Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-key-person-approach-to-building-parent-relationships/5022113/
I often hear early education professionals ask about how to share information with parents. Most recognize the importance of connecting with the child’s home environment, but clearly there are many challenges along the way. Sometimes, busy parents want to rush away without spending time conversing. Other families are hard to reach: English may not be their first language or they may feel uncomfortable talking with teachers.It can be helpful to put oneself in the shoes of parents who drop their children off to your setting at the start of the day and won’t see them again until dinnertime. Most young children will find it hard to remember what they have done during the day, leaving parents feeling out of touch with their child’s world. I remember when my daughter started school and I felt sad because I was no longer the only influence in her life.
By opening your mind in this way, you can consider how the educational setting can help parents. This article focuses on building parental partnerships through the key person approach, a statutory requirement in English preschools and nurseries since 2008 (Department for Children, Schools, and Families, 2008).
The Key Person Approach
This approach is dependent on building a ...