Page 9 - LESSION 18.pmd

Involvement of Parents and Community

• The teacher can communicate with the parents during drop off and pick
up time. This allows parents to informally interact with the teacher.
• Use bulletin and notice board specifically meant for the parents to share Notes
notice for the meetings, nutrition menu, and other relevant issues.

• Involve parents on field visits/excursions.

There are number of other ways and strategies through which parents can be
involved such as:

¾ helping in fund raising;
¾ cleaning and painting plant pots;

¾ preparing Teaching Learning Material (TLM);
¾ reading stories to children;

¾ helping in the classroom and working with small groups for activities like
clay modeling;
¾ helping during festival celebrations;
¾ helping during annual function and cultural programmes

18.5 COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP AND PARTICIPATION

Community ownership and participation of community members are important
in the smooth functioning and success of the centre. Teachers need to talk to
and convince members of the community about the significance of ECCE.
Preschools, along with the help of the primary school, can plan and organise
village camps for spreading ECCE and childcare messages. Community
members including the Sarpanch and other panchayat members need to be
explained the benefits of ECCE. It can be done through role plays, street play
or nukkad natak, group discussions, exhibitions and using advocacy posters.
This should be done by community motivators. Some notes in this regard could
be:
• Teachers need to win the trust of the community to develop a school
alumni group, and then ask for help to market materials such as preschool
/ECCE centre banners and fence signs/logos, etc.

• As health is a priority for everyone, teachers need to generate and maintain
contact with the relevant health professionals in the area to support
referrals.

• As reciprocal responsibilities, preschools also need to provide ECCE
centre/preschool facilities for community use, including library/adult
learning, community meetings, etc.
• Involve village Sarpanch and community members in doing certain things
for the ECCE centres such as provide safe drinking water, repair

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION 155