Barriers and facilitators for partnerships between parents with immigrant backgrounds and professionals in ECEC: a review based on empirical research

The article compiles the results of 25 studies on factors that prevent and facilitate a good partnership between parents with an immigrant background and kindergartens. The research question is: What complicates and what facilitates partnerships between parents with immigrant backgrounds and employees in kindergartens?

Parents with an immigrant background have a stated wish to enter into a partnership with the kindergarten employees, as well as to get to know and understand the host culture. Language barriers, asymmetry in the balance of power, as well as cultural differences and incompatibilities are barriers that get in the way of building a partnership between immigrant parents and kindergarten employees. Partnership collaboration can be strengthened when parents with an immigrant background gain access to the majority language or if the kindergarten has bilingual employees or interpreters, or if the parents know bilingual persons privately. It is also important to give parents with immigrant backgrounds enough time to express themselves, for example in parent-teacher meetings about the child. For example, if a kindergarten employee dominates the conversation, it creates a barrier to a genuine partnership because an asymmetric balance of power is established/maintained. Cultural differences and incompatibilities can also prevent partnerships. Such challenges can be constructive, but growth as a result of such differences requires mutual trust and dialogue. The authors emphasise the kindergarten’s responsibility and role in facilitating partnerships, as well as in building the bridges that a genuine partnership between parents with an immigrant background and the kindergarten requires.

The review article is based on a systematic search for relevant qualitative and quantitative empirical studies. The 25 included studies are from North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. The types of parental involvement that were measured as expressions of partnership were (a) parents’ communication with kindergarten staff, (b) parents’ performance of voluntary tasks in kindergarten, and (c) parents’ participation in decisions.

Norheim, H. & Moser, T. (2020). "Barriers and facilitators for partnerships between parents with immigrant backgrounds and professionals in ECEC: a review based on empirical research". European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 28(6):789-805.