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| Engaging your parent community
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It's early March and the children and carers in your service are hopefully all settled in to the New Year and enjoying their new routine. Now is a great time to look at ways to strengthen your relationship with parents and carers and explore opportunities to engage them in the service.
Granted, many parents use early childhood education and care services due to work commitments however this does not necessarily mean they don't want to take a role in your service. Actively engaged parents result in better outcomes for children and contribute to a great sense of community within early childhood settings. The diverse skill set present in most parent bodies can also be a valuable resource for services to tap in to.
The suggestions below made by Edna Wallace M.S, suggest a variety of strategies you can employ to build and consolidate your relationship with parents and carers.
Listen
Parents have good ideas, the know their children well and have their best interests in mind and have taken a great leap of faith by placing them in your care. Listening to their collective voice is a wise approach and by working together you can create a great environment for children.
Suggestion box
An anonymous suggestion box gives a shy parent an easy way to communicate, an unhappy parent a way to vent, a supportive parent an avenue for making helpful suggestions, a happy parent the chance to shower you with compliments and a busy parent with a way to stay in touch. Place the box, index cards and pencils in an easily accessible location but I a spot which affords some privacy and anonymity. Be sure to check the box frequently.
Parent survey
A survey will tell you how well your program is meeting the needs of your families. Ask what they like most about the program, whether they would like a change in operating hours, whether they have any suggestions for change. Run the survey regularly and consider offering a small incentive to parents to encourage a high return rate. Click here to see our recent article on parent surveys.
Parent advisory council
Enlisting a group of helpful, involved parents is one of the best ways to demonstrate your commitment to collaboration. If you haven't done this before it may seem a little confronting and you may have to deal with requests and suggestions that are impossible due to budget or legal restraints. However, brainstorming collectively with parents to find solutions to these challenges offers access to new resources and approaches. If parents offer to help solve a problem to hesitate to say YES!
Communication
Including parents in day-to-day activities creates a sense of belonging and a foundation for building trust and loyalty. There are many effective ways to communicate your philosophy, your centre in action and any on going any child related issues.
Parent Handbook
Creating a handbook for easy reference is one of the most effective ways to communicate your philosophy, policies, and procedures to parents.
Newsletters
No news is bad news. It's imperative to keep parents informed of what's happening. In newsletters and updates everything can be shared from child rearing tips to the menu and daily schedule. Even though some parents appear not to read what you've tirelessly written, think about the ones who do! Email and newsletter programs such as MailChimp make newsletters quick and easy to set up and disseminate and offer an easy way to keep parents updated.
Parent support programs and seminars
Learning more about brain and child development, literacy, children with special needs, the power of play, and a host of other topics are important to parents. Hosting a speaker and providing videotapes are excellent ways to share knowledge. To cut down on expenses, consider sponsoring such a seminar with another program or inviting parents to a staff development workshop.
Family visits
A lot can be learned from visiting a child's home. This effort of reaching out can also break down barriers; families often feel most comfortable on their own turf.
Creating a positive environment for parents
Reaching out to parents, nurturing the strengths in their families, and creating an environment where they feel special and needed is a necessary step in creating partnerships.
Roll out the red carpet
Make sure parents know they are always welcome. It's not easy to put on a smile and say, "come on in" if ACECQA is inspecting or if you're elbow deep in plaster of Paris, but it's the right thing to do. When parents feel welcome, and when they see you in action, their respect for you and what you do is reinforced.
Bulletin boards and picture albums
Pictures are worth a thousand words. Place picture albums on a table depicting excursions, story time, or daily activities. You may be able to feature a family every week or every month. Pass on information by posting interesting articles, reminders, and a calendar of events.
Copy cat
Parents may not know the words to "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" but they catch snippets of it from their children. Share these early learning experiences by copying the words of favourite songs and finger plays about once a month so that parents can sing or play along.
Resource centre/lending library
When it comes to their children, parents are consumers of information. The child care setting is an excellent place to house the best books for children along with handouts for parents, parenting books, and videos. Boxes filled with dramatic play props for creating offices, beauty salons, and grocery stores can provide welcome relief to families on a rainy weekend.
Tapping into talent
Parents generally love to offer a helping hand, especially if they feel appreciated for what they do well. Look carefully at your families and jot down beside their name what they may be able to help you with. Consider asking new families what special skills or resources they can access which may be of assistance.
Parents as volunteers
Parents, grandparents and other family members are often willing and able volunteers. Working parents may not be available to assist in the classroom or chaperone a field trip but may be happy to repair books or collect resources for a craft activity. Make sure parents know that little things mean a lot, and resist the temptation to burden a helpful parent with too much volunteering. Have a brainstorming session to come up with all the things you could accomplish if you had the work force, and then create a list of things that need to be done and share it with your families.
Parents as referees
Happy, satisfied parents will spread the word about your program to their relatives, friends, and neighbours without being asked to do so. Go one step further by making a list of parents willing to talk with prospective clients. Only a parent can enthusiastically tell their personal story of how Johnny's teacher saved the day when she recovered his first tooth from the apple core that was tossed in the garbage. Parents don't talk about 'dedicated teachers' they talk by using personal anecdotes.
Parents as fundraisers
Do you yearn for a certain piece of playground equipment, new cots for naptime? Tell your parents. If you can motivate them, you've taken a giant step forward in attaining what you need. Fundraisers take many forms from garage sales and silent auctions to selling tea towels and publishing cookbooks. Listen to your parents to learn what they are willing to get behind and support.
Parents as wish-granting wizards
Do you have a wish list that includes everything from empty thread spools to rocking chairs, and a video camera? Publish and update your list regularly so parents know what you need. Remember to write a thank you note for donated items. A big banner of children's handprints or thank you notes written as only a child can, will warm the heart of anyone, and it's a great way to involve parents and make them feel appreciated.
Revitalise your program by capturing and nurturing the imagination and support of your parents. Listen, respond, involve, and appreciate. It makes your job easier and provides the best for children.
Edna Wallace, M.S., is editor of parent pages newsletter. Her work as a teacher, director, parent educator, and author has spanned 25 years. She stays active in NAEYC and other professional organizations. She is the author of Summer Sizzlers & Magic Mondays: School-Age Theme Activities published by School-Age Notes.
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