Counternarratives of competence: Building relationships with marginalized families

There is a metanarrative, or dominant discourse, that circulates as truth in many societies, suggesting that ‘partnerships’ and ‘collaboration’ with families in early childhood education is crucial to children’s... [ view full abstract ]

There is a metanarrative, or dominant discourse, that circulates as truth in many societies, suggesting that ‘partnerships’ and ‘collaboration’ with families in early childhood education is crucial to children’s well-being; and that these relationships are difficult to establish when families differ from an imagined ideal - particularly when they live in poverty. However, when we break down the data from large-scale studies, and when we explore lived experience in depth through small-scale research, we find multiple examples of counternarratives - narratives of personal experience that deviate from cultural expectations. This presentation explores ways that early childhood educators and kindergarten teachers in low-income neighborhoods in Montréal, Québec (Canada) are building relationships with families that have been identified or constructed as marginalized, often in spite of restrictive conditions and policies. Alternate ways of viewing parents’ role within educational contexts, such as viewing the childcare center and school as a place of belonging and community for families, and viewing parents as competent experts who are engaged in processes for supporting their children, both in the present and the future, will be discussed. In addition, parents’ own complicated reactions to expectations of participation and collaboration placed upon them, as well as judgements of themselves and their neighborhoods, will be explored. The presentation will conclude with lessons and questions for future reflection for research, practice, and policy related to building respectful and sustainable relationships with families in early childhood and preschool education across different contexts.