According to studies of successful preschools, increased parent-teacher communication is a key component in the holistic development of infants and toddlers. Despite the fact that 85% of parents believe they can make a lot of difference in their kid’s learning journey, 46% wish they could do more to help their child.
A solid flow of information between daycares and families is the key to effective and healthy parent participation, and that communication should include everyone involved, including teachers. The ideas outlined in this article can help you boost parent-teacher communication at your preschool.
Why is parent-teacher communication important?
Effective communication contributes to the development of a respectful connection between instructors, parents, and students.
For teachers
Teachers gain from parent-teacher connections as well, because parents become a great resource in the classroom. Parents are more willing to collaborate with and reach out to teachers they trust. So instructors who establish connections with them will receive more cooperation.
For parents
Because parents aren’t always present in the classroom, regular talks with instructors can help them figure out which subjects their children excel at and which ones they struggle with. It can also make students feel more respected and confident in their ability to participate in the learning process. Parents who wish to be more involved might help their children by supplementing teachings at home.
For students
When parents become involved, there are numerous benefits for children, including increased enthusiasm for learning, more regular digital attendance, improved behavior, and a generally positive attitude towards their childcare.
Understanding the basic challenges
As living arrangements are becoming more diverse, educators cannot assume that students are living at home with both parents. Moreover, families migrate often; in fact, the United States has one of the world’s most mobile populations. Despite excellent intentions, teachers’ efforts sometimes meet barriers due to the following circumstances:
- Too many tools: The average toddler has eight instructors, each of whom may use a different communication medium, leaving parents feeling overwhelmed.
- Communication overload: Information coming from a variety of sources and platforms can cause parents to overlook critical details and make it difficult to filter through and prioritize.
- Lack of accessibility: Preschool communications that are only available through the computer (but not mobile) or in a single language may disregard a large proportion of students coming from low-income or immigrant societies.
How can teachers improve parent-teacher communication?
Teachers must lead by example and be as adaptable as possible to ensure better parental involvement in daycare activities.
1. Listen to parental concerns
Have a block of time during the preschool year when instructors and parents are brought together. For example, having two opportunities per year for parents to meet with a teacher for 45 minutes is a good start. Parents that way feel heard, and no amount of technology will ever be able to replace this. It is a significant logistical challenge for preschools to make this work, but it is extremely beneficial.
2. Give personalized feedback
Teachers usually praise parents for the numerous good suggestions they’ve offered them, while parents complain that teachers don’t listen. The preschool staff pays attention, but they don’t complete the loop and inform parents that their suggestions had been taken into consideration. It’s important for teachers to consider the parents’ complaints, concerns, and struggles and find a workaround to cater to their personalized needs.
3. Actively support parents
The majority of parents want to help their children learn, but they want to do so in a way that is comfortable for them. A simple video prepared by the class teacher or a student and published to the learning platform with access granted to parents can ensure interest.
4. Parent-teacher communication app
By using a parent-teacher communication app you can build better partnerships with parents by keeping them involved in every step of their child’s progress By using a parent-teacher communication app it becomes simple to stay connected with the families!
Did you know that photo and video updates, contactless check-in and instant messaging are becoming increasingly important to parents when choosing a daycare center? Here’s how Illumine can help:
- Photos & Videos: Share special moments and send classroom updates on the fly. Parents inevitably feel more connected to their children when they see their kid’s photos.
- Calendar: Parents will have easy access to event alerts, images, assessment dates, and a list of holidays; they will no longer have to seek diary entries or WhatsApp invites.
- Lesson plans and assignments: Illumine helps you keep parents up to date with the academic developments at their kid’s preschool. Share weekly or daily lesson plans with parents with the app,
- Daily updates: They can see daily reporting on their children, including their schedules, what they are learning in school, and their development.
- Virtual lessons: Parents can remain in touch with the teachers and participate in virtual classes and meetings with Illumine.
- Lesson plan: Teachers may now send parents homework, activities, and lesson plans via the app.
- Alerts & Notification: You will receive real-time notifications on children’s activities, pending fees, lesson plans, and forthcoming events.
4. Use social media to spark communication
Facebook and Twitter have done a lot to allow preschools to freely advertise the amazing things they are doing, but only on a very wide level. Nothing is too tailored to any given parent or student. The next step is to leverage technology to enable more meaningful-level conversations on a regular basis and in a secure manner.
5. Send out regular communication
Don’t send out one large message at the start of the year or wait until the conclusion of the semester to send out an exhaustive summary. In the same way that preschools are moving toward more regular student evaluations, preschool communications should be brief and frequent in order to keep parents informed.
6. Invite parents to partner up
If educators are unfamiliar with the parent body at their preschool, they should seek out and learn more about them. Teachers should urge parents to provide information about their child’s strengths and limitations, as well as what kind of support system they have at home and whether or not anything going on in the child’s life is affecting classroom conduct. This type of information can help teachers better address the requirements of their pupils.
7. Give parents the choice to opt-in
Create options for parents to opt-in (or out) of particular information or updates that are relevant to their kids. It’s just as futile to bombard every parent with every update as it is to under-communicate, and parents will find it hard to keep up if you do.
8. Positive feedback
Communication will usually revolve around the essentials, such as daily schedules, homework assignments, forthcoming activities, and, in certain circumstances, behavioral updates. Because parents may dread the occasional phone call home, it’s critical to develop ways to share positive news as well.
9. Give a peek into lessons
In a neighborhood where most parents didn’t have computers at home, one preschool negotiated with the local supermarket to install a computer in the foyer with looping footage of classes. Families reportedly came in to check what was going on. That may be a unique way of lesson planning that EYFS teachers can consider implementing.
10. Set up a blog
Teachers should start blogging while out and about, in addition to documenting the curriculum and learning activities. Even though the children are away, parents can touch base with them through the blog, creating a conversation between them and their children.
Join the Illumine family now for a free 11-day trial and to optimize your parent-teacher communication.
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