Families rarely decide to trust a program because of one big moment. Trust comes from the little things: how you greet a parent in the morning, how you keep them updated through the day and how you respond when something goes wrong. In this session, Dr. Bisa Batten Lewis, early childhood education leader and creator of the WINGS Curriculum, joined Isabel Riley of illumine to look at the everyday moments where family trust is built or weakened, and how childcare teams can communicate clearly and consistently without adding to their workload. This is the written recap. The full recording is at the top of this page.
Speakers
Dr. Bisa Batten Lewis, creator of the WINGS Curriculum; Isabel Riley, illumine
Best for
Childcare directors, owners and classroom teams who communicate with families
Session length
59 minutes
In this recap
Common barriers with families, five opportunities for family exchange, the five foundations of intentional classrooms, WINGS family connection tools, one connected workflow, a product walkthrough and three little things that cost nothing
Key takeaways
- Trust is built in everyday moments, not at enrollment or in the handbook alone. Families notice consistency.
- It starts with leaders and trickles down to teachers.
- Meet families as they come to you. Leave your own picture of what a family should look like at the door.
- Use every point of contact, from the first tour to regular check-ins, as a chance to build the relationship.
- Agree how often families hear from each classroom, so updates do not depend on which teacher a child has.
- Make communication two-way. Parents are the experts on their own children.
- Connect planning, observation, documentation and family updates in one workflow, so one entry flows everywhere.
- Small gestures cost nothing: recognize special days, write thank-you notes and reach out "just because".
Why the little things matter
Isabel opened with the idea behind the session: trust does not come from big gestures. It comes from how a team greets a parent, communicates through the day and responds to concerns. Those habits start with leaders and spread to every classroom.
Dr. Bisa reminded attendees that families come in all structures. Leave your own ideals and assumptions about what a family should look like at the door, she said, and engage with families as they come to you.
What gets in the way
Attendees shared the barriers they meet most often in the chat:
No time
Parents rushing to work or a second job, or tired at pickup. Some hand over their child without a word.
No response
Emails go unanswered and calls are not picked up.
Out-of-date contact details
Phone numbers change without anyone telling the program, which is a real problem in an emergency.
Language barriers
Families and staff who do not share a first language.
Quick drop-offs
Children dropped off without the parent seeing an adult.
Little insight from home
Parents who share little when asked about their child, even though they are the experts on their own children.
How the role is seen
Some families see educators as babysitters rather than teachers. As Dr. Bisa put it, "We are not glorified babysitters."
Developmental pressure
Parents asking why their child is not reading, writing or doing sums yet, when that may not be developmentally appropriate.
Communication is more than words
Dr. Bisa defined communication as exchanging information through a common system of symbols, signs or behavior. A thumbs up or a smiley face communicates, and a smile means the same thing in every language. Communication is simple in theory and difficult in practice, she said, which is why it needs to be intentional.
A poll asked which tool programs use most to communicate with parents. A child care app or platform came first, followed by messaging apps and email, with a few programs using a mix. Isabel's point: whatever the tool, the goal is the same.
Where relationships are really built
Isabel said trust is not built during enrollment alone, or through the parent handbook, though every program should have one. It is built through morning greetings, quick conversations at pickup, updates about a child's day and how you respond when something does not go as planned.
Dr. Bisa shared five opportunities to make the most of every family exchange:
Program tours
Families assess your professionalism, building and materials. You are also assessing whether the program is the right fit for them.
Intake and enrollment
There is paperwork, but this is also where the relationship begins.
Parent follow-up
Follow up on health information, such as immunization concerns, and on families' goals for their children, not only when there is a problem.
Family conferences
Many programs hold two to four a year. Dr. Bisa held them quarterly. Set the expectation at enrollment.
Regular check-ins
With 20 children in a class, reach out to five families a week and rotate. Younger children may need more frequent contact.
A second poll asked how often families hear from programs about their child in a normal week. Two to three times a week was the most common answer, and very few programs reach families every day. Isabel highlighted the "varies by teacher" option. In one class, parents might get a flood of messages and photos. In the next, barely a picture a week.
Five foundations of intentional classrooms
Time
Build time for family communication into the day, rather than squeezing it in.
Clarity
Make it clear what is expected, from staff and from families.
Consistency
The same schedule and the same app or materials, so families know where to look and can respond.
Confidence
Show families you are an educator. Dr. Bisa had spent that Monday training infant teachers for a multi-site program.
Support
From co-educators, the program and the whole early childhood ecosystem.
WINGS: designing learning around the child
Dr. Bisa created the WINGS Curriculum, first published in 2009 and now in its fourth edition, after years of managing programs including pre-K, Head Start, infant and toddler rooms and lab schools. Even well-qualified teachers struggled to bring schedules, routines, lesson planning, assessment and evaluation together consistently, so she created materials to support them, and those became WINGS.
Wonder
Children's natural curiosity.
Interest
What draws a child in. Dr. Bisa shared how one program owner asked for purple materials at every workshop, a reminder of how much interest drives engagement.
Needs
Equity and diversity: special needs, disability or extra ability, family structure, and physical or cognitive needs.
Goals
What you want each child to achieve.
Skills
The skills children build along the way.
We use the WIN to teach the GS.
The curriculum includes a full-color teacher's guide, a book of about 60 forms covering birth to age five, lesson plan books for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and family child care, and digital access through My WINGS Online.
WINGS tools for connecting with families
Parent packet
Explains the curriculum to families.
Parent Buzz
A family newsletter for every monthly lesson plan, in print or digital.
Classroom transition newsletter
Prepares families for a move to the next room. Dr. Bisa moved children gradually over about a month, starting with an hour or two and reaching a full day by week four or five.
Home Connections form
Families record activities at home by domain: physical, social-emotional, language and literacy, and cognitive. Patty cake counts as physical and language; story time as language and literacy. Dr. Bisa called it developmentally appropriate homework.
All About My Day and Week
A two-way form for every age from birth to five, not just infant logs. Families share wonders, interests and needs, such as a child talking about Spider-Man all week. It also works as a parent interview.
The forms are fillable, downloadable and printable.
Where the time goes
A third poll asked which part of family communication takes the most time. Writing updates came first, followed by keeping communication consistent across classrooms, chasing photos and notes, and making sure no family gets missed. Isabel said that in the rush, words get misspelled and paraphrased badly, and some teachers write updates in a separate AI tool and copy and paste them for each child.
Planning does not end with the lesson
- Plan
- Teach
- Observe
- Document
- Communicate with families
- Parent Buzz
- Improve
Each cycle improves the next. Plans can be monthly or weekly.
This cycle answers the parent who says, "I always see my child playing in blocks. What is he learning?" Too often, Isabel said, these steps live in six separate systems. They should be one workflow, where planning, observation, documentation, assessment and family communication connect and a single entry flows everywhere.
Lesson assignment
Directors, coordinators or lead teachers assign lesson plans by day or by week for the month.
AI lesson planning with WINGS
Combine WINGS lessons and strategies with AI to expand on children's interests, aligned to your curriculum.
Real-time observations
Capture observations as they happen, and save photos as drafts to finish at nap time.
Conference reports
Observations are pulled into conference reports automatically, so teachers are not scrambling two weeks before. Edit, then email, send as a PDF or print.
AI writing support
Turn a quick note into a clear, professional update.
Translation
Translate updates for families who speak another language and for immersion programs.
Dr. Bisa said translation was one of the main reasons she chose to partner with illumine. As a director, she used to search for translators and worry about getting dialects right.
See it in action
Isabel walked through how a teacher would use this day to day in illumine:
Activity posts
Post a photo and update now, schedule it or save it as a draft.
AI suggestions
A quick note with typos, "Abby was doing patterns with blocks", became a full paragraph about cooperative play, sorting by color and shape, and social and problem-solving skills. Teachers can accept, rewrite or edit.
Translation
Translate a post into Spanish, French, German, Greek and more, and include the original.
Voice notes
Add a voice note from the teacher, or from the child.
Audience
Post to one child or the whole class.
WINGS in illumine
The WINGS curriculum and downloads are organized by month under Learning.
Newsletters
Send the monthly WINGS newsletter as a styled email, not an attachment, with a second page for your own news. Send it to rooms, all active students, prospective families or multiple centers, and translate it.
Anecdotal notes
Pick the child, age group, domain and linked lesson, such as "All About Me", then expand a quick note with AI. The AI learns from more observations over time.
Dr. Bisa added that the All About My Day and Week and Home Connections forms are available in parent communication, so directors can send them to families at one site or several at once. Learn more about teacher-parent communication in illumine.
Questions from the session
How often should we hold family conferences?
In the chat, two to four a year was most common, and some programs only hold them when there is a concern. Dr. Bisa held them quarterly. Whatever you choose, set the expectation at enrollment, so families know conferences are a regular part of the program and not a sign of a problem. Our parent-teacher conference guide has more ideas.
Who should be invited to a conference?
Anyone on a child's pickup list could be welcome. That is each program's decision, so make it part of your policy and explain it at enrollment.
Is WINGS available in Spanish?
Dr. Bisa said yes.
How should we prepare families for a classroom transition?
Dr. Bisa recommended a gradual move over about a month. Start with an hour or two in the new room, add time each week and reach a full day by week four or five. The WINGS classroom transition newsletter helps families know what to expect.
A parent says, "I always see my child playing in blocks. What is he learning?" How do we answer?
Isabel raised this common question during the session. Her answer was to connect the update to the learning. When an observation is linked to the lesson and goal behind it, block play becomes a story about patterns, cooperation and problem solving rather than another photo. Two-way tools like the Home Connections form also help families see learning continue at home.
Three little things that cost nothing
Recognize special days
Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, accomplishments, a new baby or a child's progress.
Write five thank-you notes
Write down the names of five families today and send each a note. Dr. Bisa has kept this habit for years.
Reach out "just because"
Make positive contact without waiting for a reason.
Dr. Bisa asked every attendee to leave with a personalized game plan and to use at least one idea from the session.
Resources mentioned
- 30 days of the WINGS Curriculum in illumine, offered free to attendees by email, with training from the illumine team.
- A conversation with an expert, requested through the in-session poll.
- Earlier sessions with Dr. Bisa, recapped in The Burnout Behind Preschool Lesson Planning, The Burnout Behind Childcare Assessments and The Burnout Behind Preschool Classrooms.
What to do next
- Agree how often every classroom updates families each week.
- Plan regular check-ins: five families a week, on rotation.
- Set expectations for family conferences at enrollment.
- Send a two-way form home, such as All About My Day and Week.
- Link updates to the lesson behind them, so families see the learning.
- Write five thank-you notes this week.
In early childhood education, the little things are never really little.
For more on working with families, read our parent-teacher communication strategies, 11 ways teachers can improve parent communication or what to include in your parent handbook. To plan with less effort, see AI lesson planning for childcare centers, or book a live demo of illumine.