Involving family members in the child day care program is an excellent way to promote parent interest in the program. Planning many various activities throughout the year is a good way to encourage parents and other family members to become involved. Family involvement is an important part of raising and teaching children.
Families Focusing on Meals Together
Parent lunch and breakfast weeks are a great way to bring family members in. Set aside a couple of weeks throughout the year for parents to sign-up and come enjoy lunch or breakfast with their child. Children love to show off mom and dad, and they feel so special doing it. For parents who cannot stay for breakfast or schedule lunches, prepare large homemade muffins and pack in a sack along with a juice drink to have the child hand to the parent when dropping him/her off in the morning. It's a great send-off and role reversal for the children.
Family dinners that surround holidays are always a good idea. Many parents are able to make arrangements when special days come around to celebrate with their child. Planning a Mother's and Father's Day Luncheon or a Thanksgiving Feast is a nice way to show appreciation for the parents and get many families together at one time in a social setting. Summer ice cream socials, picnics and cook-outs are also good ideas that involve family members.
Bringing Families Into the Classroom
Hold a Pet Week. Have parents bring in pets to share with the other children. The child owners of the pets will be thrilled to share their "favorite" family member with everyone else. Just be certain to plan for pets that are "kid-friendly" and only one pet at a time in the center.
Grandparents are always the best asset to any setting. Many hold a flexible schedule and can come to the center at various times throughout the day. Inviting them to read stories, assist in art projects, supervise free play and outdoor time, or come in to rub backs at nap and serve snack afterward is so much fun for all the children and grandparents alike. A special Grandparents Day could also be scheduled when grandparents come in to observe and participate in some of the planned activities.
Parent-teacher conferences are a good time to meet with families and seek ways that they can assist in the program. Many states make this mandatory. Instead of looking at it as just another regulation to meet, use this opportunity to find ways to involve the parents in the program. Some may have special jobs (such as a dentist or a florist) or talents (artist or singer) and can come in as a guest and share interactively with the children what they do at work. This can be incorporated in theme appropriate weeks or just have a special week set aside when a parent can come in every day of the week.
Even More Ways to Involve Parents
Newsletter articles can be written and submitted by any of the parents. Sharing stories, ideas for growth and experiences can liven up the monthly newsletters and give parents a chance to share information with one another. Featuring a family each month can also be incorporated into the newsletter. Offering other "specials" such as a discount week for families making referrals that enroll and announcing these in the newsletter is a great way to generate new business and thank the families for their support.
Having parents assist with field trips is also a great way to get the children into the community and gives the parents some hands on experience in supervising children in a group. This not only provides the center with additional adult supervision, but is a great incentive for the children. If parents cannot help out on field trips, perhaps trips to their jobsite can be scheduled for the children to see what other parents do at work.
Many times parents just cannot get the time off of work to help out in the classroom or enjoy a meal with the children. For these parents assisting in fundraising efforts and making donations of toys, extra clothing or snacks is a good way for them to keep in connection with the center and feel like a part of it's growing success. At the same time they are benefiting each of the children attending the center.
Getting parents involved takes a little creative planning and a lot of work. Take an annual look at the child care program and schedule throughout the year ways to involve families. A goal to set and work for is at least one family involvement activity each month. This gives all parents more than a dozen ways to be included in the child care program. For additional ideas, please read Building Positive Parent Relations in Early Childhood Programs. Families make the difference.
For information on holding parent conferences, please read Preschool Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Lynne Nofziger - As a Reiki II Practitioner and a Holistic Therapist, I am particularly fond of natural therapies for the fact that they incorporate the ...
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