RENT TEXTBOOKS

50 Strategies for Communicating and Working with Diverse Families, 3^rd edition by Janet Gonzalez-Mena is unique in its practical approach to improving teaching skills of early childhood educators by offering the most practical strategies for partnering with families to support, enhance, and maximize the quality of care and education of young children. It presents a plethora of ideas for creating the trust necessary fo... MOREr true collaboration between families and the early childhood professional, and guides on how to develop useful programs that include all families and individuals. Extensively revised, it reflects the most current themes, trends research and ideas in the field today, making it the most diversity-centered text on the market for courses covering diversity and the relationships between teachers and families in early childhood education classrooms and centers.

Section 1: Welcoming Everybody

    Chapter 1: Appreciating All Kinds of Families

    Chapter 2: Working with Immigrant Families

    Chapter 3: Including Families of Children with Special Needs

    Chapter 4: Creating an Antibias Environment

    Chapter 5: Respecting All Families, Includ... MOREing Those with Same-Sex Parents

Section 2: Partnerships with Families

    Chapter 6: Building Partnerships

    Chapter 7: Removing Barriers to Partnerships

    Chapter 8: Minimizing Competition with Parents

    Chapter 9: Supporting Attachments

    Chapter 10: Considering Authority

    Chapter 11: Focusing on Family Strengths

    Chapter 12: Helping Parents to Be Advocates for Their Children

    Chapter 13: Encouraging Parents to Become Advocates for All Children

    Chapter 14: Creating a Sense of Community

Section 3: Honoring and Working with Diversity

    Chapter 15: Understanding and Appreciating Cultural Differences

    Chapter 16: Establishing Culturally Responsive Education and Care

    Chapter 17: Working with Conflicts Around Education and Care Practices

    Chapter 18: Considering Cultural Differences in Guidance and Discipline

    Chapter 19: Working with Families Around What You Believe Are Harmful Practices

    Chapter 20: Thinking about Differing Ideas Related to How Children Learn

    Chapter 21: Managing Conflicts 

Section 4: Family Participation and Education

    Chapter 22: Considering Family Participation

    Chapter 23: Including Families in the Classroom or Center

    Chapter 24: Focusing on Fathers and Grandfathers

    Chapter 25: Taking a Transformative Approach to Parent Education

    Chapter 26: Working With Families Around Holiday Issues

    Chapter 27: Exploring Parents' Role on Decision-Making Boards and Councils

Section 5: Communication

    Chapter 28: Creating Environments for Communication

    Chapter 29: Empowering Self and Others

    Chapter 30: Communicating Through Writing

    Chapter 31: Holding Ongoing Conversations with Families

    Chapter 32: Looking at Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures

Section 6: Meetings and Conferences

    Chapter 33: Meeting with Families for the First Time

    Chapter 34: Thinking About Meetings in General

    Chapter 35: Holding Conferences

    Chapter 36: Considering Cross-Cultural Conferences

    Chapter 37: Talking with Families when Concerns Arise

Section 7: Working with Parents around Specific Issues

    Chapter 38: Helping teh Child Enter the School or Program

    Chapter 39: Maintaining Home Languages

    Chapter 40: Easing Children Through Transitions

    Chapter 41: Brining Nature into Children's Lives

    Chapter 42: Addressing Obesity with Nutrition

    Chapter 43: Dealing with Media Issues

    Chapter 44: Maintaining Stability During Divorce

    Chapter 45: Coping with a Death in the Family

    Chapter 46: Finding Community Resources and Making Referrals

Section 8: Challenging Conversations

    Chapter 47: Working with Parents Who Constantly Complain

    Chapter 48: Working with Family Members Who Appear Hostile

    Chapter 49: Talking with Families About Behavior Changes

    Chapter 50: Referring Families for Abuse or Neglect

Janet Gonzalez-Mena is Retired Faculty in Child and Family Studies, Napa Valley College, Napa California, where for 15 years she was on the full-time faculty until her retirement in 1998. Not only has she taught in the California community college system for 36 years, but also Gonzalez-Mena’s career includes being a preschool teacher in a bilingual program, child care director, and coordinator of a pilot program of therapeutic child care for abused and neglected children.  A prolific author, her textbook achievements include: Child, Family, and Community, 6^th ed. (Pearson, 2013); Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers, 9^th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2012); Foundations of Early Childhood Education: Teaching Children in a Diverse Society, 6^th ed., (McGraw-Hill, forthcoming); and Diversity in Early Care and Education: Honoring Differences, 4^th ed. (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2008).  Janet also co-authored Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Infants and Toddlers (National Association for Education of Young Children, 2011). Currently self-employed as a consultant in early care and education, she also finds the time to write for Young Children and Exchange, and occasionally for publications in Canada and New Zealand.