50 Strategies for Communicating and Working with Diverse Families, 3rd edition

• Be reminded of the most important aspect of relationships—communication. Throughout, the text stresses the integral components of communication between diverse families and teachers or administrators.
• Discover why it is so important to build and maintain partnerships between teachers and family members, and why partnering truly improves the educational experience for all children by strengthening their identity and increasing the focus on diversity. Most chapters in the text mention the teacher-family partnership, and Chapter 6 is a detailed example, demonstrating some of the benefits of a partnering relationship, offering ideas about how to go about creating these partnerships in a proactive and positive manner.
• Be aware of the importance of respecting the various diversities and cultures that exist in today’s classrooms. Recognise and be validated in your own personal diversity and family, broaden your mind to the differences felt by many students, gain an increased understanding of the perspectives of those students who feel different.
• Gain a broader view of diversity, culture, and equity and how they relate to working with all children and their families. Throughout the text, a practical approach to working with children and families is taken when looking at many strategies to make education fit for all students.

Extensively revised, this third edition has increased and expanded the depth and ideas presented in previous editions, resulting in the most current, diversity-oriented Families book on the market. In direct response to reviewers and new trends in the field, the author has included more attention to diversity in every chapter; expanded the descriptions of the many different types of families readers will likely work with, such as military families and grandparents raising their grandchildren; information on the growing influence all types of media have on young children; more about the influence of economic hardship on children and families, as more families experience poverty; changes and additions in the sections What Teachers Can Do turning negatives into positives; new stories, examples, and vignettes that apply the information to real life; more on self-reflection, home visits; and additions and updates to many of the chapters to reflect the most current themes, trends, research, and ideas in the field today.

• Gather ideas on the right directions to take when faced with classroom dilemmas—either as student teachers or practicum students. This edition features additional clear-cut examples about how to approach conflict, and ways to work through issues that arise when diversity rubs against standard practice, or when families and teachers don’t see eye-to-eye on what children need. See examples in Chapter 4 (working through diverse perspectives on gun play in the classroom) or Chapter 17 (working with conflicts around education and care practices).
• Read and gain a unique perspective on the challenges and possible solutions in early childhood education from the many authentic stories and examples throughout the text that reflect what goes on in real-life classrooms and early education centers. This edition has added new stories throughout the chapters tohelpunderstand the communication practices related to the concepts presented.  See some specific examples in Chapter 18 (an example of using a logical consequence approach to discipline), Chapter 26 (a teacher tells a story about a Valentine’s Day celebration that went wrong), and Chapter 30 (the author tells two stories about what it’s like not to understand someone else’s language).
• Benefit from many opportunities for self-reflection. In this new edition, there is an increased emphasis on self-reflection as a means to facilitating partnerships and working through conflicts with families who have diverse experiences. This added focus will translate to a better, increased mental health for teachers and students alike, offering a way to understand what is going on outside the individual, as well as on the inside. See examples in Chapter 16 (suggesting readers reflect on their personal early educational experiences to understand how they did or did not fit culturally), in Chapter 17 (an expanded section on how teachers can use self-reflection to work to solve conflicts around education and care practices), and in Chapter 18 (using self-reflection to discover one’s own biases and reactions to family members who are bothersome).
• Discover ways to make your classroom an inviting and welcoming place for students and their families, with new information on how the environment can be an effective tool in working with diverse families. With concrete examples and suggestions for enhancing learning, self-identity, and the cultural connections of children to their families, new information on how the environment can be just as effective as a diversity strategy is featured in this text. Readers will learn how to be reflective about the diversity of the children and families in their classrooms, enhance children’s self-identities and connections to their families, and facilitate communication with families. Find this content in chapters 9, 16, and 28.
• Relate to a modern text that reflects the real-life world in which you live. Throughout this edition, the author has replaced every instance of the term “parents” with “family members” to better encompass the many different types of families and individuals raising children today. Additionally, Chapter 4 mentions parents in the military, and Chapter 24 has a new title, “Focus on Fathers and Grandfathers” with new information that reflects this topic.
• Learn about the benefits of conducting home visits as a way of creating partnerships between teachers and families. New to this edition, the text features more content on home visits. Chapter 6 suggests instituting home visits when possible, and Chapter 8 includes added material on home visits from previous editions.