Reflective Analysis of Portfolio Artifact

Rationale/Reflection
NAEYC Standard: STANDARD 2. BUILDING FAMILY AND COMMUNITY
RELATIONSHIP
Candidates prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that successful early childhood education
depends upon partnerships with childrens families and communities. They a) know about, understand, and
value the importance and complex characteristics of childrens families and communities. They use this
understanding to b) create respectful, reciprocal relationships that support and empower families, and c) to
involve all families in their childrens development and learning. (NAEYC, 2010)

Brief Description of Evidence:

During my ECED 204 Families in Transition class in the summer semester 2015, we created scenarios for
families that had different lifestyles. We had to brainstorm ways to effectively deal with situations that occurred
in their life. Our family scenario was about a Hispanic divorced mother raising her four children. The mother
had to overcome difficult obstacles in her life such as divorce, and living in a two-bedroom apartment with her
high school friend. The mother had to reach out to the community to help assist with the familys needs that
pertain to her situation. The mother is writing her story in a journal to explain her adventure; of how she
survived the life that she was dealing with. In this journal she gives detail of the different situations she faced
and how the community assisted the family at a crucial time in their life.

Analysis of What I Learned:

I learned through the family scenarios project the importance of recognizing environmental structures that can
affect families such as, diversity, poverty and unexpected challenges. I learned how to find the appropriate
resources for the needs of a certain type of family. I learned how to explore the community and methods that are
valuable for working with diverse families. I learned the importance of a supportive and respectful relationships
in an enabled family. I understand how a child is affected by the family life cycles, and it how it can distress a
childs learning and developmental growth.

How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the NAEYC

Standard:
This artifact demonstrates my competence in standard 2, Building Family and Community Relationships. I have
the knowledge to recognize challenges in various types of families, such as poverty, divorce, single parent, and
multicultural families, and helping empower the family to discover their supportive resources within the
community. I have the knowledge to create respectful, reciprocal relationships that can support and assist
childrens families by applying appropriate resources and an educational support system within the community.
I have the knowledge to encourage social relationships between families and community by supplying resources
and recommendations for services such as housing assistance programs, head start, utility assistance, food
assistance, and the proper insurance available to the family. Through the investigation of Urie Bronfenbrenner I
recognize the ecological systems affecting the family because, he looks beyond the child and into the family
and how they family affects the child. Because of my knowledge gained from Brofenbrenner I am able to use.
research the proper resource to help empower and support and to involve the family in the childrens learning