For many families childcare services play a large and essential part of their daily routine. It’s not unusual for children with two working parents to spend 35 plus hours a week with a childcare provider. Meaning some children spend half, if not more, of their awake time on weekdays outside of the home. For this very reason, it is essential that childcare workers and parents work together and foster good communication in order to make sure that their children are receiving the best standard of care.
Families and childcare workers have always communicated when necessary, for example if a child is injured or if there are behavioral concerns that need further attention. However, current best practices have realized that general communication about everyday essentials and activities enables parents and childcare workers to better support their children. With increased collaboration and communication parents and childcare workers have more information to work with when determining how to best care for their children.
In addition, proactive communication allows a positive, solution focused approach that helps tackle any issues or concerns before they escalate into bigger problems. For example, knowing that a child woke up late or did not sleep well can help care workers anticipate that the child may be overtired and easily over stimulated; whereas letting parents/guardians know that their child did not eat much throughout the day will allow parents to know they may be hungrier at dinner time or exhibiting early symptoms (loss of appetite) that show they don’t feel well.
Increasing communication and focusing on ways to facilitate effective communication contributes to a better relationship between caregivers, parents, and children. Here are some tips for boosting communication between families and childcare workers.
Stay Informed
Communicating with parents allows them to prepare their children for daily events. As a parent/guardian it is important to check the communication resources and stay up to date on what is going on at your child’s child care center. Applications like ChildWatch are great because they simplify the process with tools like a parent portal that gives parent’s easy access to anything they may need, including but not limited to the daycare’s event schedule and documentation of their child’s daily activities.
Know Your Options
Make sure that you are aware of the preferred methods of communication so that communication is seamless and easy for everyone involved. Find out if there is time to quickly chat at drop off or pickup times, if they prefer a text, would rather you send an email, or communicate via their app. Additionally, ChildWatch has different eservices with messaging capabilities that can help with communication as well.
Be Respectful
As always, the first step to effective and productive communication is to be respectful. Both parties involved need to be mindful of their tone and to assume good intent. Parents and family members need to be mindful of the caregiver’s time and message them during business hours (being aware that the workers care for many children and not just theirs). On the other hand, childcare workers need to make sure they respect the parent’s parenting arrangements as well as religious and cultural background, values, and beliefs.
Ask Questions When Uncertain
Questions can help us engage in meaningful conversations with others and alleviate confusion. Children can be confusing(even at the best of times) and it is important to get clarity if there are any concerns or confusion surrounding their care. Instead of making assumptions be sure to ask for clarity that way everyone is on the same page and has the same information when it comes to making child care decisions.
Communication is important in all relationships, but is invaluable between childcare workers and parents. In fact, childcare at its best is a continued collaboration between the adults involved in a child’s life. Prioritizing good communication between parents and childcare providers is essential for providing excellent care and support for our children.