Day care providers should grab every available opportunity to involve parents and welcome their input. The rewards of this parental participation is mutually beneficial and makes for a positive experience for the children and all concerned. You can share insights that you have gleaned from observing the child at day care and in return parents can provide a wealth of valuable information giving you a holistic picture of the child.
This mutual cooperation allows both parties the opportunity to share effective methods and ideas regarding working with individual children. Respecting, valuing and listening by both parties enriches the day care experience for all concerned. The parents can learn so much about the socialization and interaction of their child from the carer whilst passing on their family values and beliefs to the day care. Information sharing should be ongoing and opportunities for communication should be provided formally and informally.
Staff assessment in the area of working and communicating with parents may be required in order to maximise the effectiveness of this sharing process. In order to maximise the effectiveness of this sharing process assess your staff and their abilities in the area of working and communicating with parents. Support your staff so that they feel encouraged to participate in this process. Consider your current timetable and staffing levels - do these currently allow for time to be spent with parents and any subsequent follow ups? If parents have particular interests or areas of expertise e.g.storytelling or music encourage them to share it with the children as a kind of guest speaker. You should have a complaints procedure in place that allows parents to air their grievances easily and without feeling judged. You should be seen as open, friendly and professional and as such, should view complaints as constructive criticism and a means to improving the quality of your day care service. Thank parents for bringing issues to your attention and deal with the problem immediately. It is important to have a complaints procedure in place so that staff are empowered to deal with certain issues whilst management step in for more serious incidents. Perhaps have a suggestion box where parents are welcome to offer suggestions/criticism anonymously.
Have parents involved from the outset by including them in an orientation visit and the settling in procedure. Form a parent’s committee so they have a collective voice thus encouraging positive interaction. Integrate a key worker system into your day care so parents have a daily point of contact regarding their child. Provide information about weekly scheduling and activities either by posting details on the noticeboard or sending out a newsletter. Share daily information both verbally and writing so that there is no misunderstanding or confusion as to meaning. Have a website with a blog where you can post comments about goings on at the day care and parents can, in turn, post comments. Include a staff page with information and photos.
Parental involvement in your day care can potentially provide you with untold resources heretofore untapped. Parents will be encouraged to give back if they feel valued and supported. Opening up channels of communication and sharing can avoid many misunderstandings and conflicts that are borne out of lack of information. A friendly, welcoming and open day care should be your ultimate goal. An all inclusive day care is a happy day care.
You can find more childcare articles at Fiona Lohrenz’s website where you’ll also find her ‘Start a ChildCare Business’ DVD guide: Start A Day Care Business DVD She has a lot of knowledge to impart having run her own daycare for 10 years. You can find her at her website: ChildCareOnly.com
- Fiona Lohrenz
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