ECE515 - Family and Community Engagement

Subject Title
Family and Community Engagement

Subject Description
This course is designed to help students foster professional-family relationships that are meaningful, cooperative, respectful and productive. Theory and practice relevant to helping parents and other family members work with their child forms the core of the course. Students will learn about critical roles they play as an Early Childhood Educator, both individually and as part of team.  As well they will gain knowledge and interpersonal skills necessary to promote and sustain supportive partnerships.

Credit Status
It is a required subject for the Early Childhood Education Diploma.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this subject the student will be able to:

Upon successful completion, the student is able to:

1. Contrast historical and current perspectives of family roles, values, goals and transitions.
2. Identify and reflect on her understanding of differing family compositions.
3. Describe, analyze, and reflect on the family's role as primary socializer and educator of the family within a cultural context, and the interrelationships among, culture, language, and thought and other functions of home culture, as well as language in young children's development.
4. Have a basic understanding of family theories and how the theoretical lens is a determinant of how families are understood.
5. Explain how six core strengths form the foundation of healthy relationships with family and community
6. Describe and explain the process for setting family goals and planning based on the strengths, needs and interests of the parents to foster a relationship of mutual trust.
7. Identify and access community services and resources available to assist parents in meeting goals and needs of the family, as well as identifying resources to assist families facing challenges e.g. children with disabilities, mental health issues or special needs.
8. Plan family involvement and educational activities that are responsive to the ongoing and expressed needs of the parents as individuals and as members of a group.
9. Appraise family involvement in community advocacy and describe the students' role in supporting families as community active members.
10. Examine the factors that lead to empowerment of children and families.
11. Evaluate the elements of successful community programs offering education, advocacy and support to families.
12. Differentiate between forms of family involvement and engagement.
13. Identify barriers to effective family support and strategies to overcome them.
14. Develop, implement, and demonstrate proficiency in strategies designed to build a partnership with families.
15. Analyze relevant factors in advocating for families.

Academic Integrity
Seneca upholds a learning community that values academic integrity, honesty, fairness, trust, respect, responsibility and courage. These values enhance Seneca's commitment to deliver high-quality education and teaching excellence, while supporting a positive learning environment. Ensure that you are aware of Seneca's Academic Integrity Policy which can be found at: http://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/academic-integrity-policy.html Review section 2 of the policy for details regarding approaches to supporting integrity. Section 2.3 and Appendix B of the policy describe various sanctions that can be applied, if there is suspected academic misconduct (e.g., contract cheating, cheating, falsification, impersonation or plagiarism).

Please visit the Academic Integrity website http://open2.senecac.on.ca/sites/academic-integrity/for-students to understand and learn more about how to prepare and submit work so that it supports academic integrity, and to avoid academic misconduct.

Discrimination/Harassment
All students and employees have the right to study and work in an environment that is free from discrimination and/or harassment. Language or activities that defeat this objective violate the College Policy on Discrimination/Harassment and shall not be tolerated. Information and assistance are available from the Student Conduct Office at student.conduct@senecapolytechnic.ca.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
The College will provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities in order to promote academic success. If you require accommodation, contact the Counselling and Accessibility Services Office at ext. 22900 to initiate the process for documenting, assessing and implementing your individual accommodation needs.

Camera Use and Recordings - Synchronous (Live) Classes
Synchronous (live) classes may be delivered in person, in a Flexible Learning space, or online through a Seneca web conferencing platform such as MS Teams or Zoom. Flexible Learning spaces are equipped with cameras, microphones, monitors and speakers that capture and stream instructor and student interactions, providing an in-person experience for students choosing to study online.

Students joining a live class online may be required to have a working camera in order to participate, or for certain activities (e.g. group work, assessments), and high-speed broadband access (e.g. Cable, DSL) is highly recommended. In the event students encounter circumstances that impact their ability to join the platform with their camera on, they should reach out to the professor to discuss. Live classes may be recorded and made available to students to support access to course content and promote student learning and success.

By attending live classes, students are consenting to the collection and use of their personal information for the purposes of administering the class and associated coursework. To learn more about Seneca's privacy practices, visit Privacy Notice.