Being an Engaged Parent - It All Starts with a Strong Home-Centre Partnership

Raising a child is a shared responsibility. In this journey, we form meaningful connections with the wonderful people who help us along the way. For some, they’re grandparents, aunts and uncles, while for others, they may be friends, who are willing to go the extra mile. But if there’s one partnership that most parents have in common, it’s the one with your child’s preschool educators.

As your child likely spends a lot of his or her time in preschool, forming a strong home-centre partnership is key to helping your child to thrive.

A strong home-centre partnership is where parents and preschool teachers share common goals and work together to develop children’s potential to the fullest. This partnership embodies mutual respect, goodwill, confidence, trust, and most importantly, open communication and the commitment to exchange information.

When parents and preschool teachers work together, it does wonders for their children’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychological development and well-being.

Benefits of Home-Centre Partnership

Being an Engaged Parent - It All Starts with a Strong Home-Centre Partnership

Did you know that when children observe that their parents and teachers are working together, they are likely to develop more positive attitudes towards school and achieve more?²

Here are just some of the benefits your child might experience from your partnership with the teachers:

Strengthens social skills
Builds confidence and self-esteem
Enhances thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and language skills
Healthier attitudes towards learning

How to Build a Strong Home-Centre Partnership

Being an Engaged Parent - It All Starts with a Strong Home-Centre Partnership

Now that you know about the potential benefits, here are three practical ways to be an engaged parent and build a strong home-centre partnership.

1. Communication is Key

There’s nothing more important than communication when building bridges. In fact, children feel more at ease and learn to trust their teachers when they witness friendly exchanges between both parties³!

Here’s what you can do:

- Have regular and meaningful communication with your child’s preschool teachers (within their working hours please!).
- Communicate your expectations, experiences, and even challenges related to your child.
- Listen to what your child’s preschool teacher has to say.
- Be objective and open-minded when receiving feedback – your child’s teachers are trained and good at what they do, so trust them and their observations about your child.

2. Extend a Helping Hand in Your Child’s School

Being an Engaged Parent - It All Starts with a Strong Home-Centre Partnership

Here’s what you can do:

- Bond with your child;
- Learn about his or her friends;
- Better understand your child’s preschool environment; and
- Render support and assistance to your child’s preschool by joining the Parent Support Group and helping out with school events, or conducting storytelling or art workshops, if the school requires.

Do remember to check in with your child’s school for such volunteer opportunities!

3. Reaching Out

Here’s what you can do:

- Reach out to your child’s teachers, who are trained professionals. They can share fun and practical tips and techniques on how you can guide and support your child’s learning.
- Share with your child’s teachers on your child’s progress and the activities he/she enjoys doing at home. You may also want to invite your child’s teacher to also share his/her ideas or suggestions.
- Talk to your child’s teachers if you have any concerns about your child’s development or behaviours.

Working Around Challenges

It’s true that we are all running on a tight schedule and may not have time for long conversations during drop-off and pick-up. But there are always ways to get around this. Try harnessing the power of technology through video calls, zoom, or group chats to bridge the gap where physical meetings are not feasible. Most importantly, find a mode of communication that works best for you and your child’s preschool teacher!

Parents and teachers are partners in education. We hope that you find the practical tips above useful in building a strong partnership with your child’s preschool. Together, as a team, you can work with your child’s preschool teachers to create the best possible environments to foster physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being for your child!

Watch this video to get a glimpse of how a good home-centre partnership works to benefit your child!

References

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Written by

Nasreen Majid

family timeEducational