ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

At the beginning of each preschool year, we host what we call "Dinner Nights." The families are invited to join our staff for dinner, during which we serve a meal from our lunch menu. Afterward, the children gather with the teacher and sing a few songs or participate in some fingerplays or games that they've learned during the first six weeks of preschool. We then have the parents join us in a musical game with the boys and girls. Afterward, we encourage the parents to join their children while completing some hands-on activities that have been placed on the tables during our "circle time" together. We make sure that we have math, science, early literacy, art and music activities represented. By the time the families leave to go home, the parents have experienced, in a very true sense, precisely what their children do during the day. We have found that people who don't have the opportunity to work with groups of young children cannot imagine what kind of learning goes on during a long day. the whole "Dinner Night" process takes about two hours...we've defined it to an art form. We have found that the relationships developed between the parents themselves, oour staff, and even observing how families interact withi each other is a great kickoff for everyone involved!

Each month we invite the parents to a Visit With Me where the parents and children partcicpate in a hands-on activity. This is done at drop-off or pick-up time to accomodate working schedules. Parents loveit and learn about age appropriate activities for preschoolers!

At the beginning of the year the parents of my 2 fours classes asked to fill out a form listing ways they would like to help in our classroom. It can be demonstrating hobbies, careers, reading books, singing, helping with Holiday Celebrations, donating needed classroom materials, etc....plus their own ideas. The first month of preschool each child's family is asked to make a family poster with pictures of special events in the child's life and a family member helps share this poster on the child's first Show & Share day. The next month, the parents are encouraged to share other areas of interest on their child's day or whenever they feel they have something special to offer that will enhance our curriculum themes. We also like to include grandparents and favorite friends or cousins of the children. Each year our response varies...Last year we had tremendous participation where most days if a family member was not present, special friends of the family came for Show & Share time. We had a variety of pets, favorite books, hobbies, and special careers shared with the class from these special people in the children's lives...and many were fathers and uncles! It was a great way to enrich our curriculum!

I am a home child care provider. We had our first annual Art Exposition. For about three months we did not send any artwork home. We did many different art projects, including art to wear, painting with tree branchs, painting with our feet and many others. We then sent out invitations to parents, also grandparents (sometimes grandparents are left out). The artwork was placed on the fence of our outdoor play area. The parents were amazed at our projects and spent about 2 hours asking their children how they did their special projects. There was a lot of conversation and all the parents became better aquainted.

What I do is have the parents' come into my home once a month for a luncheon with their child. This makes the parents feel welcome and a part of their childs' life in daycare. The children really enjoy having Mom and Dad part of their routine.

I also use the phone as a resource for the children and parents. When a child feels sad or upset about something I make a call to the parents and they talk to their child. This makes both the child and parent happy. The parent feels that they are still the ones in control of their children, while it makes the child feel secure about his environment.