Child, Family, and Community: Family-Centered Early Care and Education (5th Edition)

Child, Family, and Community: Family-Centered Early Care and Education (5th Edition) – ISBN 9780135132302 is a leading reference for students taking up child education courses. Author Janet Gonzalez-Mena allows students to see a child within the context of the community and the family. Using interesting vignettes and current personal examples, she makes students understand the importance of good communication in dealing with kids. Some of the topics that are discussed in the book include child abuse, discipline, self-esteem, aggressive children, ADHD, conflict resolution, gender issues, and teen parents. The author focuses on the child in context of family and community, working with families of school- age children, and understanding family goals, values, and culture. She also discusses working with families on guidance issues, addressing feelings and problem-solving, care and education programs as community resources, societal influences on children and families, and social policy issues. The ecological theory of development by Bronfenbrenner is discussed in full detail in Child, Family, and Community: Family-Centered Early Care and Education (5th Edition). Each chapter ends with ‘strategies for working with families'. Both teachers and students will find this textbook very effective. There are plenty of resources available for instructors, including a lesson manual and PowerPoint slides. Test banks are also available. Author Gonzalez-Mena has been teaching child and family studies in prestigious universities and community colleges mostly in California. She wrote the critically acclaimed Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: A Curriculum of Respectful, Responsive Care and Education (with the Caregiver's Companion: Readings and Professional Resources), and Diversity in Early Care and Education: Honoring Differences.