Parent Provider Partnerships
Calling Parents at Work
Parent Provider Partnership Tip Sheets
Ask any parent, provider or teacher what the hardest thing about working with children is and eventually the discussion will come down to the bottom line: Developing a partnership for raising a child together. Roxy’s Foods and Crafts is offering a new service to parents and to providers. Each month we will send our customers a tip sheet offering both the provider and the parent’s perspective on one of the challenges faced in developing this partnership for the sake of the child. Customers have permission to reprint this tip sheet for distribution to their parents or providers to facilitate building this partnership.
When is it all right to contact a parent at work? What is the best way to do that?
Parent Perspective:
Imagine for a minute that you are busily working away at your desk, if you work in an office, or that you are a sales person dealing with a customer and one of your colleagues approaches you to say “Your child care provider called and you need to call her back.”What are the first thoughts that cross your mind?
Imagine for a minute that you are busily working away at your desk, if you work in an office, or that you are a sales person dealing with a customer and one of your colleagues approaches you to say “Your child care provider called and you need to call her back.”What are the first thoughts that cross your mind?
What happened? Is my child okay? Is my child hurt or sick? As a parent I can imagine the anxiety or the worrisome thoughts that run rapidly through that parent’s mind.
Sometimes it is necessary to call a parent at work. Perhaps a parent left medication with you that the child might need to be given during the day. In the hurry and confusion of a couple of children dropped off during the day at the same time, you did not notice that the note authorizing you to give the child the medication did not provide enough information. You know it is every 4 or 6 hours, but it does not specify when the last dose was given or when the next one is due. Of course, this information needs to be clarified and a parent would understand a call at work to answer such a question.
What is the best way to contact a parent at work. At a recent training session in one of the Metro Counties, a discussion uncovered that over 90% of the providers in that county had access to computers in their home. Not all of these providers used the computer to draft documents or were familiar with all of the programming that was on their computers, but all of them surfed the net and used their e-mail systems.
During placement interviews, how many providers ask a client’s home and office e-mail addresses? How many ask if it is okay to contact the parent at work or at home with e-mail communication? With the growing number of worksites that monitor employee computer use, it is necessary to ask a parent if it is okay to receive e-mails a work—are all e-mails or just work related e-mails allowed at work? Would the parent be more likely to receive and respond to important information seeking questions like the medication one by e-mail or by phone?
I know that some providers help a parent maintain “contact” with a child during the day by e-mailing pictures of any special moments caught during the day on a digital camera to the parent. Some parents love this and it is a real good marketing tool for the providers. It could cause some difficulties for some parents at work, especially if the parent uses company printers to print that picture and if a parent attempted to forward an e-mail containing pictures or daily reports, not all e-mail systems allow attachments, such as pictures to be forwarded, if the parent tries to forward the e-mail to the parent’s home.
What parent is to be contacted when important information needs to be shared?
We are providing child care for a whole new generation of parents. The previous generation was “socialized” to believe that parenting was the wife’s responsibility. Well, the new generation is eager to inform us that “Super Mom” is not longer in the building! The women who were being raised to be today’s moms demanded and received better scholarship, sports, and other opportunities and many hold better professional positions. As parents many more couples work together to “partner” in parenting responsibilities. Providers who are on top of the generational changes, recognize this and respect and validate this by asking, “If your child becomes sick during the day, who do I need to contact? Who would be able to leave their job more easily and quickly to assure that if a child needs to see a doctor or be taken home to get the more personal attention that child needs?
New parents can be supported in developing this new parenting partnership by having someone think to ask such questions and to allow them the time and opportunity to see that there are options to different parenting responsibilities.
Provider’s Perspective:
When, how and about what is it okay to contact providers? This is an equally important question. During the first two weeks of care, as a parent is developing trust, concerned about the child’s adjustment to a caregiver and program, and if a parent is unsure of how to handle something or if the provider has everything she needs, many providers will assure the parent that it is okay to “call anytime you need to and see how Peyton’s day is going or if Michael had a sad drop off and you need to feel comfortable that he has gotten over his sad moment and is enjoying something with his new friends.” Some providers even encourage parents to come right in and to quietly listen or observe children before announcing their arrival to build that comfort that the child and other children or the caregiver are building healthy, comfortable relationships. This is sometimes the reason a provider may wish to e-mail pictures of the child enjoying some activity. A “picture is worth a thousand words” as they say and can go a long way to assure a new parent that things are going smoothly.
Providers work alone. They work long hours with little or no free time or breathing room. Some providers prefer to not accept phone calls during the day. If a parent has access to an e-mail system at work, that she can use for limited personal reasons, perhaps that is how the provider may wish to have questions or comments sent to her during the day.
Classes teach providers who are experienced, and who may even be mentors to other new providers, to model professionalism by being assertive enough to say to another provider, “If this conversation can wait, can I return your call at such and such a time? I am working with the children now and I really need to get back with them. That is my job.” Follow through, call later.
Communication again is the key to resolving the question of when and how it is best to contact each other.
Sharing great information or new accomplishments with parents is best saved for the end of the day. Maybe the child is learning to write his/her own name. Maybe you are learning a new song or finger play, color or shape recognition or potty training. Sharing these success stories with parents may best done at the end of the day, when a child can see how proud the parent is of the child. Again, a picture is worth a thousand words. The kind of reinforcement and self esteem building that happens when a child experiences a parent’s pride is invaluable.
Of course, “1sts”: Like 1st teeth, 1st steps, 1st words, parents always get to experience 1st, and then they get the thrill of sharing that achievement with the provider.
