Proactivity in Parent Relationships

""You know you've achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away." - Antoine de Saint Exupery

PROACTIVITY IN PARENT RELATIONSHIPS

In "The Ten Ps of Parent Communication," one of the top ten best selling articles from Child Care Information Exchange, Timothy Borruel recommends that teachers be proactive in their relationships with parents:

"Staff should not wait for a parent to initiate conversation.  Instead, they should speak first, inquiring about the parent's day or commenting on the great time the child had.  When asked how a child's day was, teachers should avoid just saying 'fine' and instead be prepared with some adjectives or experiences to give the parents a clear picture of the day's events.

"Teachers should also offer to genuinely serve the parents.  This could be as simple as helping them gather up their child's belongings to expedite pick-up, or it could mean having their child ready to go, knowing that this is a rush evening for the family.

"Give each parent each day:  1) a warm greeting;  2) a smile and a question; and 3) a fond farewell  — and remember to use his or her name."

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