Communicating with Parents Effectively

Here are some excelent ideas from www.kdsi.org for teachers wanting to sharpen their communication skills with parents:

1. Make your first communication with parents a positive one. This means contacting every parent in the first two weeks of school. Introduce yourself and say something positive concerning his/her child and the upcoming year. Phone calls and short notes home can set the stage for a strong partnership.

2. Set aside time to conference with parents throughout the year. Make yourself available for phone calls during specific times before and/or after school. Make sure you let parents know when and how you prefer to be contacted within the first week of school.

3. Make an effort to "catch" students doing something well or coming up with a good idea. Make note of this and share it with parents between report card periods.

4. Create an email address specifically for classroom communications. Check this often; this is an excellent way to communicate with parents without needing to arrange a real-time meeting.

5. Create a webpage for your classroom. Post upcoming events and highlights.

6. Create a weekly newsletter. Send it as an email document, post it on your classroom website, or print out and send home copies to parents who do not have access to the Internet.

7. Increase parents' interaction by communicating about upcoming projects or events by sending home a wish list. Include small, easy-to-contribute items such as baby food jars, as well as more expensive items such as white board markers. Parents love to contribute but often don't know how.

8. Distribute a volunteer list. Make it specific and manageable, such as "4 parents are needed for Thursday from 1- 2 pm to help manage small groups during a science project."

9. Early in the year, send home a questionnaire to parents, asking them to supply key information about their child that will help you meet that child's needs. Be sure to provide space for parents to communicate anything they believe you should know.

10. Make sure you are aware of households where communication in English may be a challenge. Arrange for a translator to be available during conferences. Free translation services are available on the Internet.