Working with carers

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Spending more time communicating with your child’s teachers or carers can make it easier for you to solve any problems that come up. It can also help your child to feel comfortable and learn more.

How to get involved

• Find out how the school or centre is run – if the staff don’t give you information to read, ask for it.
• Attend the school or centre to participate or observe. For example, attend ‘get to know you’ sessions and meetings.
• Help prepare materials or activities, or send in materials if the school or centre requests it.
• Talk to staff about the school or centre, including positives as well as any concerns you may have. It is important to tell staff when you like things, so they can be planned again, and because we all like to know when we have done a job well.
• Talk to your child about their day (such as ‘What outdoor games did you play today?’  ‘What did you have for afternoon tea?’ ‘Did you enjoy helping some of the younger children?’).
• Ask staff how you can prepare your child for school or child care. Are there particular tasks the child needs to be able to do or rules that they need to be aware of and follow?
• You are most familiar with how your child copes with new situations, so give the staff some suggestions if you think they are necessary.

How to develop partnerships with staff

• Learn the names of staff and what they do.
• Find out when and how staff prefer you to visit or participate.
• Let staff know how you prefer to communicate with them (face-to-face, telephone, communication book, a good time to call and any special communication needs you have, such as an interpreter). Staff may ask you to help them develop an agreement about the best ways to communicate with your family. 
• Tell staff what you need. For example, let them know your child’s food preferences, any special needs your child has, and the language(s) you speak. It is especially important to talk to staff when there is a change in your circumstances at home. 
• If your child has specific medical, behavioural or learning needs, make sure staff are aware of how these might affect your child, and of any strategies being used at home.
• Get involved in committees, or offer to help by doing something at home.
• Tell staff about your child’s hobbies and interests.
• Talk to the staff (at least say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’) as you arrive and leave.
• Keep up regular communication; it helps make it easier to talk to staff when you have a concern.
• Find flexible ways of communicating if face-to-face is difficult. For example, telephone, written notes, ‘I have a comment’ forms.
• If you have other ideas about working in partnerships or making the program more family-friendly, let the staff know.

When something is worrying you

Sometimes there are problems you want to discuss with staff. Sometimes the child care centre or school will have concerns that they want to raise with you. If you already have a positive relationship with centre staff, these issues will be easier to raise and quicker to resolve.

When trying to solve a problem, things may run more smoothly if you do the following:

• Focus on what is best for the child.
• For major concerns, arrange an appointment to speak privately. This may be a telephone appointment. 
• Tackle problems early, as things often get worse and are more difficult to sort out later.
• Plan what you want to say ahead of time, and try to speak calmly.
• Explain your concerns clearly, without blaming the staff or other people.
• Give examples to help the other person understand you more easily.
• Use ‘I’ statements, such as ‘I felt embarrassed when other parents found out my child hit their child’.
• Make some suggestions for what might help solve the problem. Ask staff what ideas they have. If it is a big issue, you might have to give each other time to go away and think about the situation and talk again in a day or two.
• Together, work out the pros and cons of each possible solution, then come up with one you can both agree to try. The solution may not be perfect, but if you can agree to try it out you are already halfway towards success.
• Make sure you are both clear on what you, the staff person and, if necessary, the child need to do to try this solution.
• If the problem still can’t be resolved, think about what is in the best interests of the child. You may agree to disagree with each other, or ask the staff person what the next step in handling grievances is. It may have to go to a committee of management, the school council or to the coordinator.
• Review progress towards solving the concern. When things have been sorted out, remember to let the staff person know.

All families experience difficulties at some time. If you are having trouble, consider asking the staff at your child’s program for information or referral to someone that can help.

Why get involved?

Parental involvement is good for children. Parents are the main influence on the social, emotional and intellectual development of children, and the more involvement they have, the better children do. Children also settle better into child care or school when their parents are involved. They watch and learn positive skills by watching adults communicate well. And children enjoy it when their parents take an interest in their lives – it makes them feel valued and important.

Parental involvement is good for parents. Getting involved gives parents a chance to influence programs and discuss the child’s interests. Being involved will make you feel more comfortable about raising concerns and working out solutions with staff. Knowing what’s going on and that your opinion is important can really help, and positive partnerships with staff can relieve parental stress.

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