Teach With Purpose: Understanding a Child’s Story

At University City Children’s Center we believe it’s important to understand a child’s background and family dynamics. We call this “a child’s story.” We believe understanding a child’s story is key to building a strong relationship with a child - and allows that child to feel a sense of love and belonging at UCCC. 

Uncovering A Child’s Story

A child’s story isn’t only about the things they’ve done in their life. A child’s story includes their family dynamics, upbringing and culture. It’s important to create opportunities and activities to learn and understand these things about each child and family.

Knowing the different elements of a child’s story affects how an educator interacts and supports each child. It’s an important step to building a relationship. Being able to understand how each child’s story differs as well as understanding their upbringing allows an educator to provide individualized support. 

Amber Killen, A UCCC infant and toddler teacher explained, “Understanding the child's background and their story is important, because every child is an individual, and their home life, their stories can really shape who they are.”

Father’s Day For Everyone

Family dynamics can be vastly different in every home. Some children grow up without fathers, but that doesn’t mean they grow up without male role models. At UCCC we celebrate not just father’s, but non-traditional father figures as well.  

Because UCCC educators understand the stories of the children in their classroom, they can reach out to families prior to Father’s Day and talk to them about who they’d like to celebrate. 

“It's up to the teachers to have a conversation with the family about, ‘what do you want us to do for Father's Day?’” said Grace Gorski, an infant and toddler teacher at UCCC. 

Teachers can then create activities to include and celebrate everybody, not just fathers. This understanding of each child’s story opens opportunities to help every child and family feel love and belonging at UCCC. 

Teaching With Purpose

At UCCC, Teaching With Purpose filters through everything we do, from building relationships to learning a child’s story to celebrating Father’s Day. Learn more about what it means to teach with purpose at University City Children’s Center.