How do you communicate with parents?
What are all the ways early childhood professionals can communicate with parents? Parents want to know what their child is learning when they return to the center and how they are doing on a daily basis. Many centers are turning to child care software like HiMama for this reason specifically.
If you have not made the transition from paper to digital yet, there is still time, and below is a list of a couple of ways you can get started.
1. Email
Creating a daily or weekly email for families to keep up to date with what is happening within the center will be very helpful. It can also hold any reminders or important updates that parents should be aware of.
2. Digital Daily Reports
Having an app that helps with a child’s daily activities is helpful as parents get an individual report on their child and have direct communication with teachers. If you don’t have an app at this moment, then teachers can create a templated email to send to each family at the end of the day.
3. Phone Calls
A teacher may call a parent after an incident or injury in the classroom to inform them of what happened. A teacher also may call with positive news or just to check in with the family informally.
4. Parent-Teacher Conferences/Zoom Meetings
Taking the time to speak with parents over the phone can be critical in some stages. Being able to hear how a parent feels and being able to provide answers for their child specifically can help guide a parent during hard times.
5. Center Website
Having full transparency with families is important and if a new parent is looking for child care you want to be their first stop. Having a website helps you look progressive and can be set up for free or you can hire a professional to help get it going.
6. Classroom Facebook Page
Facebook pages for classrooms are helpful for teachers to post pictures and keep parents up to date on the regular day to day life of the classroom. It can be private to the families in that room but not private to each family.
Overall, there are many workarounds available to you right now, but the easiest way is to get on board is with an app. Both your teachers and parents will thank you — not just for the communication, but the ease of use.
Let us know how you communicate with your families.
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