The Child Care Business Owner Institute

Effective Parent Communication Tips That Works

Parents are so busy today and we must find effective ways of communicating with them. Have you ever reminded a parent that a child needed supplies such as: wipes, extra clothes or diapers and the next day the parent arrived without the supplies? I know….it drives you crazy!

Now remember, parents are very busy and they will forget those verbal reminders. This is why it is vital that we communicate with parents in a manner that will help them to remember supplies and remember important events.

There are many ways to communicate with parents including: daily notes, bulletin boards, phone calls, face-to-face conversations, emails, website, social media, newsletters and so many other ways. However, I have found that there are 3 ways to effectively communicate with parents and they are as follows:

Text Messages

Several months ago there were many snow days in St. Louis and I was forced to close the center several days. Many of the parents requested that I send them a text message in the event of an emergency closing. I thought this was a great idea.

Cell Phones are a great way to send parents very important reminders and I think  that parents will really appreciate you for it. I do not suggest that you remind parents to pay tuition, because they may get offended. Keep your text messages fun and friendly!

Parent Mailboxes

* Photo of my parent mailbox

Having a mailbox for each individual family is a great way to assure that important notes are sent home daily, along with school work. I borrowed this idea from the Creative Curriculum when I was operating as a home daycare  in 2002 and I still utilize mailboxes today to communicate with parents.

When the parents arrive and pick-up their children, the first thing that they do is check their child’s mailbox. I also find that parents will ask me or the teachers questions about the information that is placed in the mailbox. If you do not already have a parent mailbox, you can pick-up a mailbox from your local office supply store.

Door Signs

Your front Door is a great place to post very important reminders. My tuition is due on monday and every week I post a reminder on the door that reads: ” Welcome back….If you have not already paid your tuition for this week, please note that tuition is due upon the arrival of your child.”

When I check my payment mailbox, 95% of the parents drop their tuition in the box upon arrival. The week’s that I forget to post a reminder on the door, many of the parents forget to pay tuition and they accrue a late fee on Tuesday morning.

One week after sending home a newsletter about an upcoming event;  I will  post  a festive sign on the door that includes info about the upcoming event. Moreover, I find that many parents seem to remember the event when they see a sign for 7 days prior to the event.

Feel free to share your thoughts about the parent communication tips listed in this blog post.  Do you plan to implement any of the above tips?