How to build stronger relationships with parents and families at your centre

Fostering strong relationships between families and childcare providers is important for many reasons. Parents are, after all, entrusting you with the most precious people in their lives, and want to make sure they can trust any childcare provider fully. But how is it achieved and what are the best methods to use?
 

Why Strong Relationships Are Important

Every year, there are approximately 140,000 children in a preschool setting such as a nursery. Parents rely on these settings so that they can continue to work alongside raising children, and do so with the trust that the provider is safe, appropriate and trustworthy.

Beyond this provision, childcare providers can build strong relationships with parents to ensure the children are given the very best care. Effective communication, active involvement, and a supportive approach are key elements to create a positive and engaging partnership with parents.

How to Create Strong Relationships with Parents
 

Open and Transparent Communication

Communication is a pillar of any successful relationship. You should be willing to establish an open and transparent line of communication with parents from the outset. This can involve regularly updating parents about their child’s daily activities, progress, and any challenges they may face helps to create a sense of trust and reassurance. One way you can do this is through an app or tool like Tapestry, which gives both parents and nursery workers the ability to upload content about the child. The content could include a picture the child drew that day, a milestone met, or an incident relating to behaviour. Childcare providers can hold regular meetings with parents whose children have challenges, offering a listening ear to any concerns parents may have. When parents feel listened to, they instantly feel more trusting towards the staff, and are more likely to cooperate and form positive solutions to problems. Open communication also reduces the risk of errors and mistakes, which in turn will minimise the risk of complaints and concerns.
 

Involve Parents

You can make parents feel welcome in the childcare environment by inviting them to participate in activities, events, and parent-teacher conferences. This will encourage their involvement in decision-making processes regarding their child’s education and well-being. Creating a collaborative atmosphere strengthens the partnership between parents and childcare providers and helps parents to feel more in control of their child’s educational and social development.
 

Acknowledge and Respect Diversity:

You can build strong relationships between families and childcare providers by recognizing and respecting the diversity of families that you serve. Be mindful of cultural, religious, and individual differences, and tailor your approach to meet the unique needs of each family. Embrace diversity and foster an inclusive environment where all families feel valued and appreciated. If you are ever in doubt about how to do this, you can ask for additional equality and diversity training, or take the matter to supervision. Also be mindful of how your cultural norms may look to a parent from a different culture, and offer a different approach if the parent is uncomfortable with something culturally different.
 

Listen To Parent Feedback

One way to build strong relationships between families and childcare providers is through feedback. Actively encourage feedback from parents, whether it is good or bad. You can add an anonymous feedback box to your childcare setting, or send out surveys. You can hold focus groups and parent meetings to discuss important issues, such as an upcoming change to provision. You should listen to any parent's concerns and take them seriously, ensuring you acknowledge the concern properly and make a formal note of it.
 

Give Resources

Some parents are brand new to parenting and can use all the help and advice they can get. This might include healthy eating resources, weaning information, potty training advice, financial signposting, school enrollment information and educational support for home learning. While not all parents need all of these things, it’s a great idea to have them to hand for anyone who does. You can also provide additional, niche resources to parents who are facing specific challenges, such as family court proceedings or relocating here as a refugee. You can design resources by listening to parent feedback, and working proactively to ensure you supply information to parents as they sign up to the nursery.
 

Be Consistent

Consistency is crucial in building trust. Establish consistent routines and policies within the childcare setting. Consistency reassures parents that their child is in a stable and secure environment. If any changes are upcoming, tell parents in advance. In fact, you can hold parent feedback meetings to discuss these upcoming changes, and build a strategy for change that won’t disrupt the children and families based on this feedback.
 

Celebrate Milestones and Achievements

Every child, in every nursery, will achieve many things in their preschool years. Achievements can include learning to identify numbers, learning how to use the toilet, how to speak, how to eat independently, or even just making a close friendship. Parents will appreciate it if you celebrate these milestones with them. After all, many parents will miss important milestones due to being at work regularly, so it is important to make them feel like they are included in the celebration.
 

Respect Privacy and Confidentiality

This goes without saying, but if there has been a breach in confidentiality, parents are going to distrust a childcare provider. Often these breaches are accidental, but it is important to own the mistake if it occurs. Ensure you do everything you can to protect the privacy and confidentiality of each family’s information. Assure parents that their personal information and discussions will be handled with the utmost care and confidentiality. You can be assured of high level confidentiality by using trustworthy childcare software, such as Cheqdin.
 

Stay Organised

A well-ordered, calm and structured setting is of great reassurance to parents leaving their children with you. You should have an organised arrival and pick-up policy, structured registration process, and a schedule that both parents and children can understand and follow. By using software like Cheqdin, you can organise your nursery or childcare provision without hassle, stress or endless paperwork. You can reassure parents that you are in control, and that their children are safe.
 

In conclusion, building strong relationships with parents is fundamental to providing high-quality childcare. By prioritising open communication, active involvement, and mutual respect, childcare providers can establish a positive and supportive partnership with parents. Through this collaborative approach, children can thrive and grow in an environment that values their individuality and promotes their overall well-being.
 

You might also like:

Spotting and Helping Families in Financial Difficulty

Health and Safety in Early Years Provision

7 Great Apps For Busy Parents