Engaging parents and fathers in their children's early learning Essay

Engaging parents and fathers in their children's early learning - Essay Example For instance, the ministries and departments of education and child welfare have been in the forefront of funding projects that gather, assess, and analyze existing knowledge and best practices that would encourage other educational and learning stakeholders to work with and involve parents in young children’s learning (Desforges, 2003). This paper explores the subject of involving parents, more so fathers in children’s early learning. Many educationists concur that the importance of parental involvement in children’s early learning cannot be overemphasized. The first reason for this assertion is that parents are children’s first and most enduring educators. Thus, by working together with other child welfare and development practitioners, parents play a rather critical role in and have a positive impact on their children’s early learning and development. This positive impact of parental involvement stems from the fact that the time and activities shared among parents and children not only affect the children’s social and intellectual development but also their emotional development (Desforges, 2003). It is therefore imperative that parents understand that children’s early learning requires more than just being parents but requires them to take an active role in the children’s early learning. There are several parental factors infringing on or affecting a children’s early learning. These factors include parents’ socioeconomic status, education level and living conditions, which have direct bearing on a child’s early learning activities and outcomes. Nonetheless, more important than the above factors is the quality of a child’s home learning environment. Although parents may not have achieved a lot educationally and might be living in disadvantaged environment and circumstance, their regular engagement in their children’s early learning activities has