Page 6 - LESSION 18.pmd

Involvement of Parents and Community

• Parents and family members reach out to them and encourage them to
participate preschool activities.
Notes • Parents update teachers about any significant changes in the child’s home
environment that may hinder their children’s learning such as, arrival of
sibling, moving to a new house, separation of parents, abuse, death in the
family and so on.

Parents Benefit When:
• They are encouraged to take interest in the work of the preschool/ ECCE
centre and engage themselves as partners in their children’s learning.
• They are adequately prepared to understand child-rearing practices. This
kind of guidance helps the parents to understand more about their child’s
development and thus, they can see their child’s strengths and weaknesses
more positively.

• They understand that the transition from home to preschool and from
preschool to primary are very important milestones and that there should
be continuity and strong linkages.

Preschool Programme Benefits When:

• Preschools involve the members of the community to work for the benefit
of all. ECCE centres/preschool do not exist in isolation.

• Teachers collaborate with family and community members to solve
developmental problems if any, by giving and receiving appropriate
information.

• Practitioners know and use a variety of formal and informal communication
strategies to establish and maintain positive relationships with families
and community.
• Community and families both work towards collaborative partnerships.
For example, teachers can modify the ECCE programme after getting
relevant information from parents.

• Practitioners use opportunities for professional development and training
in parental involvement.
• Practitioners try to learn about the different backgrounds of the children
in their care, and accordingly communicate with families from diverse
backgrounds.

• Practitioners make parents and families feel welcome in the setting,
beyond just dropping off and picking their children.

152 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION