Partnership with Parents

Parents are experts on their own child and are their child's first and main educators. To meet the needs of children in our care effectively, childcare centers have to build strong relationships with parents and make sure that the sharing of information is a two-way, on going process. Aim for practitioners should be to achieve an open, supportive relationship with parents, who will be made to feel welcome, involved and fully informed about what happens in the childcare center.

The preschool experience is often a young child’s first significant experience away from home. The first separation from home frequently places stress on the family until the transition is made. I have vivid memories of the first day I dropped off my son at preschool. I must have had a thousand questions and a million concerns: Would he behave? Would he cry? Would the teachers be able to keep up with him? The questions and concerns went on and on until I and my son finally felt comfortable with the preschool staff and environment.
Positive parent-teacher partnerships assist young children with the transition from home and promote healthy growth and development. Even though actively reaching out to parents requires time, patience, and energy, teachers benefit by understanding children’s home environments. If the partnership between parents, staff and child is going well, each need to be able to trust and respect the other. The self-esteem and well-being of the people in the partnership are important when they are working together.
Very important is a good start. Childcare staff should to help parents and children to feel welcome when they first arrive at the setting for e.g. parents and visitors are given a friendly welcome by staff; an attractive display in the entrance area showing some of the recent activities that children have been involved in; information showing the names of staff, with their photographs. Important is positive image and messages about diversity- for e.g.