1. Welcome! Lincoln Elementary School Parents, Teachers, and Students
My Name is Kimberly Bowen
ECE497: Child Development
Instructor: Tracy Reed
July 19, 2015

2. Middle Childhood (ages: 6 to 11)
Middle childhood focuses on children who are primarily in kindergarten through sixth grade. (Berk, L. 2013)
This is the stage where children are starting to learn about the world and how to try and master the responsibilities that with help them in adulthood.
This is the stage where children start to join organizations, play sports, and even start to make life long friends.
Children in middle childhood are also start to learn as well as master the fundamentals of reading, writing, and math.

3. My Background I am a graduate of Ashford University
I worked with children who have disabilities for over three years. I worked with children from the age of kindergarten- high school
I currently work as a teacher at Head Start.
My job is to support the education of not only the children, but also the family and community of the child.

4. Your Child’s Mesosystems
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System the Mesosystem
The mesosystem is when two points of the microsystem of the child come together. (Paquette, D.)
Parents/school, school/friends, friends/ community.
Everything that your child is involved in comes together in the mesosystem

5. Epstein’s Types of Involvement (Epstiens, J.L.)
Parents: To help families to provide a home environment that supports children as students
Communication: Helping to develop school-to-home and home-to-school about your child’s school progress and up coming school events
Volunteering: Getting parents involved to help organize school events and offer support.
Learning at Home: Helping parents to better help children with homework and school activities.
Decision Making: Getting parents involved in the decision making of school activities.
Collaborating with community: Getting the local community involved in school programs.

6. PARENTING (Epstien, J.L)
Providing information to parents
Suggestions supporting children at home for each grade level
Parent education courses
Home visits at child’s transitioning points
Making sure all information is clear to parents as well as child
Enableing parents to share information on their cultures, backgrounds and belief’s.

7. COMMUNICATING (Epstien, J.L.)
Parent teacher conferences at least once a year
Send home daily communication folders
Monthly news letters of what is going on in the classroom and school
Make sure newsletters, report cards, and schedules can be read by all parents (make adjustments when needed)
Establish with the parents the form of communication with them

8. VOLUNTEERING (Epstien, J.L.)
To help aid safety to children at school
Everyone has something to share
Great opportunity to help your child and give them support
Having flexible schedules
Match volunteer work with talents
Builds self-confidence

9. LEARNING AT HOME (Epstien, J.L.)
Providing information about homework policies and expectations
Design a regular weekly schedule of homework
Keep parents informed about what their child is learning and have them expand on it
Family participation in setting goals for their child

10. DECISION MAKING (Epstien, J.L.)
Make your voice count and be heard
Join the PTO/PTA to make your child’s school a better place
Parents and children need to be involved in the decision making

11. COLLABERATING WITH COMMUNITY (Epstien, J.L.)
Help children to get involved in their community
Community volunteers in school by reading to the children
Have a community worker’s week and have volunteers come to school and demonstrate their job in the community
Business and school partnerships

12. References Berk, L.E. (2013) “Child Development”
Epstien, J.L. “Epstien’s Framework of Six Types of Involvement”
Paquette, D., Ryan, J. “Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Theory”