Too Busy for Small Talk?
Why it’s important to make time for your childcare family. Tips from the experienced educators at Milestones Early Learning.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
When you’re busy with work, family and everything else, it can feel like there aren’t enough seconds in the day.
However, it is really important to make time to connect with your child’s educators and keep up with what’s happening at your early learning service.
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Obviously, no-one expects you to have daily deep and meaningfuls with educators, or to drop everything in favour of childcare events, but there’s a lot to be gained when you get involved in childcare life.
For starters, it feels good to be part of the childcare community, and when you connect with educators, your whole family benefits.
Tina Barbour, Centre Manager at Milestones Early Learning Centre Everton Park explains that, “Creating a positive relationship with educators will help your child to feel safe and secure in the early learning space,” and this is particularly helpful if your little one is spending the majority of their week at daycare.
Educators can also be a great source of support (and wisdom) as you navigate life as parent.
Tina says, “It really does take a village to raise a child, and your educators are there to help.”
“You can ask them for advice and bounce ideas off them, and when you take the time to share the goals you have for your child, your educators can support these goals.”
This means that no matter how rushed you are, it is very important to acknowledge your educators at drop-off and pick-up.
Tina says this helps to build your relationship up, and a quick “How are you going?” or “How was the day?” shows that you care about your educators and your child’s experiences.
If you notice something new, like a ‘Fascinations’ list or an amazing art display, it only takes a moment to mention it; and your educators (and child) will feel valued when you look at their efforts around the room, or in your little one’s folder.
You can also get involved in childcare life by attending an event (or two) sometime during the year.
You might be able to take an hour off work to attend a special morning tea, or go along to an information session your service holds outside work hours.
If you can’t make it to a centre event, your partner or a grandparent may be able to represent your family instead.
And there’s also the option of contributing to an event, even if you can’t attend in person.
For example, you might be able to whip up some late-night cupcakes for a centre fundraiser, or donate some seedlings for the grand opening of its veggie patch.
The internet also makes it easy to connect with your early learning service when you have a gap in your schedule.
Tina says, “For time-poor parents, we utilise our online space a lot. We share the children’s learning, share photos from special days, and share the weekly program, so our parents can have input into it.”
Milestones Early Learning Centre Everton Park uses Storypark to keep parents in the loop, and you can log on to your service’s online platform anytime and anywhere.
Knowledge-sharing is another very welcome way to be part of your childcare family.
You can do this online or in person, and Tina says, “Any effort families are able to put in, is much appreciated.”
For instance, you might like to upload your tried-and-tested recipe for play dough, or stick around for 10 minutes after drop-off to talk about what’s growing in that new veggie patch.
If you have an exciting job (calling all fire-fighters and zoo-keepers!) you may be happy to answer some questions from little learners, either face-to-face or via email.
And if you suddenly become time-rich, there’s the option of visiting your child’s service for an hour or two, bringing your enthusiasm and/or expertise with you.
Tina says, “We love it when parents come into the centre and get involved in an activity, and recently, we had a parent teach us how to cook crepes, which was a huge hit with the children!”
Whatever your schedule looks like, just remember that a smile only takes a second, and there’s more than one way to participate in childcare life.
If you have to drop and run one morning, you might be able to stop and chat some other time, and the internet is definitely your friend if you’re a parent with too much to do, in too little time!
