Perceptions of family involvement and cultural responsiveness in early childhood education

This study explores 30 early childhood professionals' and 31 family members' perceptions or practices associated with eliciting and fostering culturally responsive family involvement in the High/Scope approach to Early Childhood Education, and identified, research-based model of early childhood curricula. A non-experimental cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data in three different High/Scope programs related to the role of culture, the curriculum model, family involvement practices and the perceived differences of these practices by the early childhood professionals and the family members. The results suggest that both participant groups are aware of family involvement practices that strive to acknowledge the diverse contextual lives of children lending support to initiating culturally responsive practices in early childhood settings.