University of Prishtina
Faculty of Education
Kosovo
Paper research:
COOPERATION OF PARENTS IN PUBLIC
PRESCHOOL INSTITUTIONS IN KOSOVO
R. Ferizi Shala1, V. Buza1, D. Hajdari2
1 University of Prishtina
2 Preschool teacher-student
Introduction
•
Contemporary studies support the idea that cooperation between
school, family and community is a precondition for success and
stability in learning aspect, development and systematic children
monitoring.
•
Cooperation of preschool institutions with family should be treated as
a key moment for creation of a culture and habit on parents in order
for them to create the idea of a stable cooperation, which main
purpose is about children bigger profits.
•
Based in the six types of partnership according to Epstein and
different studies made on partnership we can conclude that it is
necessity of time which has to be given more importance in our
country too and the cooperation between preschool institutions and
family has to be encouraged.
• Different states have used different strategies to raise the
involvement of parents in school life. In certain moments of
education development they have approved strategies
which have had the purpose of raising cooperation between
preschool institutions and family.
• In Kosovo within the “Strategies for development of education
2011-2016” it’s foreseen the rise of parent information level
over the role and importance of preschool education.
•
As well in this strategy there are predicted concrete steps
toward the creation of cooperation with parents whose main
purpose is raising the consciousness level and information for
child profits in preschool education level.
• For implementing and fulfilling this strategy, the state needs still
working because many of the described phases are still in
their initials.
• Functioning of the cooperation with parents should not be
considered as a process moving up-down, but as a process
which should be initiated from preschool institution itself
through their developing plans towards improvement and
increase of work quality in preschool institutions.
Methodology
• This paper is based in the hypothesis “Good cooperation
between preschool institutions and family affects in increasing
the quality of work that is developed in preschool institutions”.
• With the head-educator in one of the institutions that are part
of the experimental group, is realized an interview, to
identified strong and weak points of cooperation with parents.
• There are built 6 categorized tabs based in the involving types
according to Epstein in order to extract the data in a
categorized way.
• After the identification of strong and weak points for
cooperation between preschool institutions and families, we
have defined the public preschool institutions and have built
the work plan.
• The plan includes two primary phases in identifying potential
partners from the educators and parents, and the work plan
for common activities which would be developed in
preschool institutions:
Phase I:
• Educators from four preschool institutions were distributed a
questionnaire which helped in identifying forms and ways of
cooperation with parents which educators currently use.
• Also the educators were asked to express commitment to
cooperate in subsequent activities for which they were
informed previously.
• During this phase of work there has been a good atmosphere
of cooperation between the educators and the realizing
group of this study.
Phase II:
• The distribution of questionnaires to parents and their fulfilment
has approximately lasted ten days where from the 60
distributed questionnaires only 40 of them were returned to the
institution.
• Given the fact that until today in the preschool education
field in our country there hasn’t been much polls or researches
in which has been required or taken into consideration what
parents thought, often happens that parents does not take
seriously what is required from them by the preschool
institutions or independent people (as in our case).
• From this group through fulfilling the questionnaires there are
identified parents who can be the potential co-operators in
different activities that will be developed in a preschool
institution in the subsequent period
Action Plan:
• After identifying the educators and potential parents for
developing a deeper cooperation in the preschool education
field.
• The research team has elaborated a strategy which has been
based on the 6 partnership types according to Epstein and
the reflection that the educators and parents have given
while fulfilling the questionnaires.
• After the planning is made, from the list of parents who were
ready to cooperate with the institution, the participant parents
are chosen.
• The educator together with the research team, before starting
the activities that were planned explained to parents the role
and duties which they have to realize during the time that
they will stay in the institution.
•
In some cases parents are committed in an active way on the
planning - re planning process.
Results
• Planning and realization of all cooperation has never been an
easy and without challenges process.
• It was made clear to parents that they have to require more
from the institution and educators, also to use their right as
parents to be an active part of the child’s life in the preschool
institution too.
• Tabs with six columns of parents involving according to
Epstein, were distributed to educators so that they can choose
one of the cooperation forms that they want to realize with
parents.
•
Parenting
Communicat
ing
Volunteering
Learning at
home
Preschool
institution 1
/
Phone call
Notice letter
Meeting
Help teacher
in class
Doing
activities with
children
/
Decisio
n
making
/
Preschool
institution 2
/
Meeting
Direct
communicati
on
Help teacher
in class
Make toys
/
/
Preschool
institution 3
/
/
/
Help teacher
in organizing
school days
Help teacher
organizing
events
Reading
for
children
/
Preschool
institution 4
Meeting
Open days
for parents
Meeting
Support
children’s
learning at
home
/
Collaborating
with
community
Organizing
visits
at
Schools,
Ambulance,
Police, Heardresser
Organizing
visits
at
Police,
Firefighter,
“Handikos”
(Handicap’s
Kosova)
“Grandfather
s day”
Police
Police
Dentist
Table 1: Preferred activities of the educators based on tabs
• During the period the study lasted there are realized
in total six planning in partnership close with parents.
• All realized activities have been successful and
brought innovation in the educator’s work itself and
parents’ involvement in the work that is developed
inside the institutions.
•
These activities brought much pleasure to the
children in four institutions.
• It is worth emphasizing that readiness of the educators and
parents for cooperation was smaller at the ages 3-4 and 4-5,
whereas at the ages 5-6 educators and parents were willing to
cooperate.
• At the age 3-4 and 4-5 of the children it is more noticed a form
of their care, but was not given much importance to the
child’s achievements in different phases.
Conclusion
•
In order to create a stable partnership between the family and
the pre-school institutions it is worth emphasizing that there should
be the willingness of both sides for cooperation.
•
During each phase of work there was a need for motivation and
encouragement towards the educators and the parents for their
work because there was that lack of security and readiness in
every day’s routine.
•
The disability to create a stable relationship from both the parents
and the educators should immediately be bypassed by taking
some actual and concrete steps, so changing and improving the
policies of the pre-school institutions.
•
Now for now in our country there is no special strategy which has
as a main purpose the creation of a stable relationship between
the families and the pre-school institutions
References
Glasgow, N.A., Whitney, P. (2009). What successful schools
do to involve families: 55 partnership strategies. Corwin press, pp.1-6,
[1]
[2]
Zigler, E., Gilliam, W. S., Jones, S. M. (2006). A Vision for
Universal Preschool Education. Cambridge University Press, The
Edinburgh Building, Cambridge. UK
[3]
Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D., et. al., Partnership Center for the
Social Organization of Schools. Epstein's Framework of Six Types of
Involvement.
http://www.unicef.org/lac/Joyce_L._Epstein_s_Framework_of_Six_Ty
pes_of_Involvement%282%29.pdf
[4]
Ministria e Arsimit Shkencës dhe Teknologjisë. (2011). Plani
strategjikë i zhvillimit të arsimit në Kosovë 2011-2016. Prishtinë. Kosovë
Thank you for your attention!