Learning together: An innovative parent education project to facilitate children's learning, wellbeing and resilience

Abstract

The complexities associated with living and learning in a rapidly changing world impact on children's play, learning, wellbeing and resilience. Evidence suggests that parent education and parent-teacher partnerships in the early years can support positive outcomes for young children and their families. This paper provides an overview of a pilot project that used an interactive parent education project to support early learning, and young children's wellbeing and resilience. School personnel, parents and university academics came together to share their unique perspectives on children's play, learning and wellbeing. The project was implemented at two sites with some variations in delivery in response to local contextual factors. At each site the participants were provided with relevant findings from current research, and opportunities to share experiences, knowledge and perspectives. Participation in experiential learning tasks and reflective dialogue encouraged collaborative conversations and built common understandings between parents, teachers and academics. The outcomes of the project suggest that 'Learning Together' can contribute to new knowledge and perspectives that are likely to have positive outcomes for children and their families.International Research in Early Childhood Education, vol. 4, no. 1, p. 35-52