Visual Representation of Bronfenbrenner’s

Model with An Avatar

By Ashleigh White

Table Of Daniel’s DetailsDetails Situation

Physical details Daniel 3 years old Blonde hair Fair skin

Family Members Mother & Father are married Older brother (13yo) Older sister (9yo)

Family Situation Father works full time as a lawyer. Mother works full time as a personal assistant

in a law firm. Siblings attend primary school and high

school, they catch the bus to and from school.Location • Lives in a ritzy suburban area of Sydney with

his family.

• Lives in a large house with water viewsSocial Interactions Parents

Siblings Grandparent’s Childcare employees

Culture/Religion Australian Citizen

Catholic but doesn’t go to church

Continued…Emotional Health Very often Daniel is neglected, at home his

parents are too tired to play with him or give him their attention when they get home from work.

Daniels siblings are a lot older than him so they don’t usually play with each other.

Daniel enjoys Wednesdays as his grandparents have retired and pay one on one attention with him.

He appears to be very lonely and his speech is not as developed as other 3 year olds.

Cognitive Health Daniel appears to be lacking in confidence. Daniel is quite a bright child but with no

interactions with his parents, he will fall behind his peers.

Relationships Daniel has a rather weak relationship with his parents.

His siblings are quite older than him and sometimes have to look after him when his parents .

A Little Bit About Daniel Daniel is an energetic

3 year old boy. He lives in a ritzy area of Sydney with his mother, father and older brother and sister. Daniel attends a long day care center on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

His parents are in high paying and demanding jobs and rarely have time off too look after him at home. Daniels grandparents look after him on Wednesdays as his parents want him to develop a relationship with his grandparents and have a rest form day care.

Daniel’s Microsystem This includes Daniels:

› Mother› Father› Brother› Sister› Childcare Centre› Grandparents

Daniel’s relationship with his family is very interrupted. This is due to the amount of time spent away from his parents who are at work. The childcare centre employees would be having just as much if not more of an affect on his learning and development as his parents.

Mesosystem There is a certain connection between the relationships Daniel has with his:

› Immediate Family› Grandparents› Childcare centre

This list of people impact on the structure of his learning and development. These all differ in certain ways as there are a number of participants with different views on life

and experiences. Daniel’s parents views are working long and hard to reach the top of the career ladder, even if

family is set aside including their young children. This has an immediate affect on Daniel as he would not receive the attention and love that every young child needs from their parents. When Daniel’s parents come to pick him up from daycare, they are very tired and don’t stay very long to talk to the employees about their day and how Daniel was. The employees do not have a very strong relationship with Daniel’s parents.

Daniels grandparents are a loving couple who look after him on Wednesdays and pay him lots of attention. Daniel always loves going there as has one on one attention and stimulation all day. He feels included and loved as his grandparents have retired and have the time to sit down and play. Sometimes Daniel’s grandparents come to pick him up from daycare, they are very nice to the employees and ask how he was and behaved for them, the employees also go through his portfolio and discuss his development with them.

The Childcare centre has an immediate affect on Daniel as he attends most days of the week there. The employees interact and teach Daniel about creativity, wildlife, manners and all there is to know about their surroundings.

Exosystem These include the affects of Daniels life caused by the participants in his

microsystem having interactions from out side of the home and his life. These include:

› Parents work› Neighborhood› Healthcare Services

Daniels parents work is very demanding with long hours and after work organisation for them to complete at home. This often stresses his parents and tires them when they get home. Often his father is too tired to play with Daniel and his mother is too tired to cook dinner and read him a bedtime story when he goes to sleep.

Daniel’s neighborhood is a ritzy suburb with large manicured houses and new shiny cars. There people usually have a different view on life than the mid and low socioeconomic parts of the population.

Healthcare services differ in each country. It usually depends on the government regulations, views of the country and current theories of heath. Australia is a reasonably well developed country so immunizations and hygiene are well managed and developed for Daniel. Some of his immunisations include whooping cough, measles and chicken pox.

Macrosystem This layer concerns the country in which Daniel lives. It includes the cultures, views

and traditions it entails and follows. Examples include:

› Australian culture› Australian views and values› Laws

Basic Australian culture entails attending pre-school, primary school, high-school then further study or gaining a job. Women have the same rights as men and have equal opportunity in all areas of life.

Australian views on childcare and raising are very modern. There are strict policies and procedures to look after the children of Australia. Australia has many services that look after Daniel, for example DOCS looks after children who may be neglected or abused.

There are many laws in Australia that are set in place for Daniels needs. This could include not being able to send a child under the age of 6 weeks to a childcare centre

Chronosystem This system refers to the changes Daniel has in his life over time.

It includes both physical and environmental changes. Changes may include:

› A Parent Losing A Job› A Grandparent Dying› The childcare centre closing down› Moving house

Bronfenbrenner’s Model

Statistical Information.No. Statistics Daniel

1. In 05, 37% of children in Australia received some kind of child care.

Daniel receives childcare four days a week.

2. In 05, 84% of children were put into day care for working parents.

Daniel attends day care as both of his parents work 5 days.

3. In 08, 63% of families have both parents working full time with a dependant child between (0-4).

Both Daniel’s parent’s work full time.

4. In 08, 81% of all families contained married parents with children between (0-4).

Daniel’s parents are still married with three children aged, thirteen, nine and three.

5. In 05, 53% of three year olds were attending child care centres.

Daniel has been attending child care since he was only a few months old

6. In 05, 13% of children were attending child care for more than 35 hours a week

Daniel spends around 35 hours a week in a child care centre.

7. In 05, 79% of children in Australia attended childcare on weekdays.

Daniel attends childcare only on weekdays.

Statistics References First Two Statistical Entries

› Australian Social Trends, 2007. BEFORE AND/OR AFTER SCHOOL CARE› http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/

3CB461C1588C9677CA25732C00207BC8?opendocument

Third and Fourth Statistical Entries› Family Characteristics and Transitions, Australia, 2006-07 › http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyReleaseDate/

E6A9286119FA0A85CA25699000255C89?OpenDocument

Fifth to Seventh Statistical Entries.› Child Care, Australia, Jun 2005 Second Reissue › http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4402.0

Bronfenbrenner References. Arthur. L ( 2008) Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4th Ed).

Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.

Berk. L (2008) Infants and Children (6th Ed). By Pearson Education

Interactions within Daniel’s Ecological Map

  This essay will discuss how the daily life of a three year old boy is impacted by the surrounding

environments in which he lives. Every part of Daniel’s life impacts on his development and learning. Each area of his life may be impacted even if he doesn’t have direct contact.

Daniel’s parents have a close relationship with his grandparents and they play a major role in Daniel’s life as he has one on one time with them every Wednesday. Daniel’s parents are always seeking guidance and help with his grandparents with what’s best for Daniel’s well being.

Daniel’s grandparents sometimes come to pick him up from day-care. His Grandparents are very interested in learning about Daniel’s achievements, experiences and development while attending day care. They both communicate well with the care givers. This interaction supports Daniel’s development because the care givers may bring up something important or useful for Daniel or his grandparents may add useful strategies for his nap time, eating or his development of skills. Knowing that Daniel’s grandparents are interested in his work at day care, Daniel enjoys open days at the centre with his grandparents as they show in interest with encouragement and guidance, this has a positive impact on his confidence and self-esteem.

Continued... The child care centre does not have a very strong link with Daniel’s parents as they are always

running late in the morning while dropping him off and are tired when picking him up. They do not seem interested in what Daniel has done today and his parents rarely engage in conversation with the employees at the centre. This interaction does not cooperate with Daniel and the changes that are happening in his young life. Connections need to be strong to provide the right guidance for Daniel as his life undergoes changes in which may be upsetting for a young child.

Daniel’s family live in a higher socio-economic area of Sydney so this would mean there is more of a chance that Daniel would be attending a wealthy child care centre and make friends with other children of his socio economic group.

Daniel’s parent’s workplaces play a major role in his life as they rule his parent’s actions therefore his actions as well. This is why he has to spend so much time at a child care centre and away from his parents. If either of Daniel’s parents lost their job, Daniel would be free to spend more time with that particular parent. This wouldn’t be such a bad thing for Daniel but it would have a huge impact on the parent’s lives and it would eventually impact on Daniel as well. This could include moving house or even lead to a divorce as both parents are money driven people.

This essay has argued and agreed with Bronfenbrenner’s theory of certain levels of the environment and the individuals within it play a major role in a young child’s life. The impacts outlined affected on my avatar child and not one ecological system will be the same for anyone else.

Essay References... Arthur. L ( 2008) Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4th Ed).

Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.

Berk. L (2008) Infants and Children (6th Ed). By Pearson Education