RUNNING HEAD: Theoretical and personal reflections

Theoretical and Personal Reflections on Working with Families

CLD 231

Rachel Jacobs

Dr. Audrey Huberman

November 26, 2015

THEORETICAL​ AND PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON WORKING WITH FAMILIES 1

Introduction

My name is Rachel Jacobs and I am a second-year student in the early childhood

education program at Ryerson University. To date, I have completed one placement and am

almost finished a second, at the early years centre in Trinity-Spadina. For this report, I went on a

one-day placement to the Family Resource Centre (FRC) located at the Promenade Mall in

Thornhill, Ontario. The FRC is a drop in centre for children aged 0-5 with their parent or

caregiver. The FRC has several different play stations set up and conducts a group circle time. It

was interesting to compare this centre to the early years centre where I am presenting doing my

placement. Both centres are very similar as family inclusive centres for infants and young

children. One key learning that I took was the ability to compare and contrast the experience of a

culturally diverse centre to a more culturally specific centre that is run by a Jewish organization

and serves a primarily Jewish population.

Employing a Theoretical Framework

It is possible to reflect on the placement experience through different theoretical

frameworks. Family Systems Theory is a theory that looks at families both as a whole and a

series of interconnected parts. The interconnected family members influence one another,

sometimes within their own subsystems. Different family members play different roles in the

family and there are usually hierarchies in these roles. (Shimoni & Baxter, 2014, p.10) At the

FRC there were many different types of families; grandparents with grandchildren, mothers and

children and nannies/caregivers and children. There were sometimes grandmothers and mothers
THEORETICAL​ AND PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON WORKING WITH FAMILIES 2

together with the same child. I noticed that sometimes the grandparent and mother stayed close

together and played with the child together. In another family the grandmother stayed in the

background while the mother interacted with the child. In a third family, the grandmother stayed

with the child while the mother left to run errands. The different family roles that I observed

were grandmothers, mothers, nannies, siblings. They were interacting with each other in

predictable ways. There was one mother and child and I heard the mother reported feeling

overwhelmed. Another grandmother appeared to recognize this and offered to watch the child so

the mom could have a break. These examples illustrate the different roles that the

grandparent/parent have in the family. The grandmother extended her grandmother role even

when she was not the actual grandparent of the child. The grandparent/mother is one subsystem,

the mother/child another subsystem and the grandmother/child a third subsystem within the

family. The role of the grandparent appeared to be a supportive role, providing caregiving relief,

advice and also adult company to the mothers.

In Family Systems Theory, families can be classified as either open or closed. Open

families are more open to working with others and demonstrate willingness for change. Closed

families are more resistant to change and are less likely to open and up and look for supports

outside the family (Shimoni & Baxter, 2014, p.11). At the centre I noticed that some families

seemed more open to support and advice from the educators. These parents were asking lots of

questions and appeared to be more interactive with the staff. Other families appeared to want to

do their own thing, staying close to their friends and/or children. This could be due to many

factors. I noticed that one family that reported being new to the centre appeared to be open,

engaging in conversation and asking questions to the staff. Nannies appeared to group together
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and work less with the educators. There were also a lot of Israeli families who were particularly

open to working with the Israeli educator and appeared to be comfortable speaking Hebrew with

her.

The Ecological Approach looks at the family system from a macro point of view. The

family system is affected by the other systems they interact with including the community and

neighbourhood. The environment in which the family operates include the: microsystem,

mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem. These environmental contexts affect the child both

directly and indirectly (Shimoni & Baxter, 2014, p.15).

Most of the families that come to the FRC are Jewish because it is a Jewish organization

that operates the centre (Jewish Child and Family Services) and the centre is located in an area

where there is a prominent Jewish community. There are also non-Jewish families from the

neighbourhood that attend the centre. I noticed a number of Asian families, which makes sense

as Thornhill has a large Asian community. According to Statistics Canada (2012), Thornhill is

home to 33,000 Jewish people and 11% of the population is Chinese.

Even within the Jewish culture there were families of different backgrounds including:

Israeli, Religious and Secular Jews, and Russian Jews.

The FRC is influenced by different microsystems. The FRC is located within Promenade

mall and the hours of the mall, busyness of the mall and law bylaws influence the centre. There

is a large Asian supermarket at the mall which may attract some families to the centre before or

after a grocery shopping trip. There is are other community institutions near the mall ie: a

synagogue and library within walking distance to the mall. The influences of these nearby
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institutions interact and directly influence the population that the FRC services. The connections

between the microsystems are called mesosystems.

The FRC staff recognize these influences and this helps them understand how to relate

and create programming that is appropriate to the families they serve. When I was first speaking

to the educator who was showing me around, she noted the mix of cultures and pointed out how

nice it was that someone from the Orthodox Jewish community can talk to and relate to an Asian

women from the community.

The macrosystem is the beliefs and values in the environment (Shinoni & Baxter, 2012,

p.15). It is important to be aware of the culture, beliefs and values that influence the families at

the centre. Cultural programming is a big part of the FRC, especially because it is run by a

Jewish organization. When I was there on Friday, the circle time was Shabbat themed. Shabbat is

the Jewish Sabbath. They sang songs about the Sabbath and even the snack time was

Sabbath-themed. The centre gave out kosher challah (bread traditionally eaten by Jews on the

Sabbath). Both Hebrew and English versions of the songs were sung. This was inclusive for the

families who are not Jewish or do not speak Hebrew. I noticed that the non-Jewish families were

participated in singing the songs and participated in the Sabbath-themed circle time. I did notice

any family members looking uncomfortable during the Jewish themes programming. A staff

member commented that non-Jewish families have expressed that there were open to learning

more about the culture of their neighborhood. The centre is closed on Saturday and open on

Sunday to respect the Jewish Sabbath, unlike the early years centre where I have my placement

which is open on Saturday and closed on Sunday.

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Another aspect of the macrosystem are the government rules and regulations that apply to

child-care centres. The strollers are hung on special hooks on the wall to prevent crowding and

fire-safety hazards. The room has capacity limits. The educators explained that toys that are

mouthed have to go into a specific bin so that they can be washed.

Individual Reflection

In this section, I will discuss the effectiveness and value of the Family Resource Centre

program from the view of a potential participant and as staff.

I could see myself working at the FRC. I can relate to the families and culture. I know a

lot about the Thornhill neighborhood and have many cousins and friends that live there. Also,

being Jewish, I celebrate all the Jewish holidays in the same way that the people organizing the

program do. They would be closed on any holidays which I would need to take off work from at

another setting, so practically it would be very convenient. I also understand Hebrew and there

are a large number of Hebrew speaking families at the centre. I am very comfortable with the

young group of children (ages 0-5). Both of my Ryerson placements have been with younger

age-groups and the majority of children at the centre were between the ages of 0-3 years.

The staff had a good collaborative relationship with each other and the families, which I

like to see. I see that the centre holds values of being family-centred, a belief that I have myself

and I want in a workplace.

I noticed that there were a large number of caregivers at the centre and I think that I

would feel comfortable myself if I were a caregiver. I see that the nannies appear to enjoy

meeting other nannies at the centre. I think that as a caregiver I would enjoy having a structured
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place to take children where there is social stimulation. Some parents who attended the centre

told me that the working parents in the area choose between day care centres and nannies for

childcare. The families that hire nannies appreciate that the FRC provides the structured play,

social stimulation, circle times and toys that their children miss from not being in a daycare

setting. Many families live within walking distance and appreciate that the nannies can walk

there. If I were a local parent I would find that the location, within a large mall, is very

convenient as I could walk around the mall, take care of errands, get food from food court, or

grocery shop at the grocery store attached to the mall. There is a library and a mini-playground

next to the mall, which is also convenient for child-centered activities. I would appreciate that

the mall has ample free parking.

One drawback of the centre is that because it is not under the Early Years Centre

programing it does not have complete government funding. The centre is funded by The

Regional Municipality of York, United Way of Toronto & York Region and UJA Federation of

Greater Toronto. However, the centre does have a daily drop-in Fee of $5 for one adult and child.

Families can choose an annual membership of $75 for unlimited drop in. If I was a parent that

could not afford the extra fees the fees may be a deterrent for me to use the centre.

During my three hour observation I was able to recognize some challenges and benefits

to the program. One challenge I found was that the room fills up quickly and even though it is

large it can feel crowded. I noticed circle time was very crowded, strollers take up so much

room. The staff explained that the room has been recently renovated to accommodate the

strollers. There are special stroller hooks on the walls and strollers need to be hung up. There are

also hooks and benches for diaper bags etc.

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Another challenge that happens when parents and children are brought together is the

impact of chatty parents on child-centred programming. Parents may be isolated and in need of

adult social interaction and they may be drawn to the centre as a place to go to meet up with

friends who also have babies. However, circle time can be difficult as when parents disengage

from the songs and group activities, the noise levels can raise quickly and the children cannot

hear the stories or songs.

A challenge can also be meeting the needs of the different age group of the children. I see

that circle time is held twice a day, 10:30am and 3:30pm. These different times are able to

accommodate the schedules of the different age children and also the schedules of parents who

may need to leave earlier to pick up school aged children. It is very difficult to meet the different

needs of all the families.

Bringing children and parents together at FRC also has many benefits. The structure is

family-centered. It recognizes that children benefit when families are included in their

interactions. Educators are able to provide support, education, encouragement and resources to

family members who drop-in. The centre is a source of formal and informal support as parents

interact with educators and other parents with children of similar age-groups. The centre also

provides families with a place where they can share meaningful and enjoyable interactions with

their babies. The FRC is well-equipped with up-to-date and interesting toys and materials that

many families do not have at home. The toys are well-chosen to facilitate physical and cognitive

development.

I think the program does encourage diversity to some degree. There were signs that say

happy holidays and there was a welcome sign with different languages on it. I did notice that
THEORETICAL​ AND PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON WORKING WITH FAMILIES 8

there was not any Christmas decorations at the centre but there were some Hanukkah

decorations. A staff member told me that because the centre is run under a Jewish organization

they do not have Christmas related activities. I do have concerns that families that are not Jewish

may not feel as welcome when the programming and decor does not include people who are not

Jewish. The staff members do speak different languages including Hebrew, Russian and Spanish.

Some of the staff reported they are Jewish and other staff members are from other backgrounds.

The literature discusses the importance of educating children about minority cultures.

Perlman, Kankeson and Zhang (2010) state that teaching multicultural programs to young

children help to promote tolerance, acceptance, and knowledge about diverse cultures while

instilling pride in their own backgrounds. I feel that as the centre is run by a minority group, the

centre feels that they do not have to include the majority culture at the centre as they want to

instill pride in the upcoming Jewish holidays. However, as there are many families that are not

Jewish, the centre runs of risk of excluding these families by not recognizing Christmas or other

non-Jewish events.

The centre is accessible by elevator and the place is open and would easily accommodate

a wheelchair. There are some play areas that were smaller and may be difficult to maneuver a

wheelchair through that area.

Conclusion

In summary, the FRC is a drop-in centre that serves families in Thornhill. The

macrosystem of the centre greatly influences the programming as it is run by a Jewish

organization and therefore attempts to meet the religious values of the Jewish families that attend
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the centre. However, there are families and caregivers from different backgrounds at the centre.

Although I did notice these families participating fully in the Sabbath programming and

appearing included in the activities, I wonder if these families would feel more comfortable if

there were activities that included the cultures of these families? Most of the literature appears to

address the majority cultures being inclusive of a minority culture. At the FRC the minority

culture is valued over the majority culture. As a member of the Jewish culture, I feel that it is

important for the families and children to have a place where they feel comfortable and accepted

by more than just a token gesture of a Hannukah sign or menorah. I would recommend the staff

asking the non-Jewish families for feedback on ways to help them feel included and valued at the

centre.
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References

P​erlman, M., Kankesan, T., & Zhang, J. (2010). Promoting diversity in early child care

education.​ Early Child Development and Care, 180​(6), 753-766.

doi:10.1080/03004430802287606

Shimoni, R. & Baxter, J. (2011) ​Working with families: Perspectives for Early Childhood
Professionals​ (6th edition). Toronto:
Pearson Education Canada.

Statistics Canada. 2012. Thornhill, Ontario (Code 35104) and Ontario (Code 35) (table). Census

Profile. 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-XWE. Ottawa. Released

October 24, 2012. ​http:/www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/index

.cfm?Lang=E​ (accessed November 22, 2015)