John C. Maxwell said,
“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Applying this saying from John C. Maxwell to the Early Childhood Education field, teachers can’t build positive family partnerships if they don’t take the time to get to know the parents and families in their programs. Why would they listen to your guidance when you haven’t taken the time to get to know them, understand their culture, and their family values? Parents also see how you interact with their children, how their children respond to you, and what their children are learning from you. When you make an effort to bond with your families they are willing to open up to you and from there you can begin to build a mutual family partnership.
Creating a family partnership and an environment that supports children’s social-emotional, behavioral, and academic development allows children to develop the skills necessary to be successful in school and in life. Parents also are more likely to be welcoming to your suggestions that they can continue to do at home with their children, thus strengthening the bridge between home and school.
Ways to communicate with families:
Initial Home Visits- By visiting a families home you can get a glimpse into what their family culture is like. Child especially love it when you come to their homes. They are excited to show you their rooms, pets, and anything else that they find important to them. Some families may be a little apprehensive about you coming to their home, thinking you are there to do an inspection but if you can help them feel at ease about you coming there it can really help you begin a mutual, collaborative relationship.
Newsletters- Whether it is a weekly or monthly newsletter, ending out information on a regular basis allows you to communicate with families, especially the busy parents. You can inform them of what has been happening at school, what we have been learning about, and future events.
Parent/Teacher Conferences- Meeting with families at regularly scheduled times to discuss a child's developmental development is part of most preschool programs. This opportunity to discuss the progress a child has made is a great bonding experience between the educator and the family. They can see you have a vested interest in their child and they will be more likely to share with you their concerns.
Face to Face Interactions- You can't beat those face to face interactions. Whether it is a quick "Hello, how are you?" when they first enter the program in the morning or at pick-up time or a parent who drops by during open office hours, these quick interactions are important. They keep the lines of communication going and makes those more difficult interactions, say behavior issues, easier to engage in.
“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Applying this saying from John C. Maxwell to the Early Childhood Education field, teachers can’t build positive family partnerships if they don’t take the time to get to know the parents and families in their programs. Why would they listen to your guidance when you haven’t taken the time to get to know them, understand their culture, and their family values? Parents also see how you interact with their children, how their children respond to you, and what their children are learning from you. When you make an effort to bond with your families they are willing to open up to you and from there you can begin to build a mutual family partnership.
Creating a family partnership and an environment that supports children’s social-emotional, behavioral, and academic development allows children to develop the skills necessary to be successful in school and in life. Parents also are more likely to be welcoming to your suggestions that they can continue to do at home with their children, thus strengthening the bridge between home and school.
Ways to communicate with families:
Initial Home Visits- By visiting a families home you can get a glimpse into what their family culture is like. Child especially love it when you come to their homes. They are excited to show you their rooms, pets, and anything else that they find important to them. Some families may be a little apprehensive about you coming to their home, thinking you are there to do an inspection but if you can help them feel at ease about you coming there it can really help you begin a mutual, collaborative relationship.
Newsletters- Whether it is a weekly or monthly newsletter, ending out information on a regular basis allows you to communicate with families, especially the busy parents. You can inform them of what has been happening at school, what we have been learning about, and future events.
Parent/Teacher Conferences- Meeting with families at regularly scheduled times to discuss a child's developmental development is part of most preschool programs. This opportunity to discuss the progress a child has made is a great bonding experience between the educator and the family. They can see you have a vested interest in their child and they will be more likely to share with you their concerns.
Face to Face Interactions- You can't beat those face to face interactions. Whether it is a quick "Hello, how are you?" when they first enter the program in the morning or at pick-up time or a parent who drops by during open office hours, these quick interactions are important. They keep the lines of communication going and makes those more difficult interactions, say behavior issues, easier to engage in.