5 ways to build positive relationships with parents and carers
Strong relationships with families are vital to our role within early education and care, building the foundations for happy and healthy lifelong learning. The home learning environment has a greater impact on a child’s development than any other factor. Parents and carers are the experts on their unique children so it’s important that we harness this superpower in out-of-home settings too.
Communicating well with parents and carers allows us to establish a meaningful relationship with those at home and to work together with them, with the child’s best interests at the heart of what we do.
Top tips
Make communication accessible
As with any profession, early education and care has a long list of acronyms, abbreviations, and technical language associated with it. Whilst trained professionals use these terms daily, parents and carers at home might not know what we mean when we refer to EAL, SEND, PSED, B25… the list goes on!
Make sure all communication is accessible by explaining terms that aren’t used in the everyday. It is important to balance this, making it simple enough for everyone without sounding patronising.
Be frequent, but not overbearing
Sharing information is important, whether it be about an upcoming event, an observation from a child’s focus week, or staff updates. Whilst it is valuable to keep families informed and part of the setting’s community, be mindful of oversharing! Receiving too many forms of communication can be overwhelming and cause parents and carers to ‘switch off’ from the messages you send.
Use a variety of methods
Family life can be busy so it’s important to find ways to connect with all families. For some, using online learning journals is the best way to keep parents and carers up to date on their child’s daily routine, share activities from their learning or update with important information. Others might enjoy a more detailed face-to-face conversation at pick-up. Adjusting to family needs helps maintain communication and is crucial to supporting a strong partnership.
Be inclusive
Some families face additional barriers to accessing quality opportunities, including in early education and care. For example, families using English as an additional language might benefit from specific methods of communicating with home (such as written text they can translate). It is important that we do everything we can to support every family in our care.
Value them
Parents and carers know their children best so are a fount of knowledge to draw upon for giving children the best experience possible in setting. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to gain insight into family life. Let them know just how much you value their input!
