Welcoming Parents Back To School: Building Parent Partnerships
Six starting points to build strong relationships
We’ve all heard it takes a village to foster the success of a child. As the new school begins it is essential to build a trusting partnership with families and educators. With building relationships with families from the beginning of the school year, families and educators can collaborate to best support and ensure the success of each and every student. EdBrix prides itself on powerful educational learning experiences for students and families and implementing easy-to-use applications to build a strong foundation for support. In order to support students' families we have included six starting points to build strong relationships:
1. Communication
Educators should set up a consistent line of communication with families through resources such as MessageBrix. Allowing parents to have access to your daily classroom activities will promote engagement. Some examples are creating a weekly newsletter, posting pictures of student activities, and sending positive messages about student performance.
2. Invite Parents into the Classroom
Before the first day of school, teachers should welcome families into the classroom to explore their learning environment, get to know the teacher, and present classroom expectations for the school year. Throughout the year, parents may actively stay involved in their child’s education by volunteering in the classroom, field trips, and community events.
3. Home Visits
Offering home visits to families throughout the school year helps students feel at ease and creates an intensified relationship between parents, teachers, and students. With being in the comfort of their own home, families feel more prone to express their feelings and open up about any concerns they may have for their child.
A quick phone call home or a message to a child’s guardian sharing a child’s small success can be an easy method for building a trusting relationship. When families know that their child is being celebrated for their success, trust is built.
5. Feedback from Families
Some ways to promote family engagement in their child’s educational journey are sending home a student questionnaire, involvement in student meetings, and developing a school community parent program. These opportunities allow for families' voices to be heard and to have an impact in their child’s education.
6. Connecting to Education Learning Management Systems
Inviting parents to participate and be involved in Education Learning Management Systems is another great way for parents to feel actively involved in a student’s education. Allowing parents access to Google Classroom, Canvas, or EMS 360 lets them see and be engaged in the everyday learning of their students.
These helpful tools can ensure that families and educators are on the same team to best support their student and can rest easy knowing their child is in good hands.
