Communication is key in building and maintaining relationships with families. Developing a good system for communication (email, newsletters, and family events) is critical for family involvement in education.
For this assignment, assume you are a preschool teacher with a class of 4- and 5-year-olds. You are preparing for Meet the Teacher night. This is your opportunity to make a good first impression as well as communicate family involvement needs for your classroom.
To prepare for the Meet the Teacher night, you are going to prepare a Parent Communication Form and a Family Connection Opportunities calendar of activities and events.
Parent Communication Form: Create a 1-2 page form to obtain information from parents that might help you understand their child, culture, special circumstances, and the student’s strengths and weaknesses. The information should be filed and used throughout the year. This form should include a prompt that establishes proper communication expectations through technology and in-person.
Family Connection Opportunities: Create a three month long (one quarter) calendar of community events, classroom projects, and center events that can involve families in their child’s learning and support the home/family connection.
Describe the following:
- A project, event, or family night for each month, and a plan for engaging diverse family support for each.
- A brief description (100 words each) to describe the nature of each activity.
- Integrate cultural awareness into a minimum of one family event or project.
- How you will communicate each project and event to families. Include both technological and non-technological methods.
Support your calendar with a minimum of three resources.
