Parental involvement - Be aware what happends in childcare settings

Parents play an integral role in their child’s development and that they are encouraged to be full partners in their child’s educational and social progress. Effective programmes of parental involvement are essential to enable parents to support their children to be cared for and educated to the highest standard. Such involvement is beneficial to parents as it builds on their knowledge of child development and helps to support them in their parenting skills. In turn, parents are needed by the childcare setting if children are to optimise their cognitive, emotional and social learning. In effective childcare settings, practitioners find a real help in the presence of parents and in a good relationship with them. Each brings their own competence to educate the child and this requires mutual respect and understanding.

What benefits can parents gain with parental involvement?

Advantages - What are the benefits of parental involvement?

Advantages for settings

·         Parental involvement  builds good relationship between parents and childcare setting

·         Parents know the child best, and what stage they are, carers gain a better understanding of the child’s needs

·         If the child gets upset, parents know how to calm them down

·         Parents can inform the centre if the child has any illnesses or allergies

·         Parents can provide further background information

·         Parents can give extra supervision

Advantages for parents

·         Parents can find out more about their child

·         Child will be proud that parents help out

Advantages for children

·         Child may be more relaxed when the parent is there

·         When parents work closely with their child’s childcare setting, the      child performs better

·         In the long term, children will make positive life choices more in line with their capabilities