Little debate exists on the need to establish multiple connections between families and early childhood education settings. The early childhood collaboration between parents and teachers creates the environment for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers to develop their sense of belonging, and contributes significantly to their overall development and success in future educational endeavors. The interactions, which include face-to-face interactions between parents and teachers, teachers and teachers, children and teachers, and children and children, play a significant role in enhancing students’ sense of identity in their childcare setting.
Parents and teachers bring unique perspectives to a child’s experience and development. Working together, they nourish each child. Consistent communication about a child’s feelings, experiences, and interactions helps create a nurturing environment that fosters emotional intelligence and resilience.
One of the challenges in creating collaborative parent-caregiver relationships is finding the time for parents and teachers to connect.
At the end of the day, when teachers’ thoughts about a child may be fresh, parents coming from their work may be eager to get home with their child. The drop-off in the morning can be hectic, with many families and children arriving in a short period of time. Another challenge may be discontinuities between the child’s family and the childcare environment. Teachers need to learn and understand the communication styles of a wide variety of parents who may have diverse values, expectations, and hopes (Chandler 1999). A family’s values, traditions, songs, and stories are all part of a child’s foundation for learning. Finding out these details from parents helps to create a stronger bond between home and the early childhood center.
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Tips for Creating Positive Early Childhood Collaboration with Parents:
• Ask Parents about the best times and ways and times to communicate with them. They may prefer a text or phone call. They may choose to come in a few minutes early to connect. Reaching out in this way brings parents into partnership with you. You are letting them know that you want to work together and value them as partners.
• Reach out to parents and ask them to share their values, traditions, stories, and songs. If they cannot come into the classroom to teach them to you and the students directly, ask them to send a video or a book so that you can incorporate their traditions into your classroom culture.
• Positive feedback is essential. Parents learn early on that hearing from a teacher is usually something negative. Break that cycle! A tried-and-true method of creating a positive relationship with parents is communicating regularly with them when something positive happens. It is helpful to have a list of your students and send regular positive messages. The more specific, the better.
• Follow up when you say you will do so. Whether it is a small thing about a change in a child’s napping routine or a parent has a concern, and you need to follow up, make sure you follow through. Loop your director or supervisor into any situation so that they can support you, the parent, and the child.
Families and teachers exchanging information build an ongoing reciprocal relationship that supports each child’s healthy development and learning. Early childhood collaboration builds a better bridge of communication.
Let’s join in the journey of nurturing emotional well-being in early childhood!
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