1. Unit 5: Working with Parents and Others in Early Years
Teacher notes (PS 1):
It is imperative that early years workers learn to work with parents, colleagues and other professionals, which is why a whole unit has been dedicated to this subject. By the time learners have completed Unit 5, they should have a good understanding of the importance of collaborative working and the positive effect it can have on outcomes for children.
In this unit, they will learn about the role of parents in children’s lives and factors that affect parenting styles. They will also learn about parents’ rights and different views about childhood. This is important as they will need to appreciate that there are different ways of raising children. They will also learn about the role of other professionals in children’s lives. In this unit they will explore ways of working with parents, colleagues and other professionals and how to communicate effectively to develop positive working relationships with them.

2. Objectives By the end of the lesson you should be able to:
Recap on the four different parenting styles
Discuss what factors may influence parenting styles
Explain how parenting styles may affect partnership working
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3. Group Activity
Feedback your answers from Activity Sheet 2 (homework 2 weeks ago)
(Tasks 1 and 2 about parenting styles and the effects on children’s needs and behaviours).
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4. Case Studies
Discuss in groups your answers to task 3 about how partnership work may be affected by the parents’ views and parenting styles and the impact on the care of the child in an early years setting.
Feedback your ideas.
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5. Whole Group Activity
Discuss ideas and observations of how, as a professional, you can respect and communicate effectively with parents.
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6. Small Group Activity List: What could affect parents emotionally?
Consider the positive and negative aspects. What behaviour/signs would be evident?
Using Activity Sheet 4: Discuss the given scenarios – expected signs/ behaviour, possible consequences and suggested intervention.
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7. Individual Activity Using questions 2 and 3 in Activity Sheet 4:
Reflect on how your own setting builds partnerships with parents and the impact of this on the outcomes for children.
Feedback as a class
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8. Homework
How do approaches in the setting differ from those of the parents and/or carers?
How might these approaches impact on:
Parental confidence
Relationships with early years professionals
Development of a collaborative approach to supporting children’s learning and development
1 side of A4 please! It can be hand written, but you may prefer to type it.
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