In this current age, parents are becoming more involved than they have ever been with their children’s development. Except for when it comes to Ppreschool. Note that a lot of parents drop their kids off in the morning while the teachers take over, and then pick them up at the end of the day without giving their learning much thought.
However, to get the true benefits of early childhood education, parents will have to consider how they can support what their children learn in the day. Some of a child’s most important cognitive development happens during their preschool years.
By taking an active role in the early childhood education process, parents can help ensure that their child has all the support they need to develop to their full potential. Also note that parents’ involvement helps extend teaching outside the classroom, establishes a more positive experience for children and help children perform better when they are in school.
It is very important for parents to support the learning that happens in preschool settings at home as well. According to expert reports, parents who are in line with what is happening in their child’s preschool classroom or child care facility are more able to create and sustain a connection between what is learned at school and what takes place in the home. This connection is a key component of a child’s development.
Aside that fact that family or parental involvement helps extend teaching outside the classroom, it creates a more positive experience for children and helps children perform better when they are in school. A parent who knows what their child is working on at preschool has a better sense of their child’s competency and the areas they need to work on to improve confidence and ability.
One of the toughest challenges of early childhood educators is figuring out how to better engage parents in their child’s learning. Note that by creating good lines of communication between the child care centre and parents, as well as making a strong effort to involve parents in their child’s education, you can make a positive impact on their learning ability.
Have it in mind that the role of the parent is to show their children how the lessons learned in preschool can be applied in real-world situations, reinforcing what the children are taught. Also, parents remain abreast of their children’s competencies and skills in various areas. Parental involvement can be sought in different ways. School events, outreach efforts, in-school tips, and community involvement are all areas ripe for engaging parents.
Types of Family Involvement Every School Should Consider
As an educator, getting parents involved in preschool is a great way to ease fears and build healthy relationships with families. Parents are handing over their hearts to you each day at drop-off, so maintaining a close connection is important. As a parent, getting involved in preschool throughout the day or even from afar does wonders to contribute to meaningful and lasting relationships with your families. After all, there’s no better marketing tool than satisfied customers. Here are types of parent involvement to consider.
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Parenting
Note that the first way parents can support their children’s education is by providing a healthy home environment. As an educator, you are expected to help parents by offering parenting workshops, helping their families find support programs and government assistance programs, and encouraging them to model pro – education behaviour, such as reading to and in front of their children.
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Decision Making
In the United States, very good schools and districts run as a partnership between parents and educators. You should encourage parents to join the PTA/PTO and participate in local advocacy and support groups focused on education. Likewise, you should make sure parents know about local school board elections.
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Communicating
Keeping parents informed and making it easy for them to ask questions or express concerns is very crucial to parent involvement. It is your job to make sure you’re holding parent – teacher conferences (with language translators, if needed), sending student work home with explanations of their grades, sending out regular e-mails or memos describing the work you’re doing in the classroom, and making yourself available to take parent calls.
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Collaborating With the Community
Have it in mind that parents who are involved in the community are more or less going to be involved in the school system, too. To enable them connect, you can provide information on community activities at local museums and parks; develop community service projects that bring together parents, teachers, and administrators; and invite community leaders to speak in the classroom and at parent events.
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Learning at Home
Parents and other family members can serve as a great educational resource for students. To enable parents provide at-home learning, you are expected to keep them informed about homework assignments and projects. You can also offer resources designed to help them understand the subject matter you’re teaching. In addition, sending home lists of voluntary reading and other activities can help parents ensure their children have ways to learn outside of the classroom.
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Volunteering
Also note that one of the most direct ways for parents to involve themselves in their children’s education is to volunteer in the classroom and/ or school. You should consider inviting parents to help out in the classroom and make sure they are aware of volunteer opportunities within the school, such as helping out with office work, aiding safety patrols, running concessions at games, etc.
Conclusion
Statistics have shown show that when parents are actively involved with their child’s early childhood education, they are more likely to stay involved when their child enters elementary school. So by encouraging parent participation in your child care centre, an educator can help support children beyond their early years and make their families an important part of their education well into the future. In the same vein, parental and family involvement in early childhood education will help improve learning outcomes for children by ensuring that they have all the support they need to succeed. Part of this process involves detailed documentation so teachers and parents have a complete picture of how a child is progressing and can act accordingly.