, all have certain characteristics in common. Families just show them in different ways. Examining these characteristics helps educators engage families in ways that foster optimal child development.
Family systems theory
Family systems theory comes from the work of individuals like Ackerman (1959), Jackson (1965), Minuchin (1974), and Bowen (1978). While this theory is typically used in family counseling and therapy, much can be learned from examining it in the context of early childhood settings. Family systems theory has been used in trying to understand problems of students in school settings (Sawatzky, Eckert, & Ryan 1993; Widerman & Widerman 1995; Kraus 1998; Van Velsor & Cox 2000). The need for understanding family systems theory in early childhood settings has been underscored...