A positive relationship between home and setting is essential if the individual needs of children are to be identified and met. Practitioners and parents or carers need regular opportunities for sharing information, and effective systems must be set up to enable this communication to take place.
Consider the following when developing a successful partnership with children's families: First meeting
Make this a positive experience for both child and parent as it is the foundation on which future relationships are built. If possible, arrange the first meeting at the child's home - children are more confident in familiar surroundings and parents feel more at ease to ask questions. Do home visits in pairs and take along a nursery photograph album or video to help break the ice. Ensure all families are given a guided tour of the nursery before their child starts. Provide information sheets about nursery procedures, making sure that they are clear and comprehensive, and if possible have a video to inform families about your setting.
Second language speakers
Be aware of the home languages of parents and children and reflect this in nursery notices, letters and other methods of communication.
General information
Display day-to-day practical information such as staff appointments, events in nursery and outside visits on a noticeboard and let parents also use it to share information with others. Position the board in a convenient place. Make sure all the information is eye-catching and clear. Divide the board into distinct areas, for example, 'Projects' and 'Outings'. Avoid clutter and remove material as soon as it becomes out of date. Be aware that despite your best efforts, all parents may not read the board and that you may also have to talk or write directly to them.
Curriculum information
Learning about the curriculum can be fun for parents, and workshops held in the setting are usually an effective way of helping parents to understand and share their children's learning experiences. Videos and displays of children's work accompanied by explanations can also be enlightening. Regular letters outlining curricular plans and suggesting ways of supporting children's learning at home are useful to all parents but particularly those who do not have daily contact with the setting. Pin details of project work on the nursery noticeboard.
Welcoming families Provide comfortable seating. Make a staff member responsible for greeting parents and children as they arrive. Make time to talk and listen to parents about their child's achievements in and out of the setting. Ensure staff are available to talk about the day's events at picking-up time. Make parents aware that you are happy to talk privately about any sensitive issues.
Learning from families
Make the most of family members' skills and knowledge. Write to families outlining how they may wish to be involved - for example, being a member of a working party making role-play clothes - and ask about particular skills and contributions they may wish to make - for example, gardening or talking about their job. Include in your curriculum letters details of how parents may want to become involved in project work. Provide similar information on the noticeboard.
Profiles and records of achievement
Profiles that reflect children's achievements in the home as well as in the setting offer a much fuller picture of their learning. Contributions from home should be encouraged and valued by practitioners. Whenever possible, it is a good idea to support the children in making concrete entries themselves, such as sticking in paintings, but if information is passed on during an informal chat, the practitioner can make a note of it in the profile. Schedule times to discuss with them children's summative records.
