sarah707

Parents as partners #EYTalking - Tues 14.5.2013

Enhance your CPD by sharing ideas with other professionals and using what you have shared to make changes to your provision and ways of working. Then, use your CPD to improve your business practices - and write about the changes you have made and their impact on outcomes for children in your self evaluation / Ofsted SEF.

This CPD was shared on Twitter #EYTalking - some of the contributions are mine and I have added information and bits and bobs but most was shared by other members of the group. #EYTalking is open to all early years professionals, not just childminders.

I hope you find it useful...

· Always demonstrate openness, honesty and a caring attitude

· Always remember that parents are first and most enduring educators and treat them as the most important people in their child’s life

· PEAL website - good practice examples of partnership working - Home

· Write blogs informing parents about what is going on in the provision and giving ideas for supporting learning at home

· Email excerpts from child’s Learning Journey every week / month

· Regular summary assessments shared with parents on a comfy sofa encourage parents to participate

· Daily doorstep chats build trust and encourage confidences

· Write a newsletter including information about what the children have been doing

· Arrange setting events when parents are invited to get involved eg picnic in the summer

· Send texts during the day to reassure and involve parents

· Set up a Facebook business page just for parents

· Barriers to inclusion and parent participation - http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jr...on-parents.pdf

· Provide information for parents in the format they prefer eg website, email, paper copies, text, Tweet, Facebook etc

· Inform parents when you buy new resources and equipment and talk about how it benefits their child

· Be prepared to complete paperwork for parents if they cannot read or write well

· Invite parents in to read to children at the start of the session (within a time frame)

· Set up a website with parents page to share info eg risk assessments, weather warnings etc

· Meet the Parents - Meet the parents - Early Years Matters

· Parents as Partners in early learning (PPEL) project -
http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/wp...er_hamlets.pdf

· Display planning in a parent friendly format

· Share photos regularly with parents so they can visualise their child’s day

· Invite parents into the provision to see displays

· Ofsted good practice factsheet -
Ofsted | Good practice resource - Developing effective partnerships with parents in the Early Years Foundation Stage: Stag Lane Infant and Nursery School

· Daily diaries - encourage parents to write comments. If they don’t contribute, ask questions verbally and write ‘handover notes’ each session so they see their comments are valued

· Parents early education partnership (PEEP) training courses - peep - Welcome to PEEP

· Send out regular questionnaires involve and engage parents in what is happening in the provision - include feedback in your self evaluation / Ofsted SEF

· Photos from home enhance Learning Journey files - ask for the photo by email or phone and print it yourself to encourage parents to share

· Ask parents questions about home experiences - and feed back to show them how they are used to enhance the child’s planning

· Parent partnership home link book example from TES (free log in required) -
Early years parent partnerships home link book - Resources - TES

· ‘Supporting parents to help their child learn at home’ - http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/data/...ted_9.9.10.pdf

· Regular meetings to share next steps planner with parents and ask for their input - mention home learning in children’s next steps plans

· Allow children to take resources home - favourite reading books and puppets; recipe ideas etc. Take a photo of what they are borrowing and attach it to the bag / box so you are more likely to get things back but expect the some loss / damage

· Ask about wow moments at home and display them on the wall so children take pride in their achievements and parents see their contributions are valued

· Put together a parent information folder with leaflets and local contact numbers from Children’s Centre, Health Visitor, NHS dentist, magazine articles etc - remind parents you are happy to photocopy any of the information for them on request

· Offer a book and magazine loan service for parents

· Suggest home visits to support transitions - or if children are struggling to settle

· ‘The role of parents in children’s learning’ - The role of parents in a child

· Photos of family members in albums - ‘our favourite people’

· All about me child information form - make it parent friendly and ask parents to complete it with their child. Ask lots of questions about the child’s home life - and explain how the information will be used to support the child’s learning

More to follow in second blog...