As educators, we genuinely desire to begin the academic year successfully with our children. Our children are the main focus; we want to ensure their academic growth and development. That said, it is equally important to consider family or parent-teacher partnerships. At its core, this partnership is a powerful approach to engaging families in their child's education and also serves as an avenue for greater involvement of families within the school community.
The Reason for Family Partnerships
Offers dialogue platform
Parent-family partnerships offer a valuable platform for parents and educators to engage in dialogue. These dialogues are essentially for the benefit of the child. Educators can discuss their observations, while parents can offer more insight about their child's conditions.
Ensure everybody is on the same page
Parent-family partnership ensures everybody is on the same page. This is more related to the child's academic/well-being goals than anything else. It eliminates chances of confusion or misunderstanding as far as the child's needs are concerned.
Caregivers can tailor their approach
Parent/family partnership allows educators and caregivers to tailor their approach to fit the child's needs. It enables teachers to provide targeted resources.
Strategies: Enhancing family partnerships for successful early childhood education
Share positive new
Share positive news if possible. It's true there are many instances where you may need to communicate with families regarding negative behaviors and that's totally recommended, but family partnership can be strengthened if the information conveyed is also a positive one. Perhaps a child is treating others with respect or knows how to count. All these are good info.
Provide schedule
Another way to make it easier to partner with families is to provide them with a timetable or schedule of upcoming activities. For example, in Week 1, there would be a trip; in Week 2, there would be a nature walk; and in Week 3, there would be an assembly. Sharing this monthly schedule through email or a message system allows for cordial communication and keeps families connected to the child's education.
Family Invitations
As stated previously, event updates can keep families in touch with their loved ones. But to add more to the experience, what if family members could be invited? Invite family members to volunteer for school events or occasionally participate in celebrations to shed more light on school dynamics and strengthen the bond with staff.
Communicate promptly
Do not mind initiating communication with the parent of a child if there's a need. Taking this step can significantly contribute to building a solid relationship. Strive to maintain transparency and sincerity regarding your concerns and be open to receiving feedback. It will foster a healthy collaboration & even benefit children.
Consider the family's schedule
Parents or a child's family member can be busy with their work and other priorities, making it more tricky to involve them in certain student-related matters in specific time frames. It can be beneficial if arrangements can be made in a way that considers their busy time frame, even if it means having conversations after regular school hours or organizing online conferences to accommodate their schedules.
References:
Bricklin, P., & Bricklin, B. (1974). Parent-Teacher Interaction. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 7, 453 - 455. https://doi.org/10.1177/002221947400700710.
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