Read the following scenarios. 

The A Family

Mr. and Mrs. A recently immigrated to the United States with four-year-old son and five-year-old daughter. Mrs. A is pregnant and excited that her baby will be born a U.S. citizen. She will have to quit her job soon, as standing on her feet all day is becoming a challenge for her pregnancy. Mr. A is worried about the financial burdens they will have when the baby arrives. His part-time job brings in a small income. He does not want his wife to seek prenatal care at the local hospital for fear they will find out the family is currently undocumented. He wants her to go to seek help from his cousin who was once a midwife in their country.

Both children are enrolled in a local childcare program. Their daughter’s teacher is concerned that she may not be ready for kindergarten as she scored low on a Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. She wants to schedule a conference with the parents, but they have not responded to her calls. The teacher has a take-home kit of activities she wants her parents to use with her at home. Both parents want their children to learn English, so they encourage them to watch English language channels on television and to be friendly with children in the neighborhood to improve their English.

The B Family

Miss B is a single parent of a 5-month-old boy. Her former boyfriend was recently incarcerated for possession of controlled substances. After her baby was born, she decided to leave the drug scene and to turn around her life by going to back to school. Her boyfriend did not agree with her decisions, and that was what brought their relationship to an end. Miss B is upset, as she had just begun the court process of obtaining child support from him before he was incarcerated.

Miss B is taking classes at night to earn her GED which enables her to volunteer at her baby’s Head Start program. She is so intrigued by what she is learning about how children grow and develop that she decided she wants to be a preschool teacher. Her baby’s teacher tells her about the wonderful Early Childhood Education program at Rasmussen, but Miss B. is worried that she does not have a reliable computer to take courses online.

Instructions:

Compare and contrast the two families in the scenarios. Use the bold section headings below for your analysis. Use complete sentences and paragraphs to answer the following questions or prompts.

Your complete analysis should be between 1-2 pages in length. Be sure to address the following:

• Similarities: Describe the similarities in the two families you chose regarding structure, functions, successes, dreams, and stressors. Examples from each family are included.
• Differences: Describe the differences between the two families you chose regarding structure, functions, successes, dreams, and stressors. Examples from each family are included.
• Strengths: Define the strength-based perspective. Explain how looking at these families from a strength-based perspective creates a different relationship than if you focus on the deficits or weaknesses. Give examples of each family’s strengths.
• Use of Knowledge: Create a paragraph that connects the concept of strength-based perspectives to working with young children and their families. In other words, explain how the concept of focusing on strengths can relate to working with children and families. Include examples of how you would use your knowledge of the strength-based perspective as an early childhood educator.

**RUBRIC**

Similarities and Differences

30% of total grade

Mastery: Advanced or exceeds achievement

Clearly describes the similarities and differences of two families regarding structure, functions, successes, dreams, and stressors. Examples from each family are included.

Strengths

30% of total grade

Mastery: Advanced or exceeds achievement

Clearly defines the strength-based perspective. Explains how looking at these families from a strength-based perspective creates a different relationship than focusing on weaknesses. Includes multiple examples of each family’s strengths.

Use of Knowledge

30% of total grade

Mastery: Advanced or exceeds achievement

Clearly explains how the concept of focusing on strengths can relate to working with children and families. The student includes multiple examples of how he/she would use knowledge of the strength-based perspective.