Keeping the communication channels open with parents is an essential part of providing quality care for their kids. Parents should know what’s happening with their child in daycare, and feel at ease discussing any issues with care providers. We have shared some best practices below on the way to create a collaborative and communicative relationship with mothers and fathers.
Daily update book: One useful communication tool is having a regular update notebook for each child or certain children. Though this will seem labor intensive, remember the updates do not have to be very long! Short, clear updates about how the child’s day went are enough. Parents can also update the notebook to let you know how the child is feeling or behaving before drop off in the morning, so you know what to expect.
Verbal communication: An easy way of keeping the lines of communication open is chatting with mothers and fathers when they pick up or drop off their youngsters.
Being accessible: Make an environment that’s warm and open by encouraging parents to make contact with you and your staff through the telephone or email. This is going to help increase trust and foster a communicative relationship.
Weekly or monthly newsletters: What’s going on at your daycare center this week? A newsletter is a great way to communicate the weekly or monthly schedule, share news about the childcare center, and provide updates to dads and moms on new themes and activities.
Progress reports: It’s sound practice to do progress reports for each kid on a regular basis. Tracking a child’s progress in this fashion is beneficial for both caregivers and moms and dads.
Suggestion box: Another effective tool is making an idea box and encouraging mothers and fathers to give constructive feedback. An idea box shouldn’t ever replace verbal communication, but it is a great means for moms and dads to leave fast, helpful feedback.
Parent/teacher meetings: Scheduling parent/teacher conferences is also a wonderful way to keep the communication lines open. You can set aside an evening for moms and dads to come in and talk with staff members about their kid and provide feedback.
The more effective your communication strategy is, the happier people will be with your service! We are hopeful that you found some of the ideas above educational and useful.
Jennifer Dilwortz is a writer at Childcare Training Info, the most complete resource for childcare training information on the internet. This post on communicating with parents is a part of our Childcare Daily Series.
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