Family Involvement

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirement: Information and records

Providers must enable a regular two-way flow of information with parents and/or carers. Providers should incorporate parent’s and /or carer’s comments into children’s records

 

 

Statement of intent:

 

We believe that children benefit most from pre-school education and care when parents/carers/families and pre-schools work together in partnership.

 

Aim:

We aim to support parents/carers as their children’s first and most important educators by involving them in their children’s education and in the full life of the setting.

 

In order to do this:

 

·       We are committed to ongoing dialogue with parents/carers to improve our knowledge of the needs of their children and to support the families. We achieve this through settling in reports, parent consultations, talking to families at collection and drop off times, sharing WOW moment,  “my learning at home” sheets, home learning books/bags/bears and tapestry notifications. These ensure that we work in partnership to share achievements and plan appropriate next steps.

·       All parents/carers are kept informed about how the setting is run and its policies through access to written information and regular formal and informal communication.

  • We encourage and support parents/carers to play an active part in the governance and management of the pre-school through the parent and grandparent forum. We hold annual AGMs and encourage parents to help run family social events.
  • Parents/carers have an open invitation to spend time in the pre-school as and when it suits them without prior appointment. We hold regular events such as Grandparent days, Mothers day and Fathers Day. For families on the waiting list, or those who have been given a space for the next intake we encourage them to come and spend time with us if they wish. Giving them extra time to help their child to settle in and start building relationships with the practitioners.
  • We welcome all contributions from parents/carers, in whatever form these may take.
  • We inform all parents/carers of the systems in place for registering queries, complaints, or suggestions. In our monthly newsletters we remind parents where these folders are located, and we copy comments from learning stories/feedback forms to demonstrate opinions of current parents.
  • The Manager and Administrative team ensure emails are sent out to parents on the waiting list to acknowledge their application form, and then phone calls and emails to offer their child a place and the process in place to help them settle into pre-school.
  • We provide opportunities for parents/carers to learn about the pre-school curriculum and about young children’s learning, in the pre-school and at home. This is achieved through regular parent consultations, informal chats, the parent’s board, footsteps for home learning and social events. Wow moments are given out and celebrated with the children.
  • As part of the pre-school’s ‘Unique Child’ work, two practitioners, one being the child’s key worker will conduct a home visit prior to the child starting the pre-school. This will give them a chance to learn more about the child in their own setting. The home visits are normally planned to take place at the start of September. Where children join the setting later during the year a home visit will also be planned prior to entry in consultation with parents/carers.
  • To further aid the settle in time, we invite the new children and their families into the setting in the summer term to meet their key person, other new families and to get to know the setting and ask any questions before the home visit. At this time, we also email out Welcome Packs which again gives parents time to read the information and ask us questions on the home visits. On these home visits parents are also encouraged to complete a baseline, so we are able to best meet their child’s needs.

  

See: SEND policy for parental involvement if your child has additional needs.

 

 

Document ID-

Policy adopted at meeting – Oct 2007

Reviewed by : Ladybirds Directors

 

Date reviewed

June 2018

 

22/03/2024

Sept 2017

21/10/2019

 

 

March 2018

July 2021

 

 

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