How to Connect with Parents in Early Child Education

Collaboration between early years teachers and parents plays a vital role in early childhood development. Teachers can create a supportive early learning environment that nurtures children's holistic development by establishing strong connections with parents.

In this article, we will share some helpful strategies that early childhood centres can use to connect more with parents and collaborate more effectively.

Understanding Parental Engagement

Parental engagement refers to parents being actively involved in their child's education. This can take many forms, such as communicating with teachers, volunteering at school, and participating in decision-making.

Research has consistently shown that when parents are highly engaged in their child's learning, it leads to positive outcomes for both the child and the adults involved in their education.

It's been proven that when parents are informed and involved in their child's development, it can lead to better academic performance, improved social skills, and fewer behavioural problems.

However, many education providers find establishing effective communication between parents and educators challenging.

Here are some reasons why parents may face challenges in staying connected with childcare centres:

• Some parents have inflexible work schedules that require them to work long or late hours, making it difficult to visit the center during regular hours.
• Lack of access to a car or public transportation can also make it challenging for parents to visit the center.
• Some parents may become overwhelmed and avoid reading messages if they receive too many or contain "bad news."
• When childcare providers contact only mothers as a default, fathers may naturally be discouraged from being more involved in their child's care.

Effective communication strategies to engage more with parents in early child education

1. Establishing open communication channels: A good communication system is essential to making families more comfortable with your center and its teachers. Regularly communicating with parents through daycare apps, newsletters, emails, or parent-teacher conferences can help keep them involved and informed. This will make them feel at ease and more likely to participate in the center's activities and programs.
2. Organizing parent workshops and events: Hosting seminars is an effective way to share knowledge with parents and foster discussions about various topics. These workshops allow parents to learn directly from providers and build trust. They also get the chance to express their ideas and collaborate with both the providers and other parents. You can organise workshops on child development, literacy, and positive development to encourage participation and discipline.
3. Utilise technology: Digital platforms like daycare communication apps can help keep parents updated with photos, videos, and educational resources. Kiddiebox is an example of a childcare app that allows you to capture exciting moments of kids, share updates about their activities, and keep parents informed about their children's welfare. This can help keep parents engaged and involved in their children's learning.
4. Surveys: Surveys are a great way to get parents’ feedback and suggestions. It provides opportunities for parents to share lots of information with your centre, such as their preferred method of communication, availability, family holidays and celebrations, frequency of updates they'd like to receive, and languages spoken at home. By documenting the feedback received through the surveys, you can strategise your communication based on the parent's preferences.
5. FAQs: Parents often ask the same questions about a daycare centre or preschool routines. Teachers and administrators can create an FAQ covering essential information to make things easier. This FAQ should be easily accessible, either online or in print. By having the answers they need, they can have more meaningful conversations with the school staff.

Building Positive Relationships with Parents during Early Child Care

To build positive relationships with parents, here are some tips to adopt.

1. Active Listening: When listening to parents, you can gather valuable information about a child's educational experience, their family, and their opinions about the child's progress. It's important to ask open-ended questions to encourage parents to share more information, rather than simply asking yes or no questions. For example, you could ask "What concerns you the most?" or "Have you noticed any significant behavioral changes?
2. Regular progress updates: It is important to keep parents informed about their children's progress, achievements, and areas for improvement. Using a daycare app such as Kiddiebox, teachers can easily document and share progress reports automatically. This includes updates on activities, curriculum, and events that the center may be hosting for both parents and children.
3. Soliciting Feedback: It's important to encourage parents to share their feedback, suggestions, and ideas for improving their child's educational experience. This will give your center valuable insights into the preferences of parents over time. Parents often have concerns about their children, particularly when they are worried and uncertain. In such situations, it's important to approach the issue with a problem-solving mindset, so you can work together with the parents to address the specific concern.
4. Recognition and Appreciation: Teachers need to recognize and appreciate the contributions and involvement of parents in their child's education. Teachers should acknowledge and express gratitude for even the simplest acts of involvement, such as a parent taking a day off to meet with them or a concerned parent who frequently checks in on their child's progress. By following these tips, teachers can foster better relationships with parents and work towards positive outcomes for their students.

Effective parent-teacher collaboration is a cornerstone of quality early childhood education. By creating collaborative relationships with parents, teachers can create a supportive ecosystem that maximizes children's learning and development.

Stay connected to parents with Kiddiebox

Kiddiebox is an early childcare management solution that simplifies childcare management, enhancing communication and collaboration between parents and preschoolers. It facilitates the sharing of videos and photos, daily updates, effective communication with parents via messaging, progress reports, and many more.

We're still working on Kiddiebox to provide parents and preschools with the best experience possible. If you want to be the first to know when we launch, Join our waitlist.