How can we communicate??

With schools starting back all over the country we as teachers will have a new set of families to communicate with.  Communication is very important. Making sure that families understand what is going on with their child's learning can be a difficult task especially for those families who work full time. There are many ways to communicate with families. It is our job as educators to find out which forms of communication work best to fit the needs of the class and families.

Here are some common ways teachers communicate with parents:

1. Monthly news letter

           This can talk about the school as a whole or just the specific class.

2. Facebook

            We are a technological society therefore more and more people are communicating through online sources.  The daycare I  currently work at has a Facebook page. Each parent has to sign a paper giving permission for their child's picture to be put on the page.

Remember privacy! Make sure the profile is private and that only parents and the staff have access to the page. 

If done properly this can become a very useful tool for the parents to see how their children are.  Also parents are able to talk with each other and ask questions that everyone can see. If there is a reminder for parents it can be posted and will appear on the parents news feed.

3. Daily reports

Paper that allows the parent or guardian to see what the child did that day.  This can be very general or specific.  Things you can include: meals or snacks eaten, bottles for younger children, naps, activities during the day, and notes of anything they need or are low on.

4. Emails

Again parents are always on the move. However there are a lot of parents who have their emails right on their phone.  Emails can be sent while the children are at lunch or even when they are in another classroom.

5. Phone

Making phone calls can be very challenging because most parents work during the day. After work is when they spend time as a family. Also most jobs do not allow personal phone calls while working.

6. Monthly Meetings

Have open time after School hours when you can meet with parents or guardians to talk about any concerns you as the teacher or the family have about the child and where they are in the class.

7. Daily Board

In your classroom you can have a board where the daily activities are posted. This will only work if your parents and guardians pick up at the school.

8. Text

Some parents may find it easier to text than call or monthly meetings. This can be a very fast and easy way to communicate with one or multiple families.

9. Website

Creating a website is very simple. I have actually made one recently for my babysitting and tutoring, through webs.com. Here parents can post questions and all of the parents can see and can comment. On my page MissSara.webs.com I have a calendar to let families know when I am available.