Math at Home is now Early Math Counts! Visit our new website!

Family Involvement

by Jennifer Asimow

How do we get parents involved in what we do? How do we encourage them to partake in their children’s care and education? Most parents have their children in childcare because they need childcare. They need to know that they can drop their children off in a safe and nurturing place while they go about the business of work, other children, household tasks, and paying the bills. That means that they are counting on you to do what is best for their child while they cannot. That may also mean that there is a rift or a separation between what they see is “their job” and “your job”.
Family involvement can mean a whole lot of things. It can mean creating a two- way system of communication or providing a means for family members to visit when possible. It can mean volunteerism during field trips as well as asking for donations of recycled materials for art projects. The part that matters is that you have created ways in which families can feel included without feeling pressure.
I try really hard not to judge families if they are not able to actively participate in their child’s program. Some families simply can’t. Some families don’t understand (often for cultural reasons) that their input and participation is integral to the program’s success and their children’s success in those programs.
I would love to know ways in which you have been successful in getting families involved in your program.

2 Replies to “Family Involvement”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *