What kind of parental involvement is required in chilcare centers and preschool centers?

Question

Benefits?

What parents have to do?

How teachers can involve parents?

Answer 1

it really depends on each center how involved they want the parents to be.  personally, i'd be skeptical of a center that didn't encourage parent involvement.  when i was a director for the ymca our parents were highly involved.  we had family night (one night a month) a special event (each quarter), field trips (parents were encouraged to attend), holiday parties for each holiday (parents were asked to attend), a mother's tea and a donuts for dads (mom and dad's day) and we asked parents to volunteer if they had a special talent they'd want to share (gardening, reading, craft, etc.)  at first parents didn't respond as the previous director didn't encourage it.  but after about 6 months it really caught on and parents were always around helping, volunteering, going with us, etc.  they'd even help paint when we redid a classroom.  it can be so much fun for the kids, the parents and the staff.  it really makes a center a 'home away from home' for everyone.  the teachers are just as involved with all the special events and the newsletter.  they each write a classroom catch up for the monthly paper to let parents know what is happening now and what will be going on in the next month so that they can prepare their calendars, save 'beautiful junk' that the teacher may need or arrange time off from work.  i think it really makes a center/school fun for everyone.  geesh, nowi miss it.

Answer 2

It depends on the childcare/preschool center. We have an open door policy the parents are allowed to come in anytime they want and we encourage them to get involved with their children. We hope that htey reinforce what we learn in school that day (good sharing  handwriting, reading etc)

We also have a journal that we send home to communicate with the parent which we check every morning to see if the parent wrote something and so we can communicate to them something that may have happened in school or to let them know that their child is doing well. It works really well.

Answer 3

Some preschools have a minimum number of hours the parent must volunteer, or snacks they must bring, periodically, and some have no requirement for the parents at all, but to drop off and pick up their children on time.

My advice is never leave your children anywhere if you are not allowed to drop in unexpectedly at anytime!  It isn't safe to trust your precious ones to anyone w/o keeping some kind of eye on things.  This is not to say worry, worry, worry, but be aware.

If you have the freedom to, volunteer on a regular basis.  Your children will love it and you may find that you do to.  If you don't have that freedom, you can always have a friend or relative put on the pick-up list and allow them to be your eyes and ears.

Good luck and God bless!

Answer 4

the only centers that require parent involvement are parent co-ops. They hire a teacher, but keep the costs low by requiring parents to volunteer in the classroom and help out with maintenance. many centers do not like parents being too involved and I would not feel comfortable with this philosophy. most centers will let parents know in advance how they can help: Cooking on Wed., field trips, messy art, woodworking etc. My grandson's school has a parent come in to read once a week. When parents know what they will be doing and have a specific task  they feel more at ease. Set limits, as some parents will hang out to gossip and that is not to be encouraged. children generally like having their parent visit, although sometimes they find it difficult to share their parent. Parents feel more at ease when they see how friendly and welcoming the school is. A side effect is when there is an accident, or a child comes home with a tall tale from school, the parent is less likely to panic. they have seen the class, they know the teachers and have a better perspective about how their child is responded to.