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Updated April 1, 2017

Module 5: Family and Community Partnerships

Supporting Families​

Page 10

Outcome B: The student can explain the elements of positive relationships and communication with families.

The learning outcomes for this section address topics from the following WACs:
Minimum Licensing Requirements for Child Care Centers
170-295-2080 What must I communicate to parents?
170-295-2030 How should staff interact with children?
Licensed Family Home Child Care Standards 
170-296A-6775 Diversity
170-296A-2375 Parent/guardian policies (handbook).
Scroll down to proceed with the coursework.
A family is a child's primary educator, they know the child the best. Children learn so many things just by observing and imitating people that it is impossible for them not to learn from those whom they spend time with. Besides learning skills and specific knowledge, a child learns/naturally picks up the values and attitudes expressed by their family. Families lay the groundwork for all future learning. Child care professionals can support this by listening to families, offering observations/input when asked, offering resources to families, encouraging (without belittling) the family's approach, and following the family's requests/instructions (as much as is possible) regarding how to deal with things like potty training and behavior issues. 
​​​Child Care Licensing Guidebook: Page 100-101
WAC 170-295-2080
Communication with Parents: Each day, you and the parents will need to exchange information about important events that occurred since you saw each other last. Take just a few minutes when the child arrives and again when the parent returns to fill each other in on what is happening with the child. If parents do not have the time to spend even a few moments in casual conversation, you might want to arrange a time when you can call them to talk about how their child’s day has been. Or if parents are always in a hurry, jot down a quick note about the day’s events and pin it to the child’s backpack. You will need to find ways to share information about the child with the parents. If you have a large program with many staff members, written notes between teachers and parents may be essential. If caregivers change between arrival and pick-up time, work out a system that is easy to use and allows everyone to feel well-informed about the children. The system should work for both parents and staff."

    Supporting Families* Module 5 Page 10 (5/9)