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Parental involvement and input should be welcomed by day care providers whenever offered. The rewards of this parental participation is mutually beneficial and makes for a positive experience for the children and all concerned. The provider gains a holistic picture of the child from the valuable personal information donated by the parents and in return the day care can pass along a wealth of knowledge gleaned from daily observation.

This mutual cooperation allows both parties the opportunity to share effective methods and ideas regarding working with individual children. Respecting, valuing and listening by both parties enriches the day care experience for all concerned. The parents can learn so much about the socialization and interaction of their child from the carer whilst passing on their family values and beliefs to the day care. Information sharing should be ongoing and opportunities for communication should be provided formally and informally.

Staff assessment in the area of working and communicating with parents may be required in order to maximise the effectiveness of this sharing process. In order that they can communicate effectively and professionally they may need further training and guidelines. Support your staff so that they feel encouraged to participate in this process. You need to ensure enough time is allowed for parent consultation and subsequent follow ups so you may need to consider your current timetable and staffing levels. If parents have particular interests or areas of expertise e.g.storytelling or music encourage them to share it with the children as a kind of guest speaker. Parents should be able to air their grievances easily and without feeling judged via your complaints procedure. You should view complaints as constructive criticism and a means to improving your service and should be perceived as open, friendly and professional when it comes to comments. Deal with any issues immediately and thank parents for bringing them to your attention. Management should deal with more serious issues but your complaints procedure should also allow for staff to be empowered to deal with certain problems. Allow parents to offer comments anonymously via a suggestion box.

Have parents involved from the outset by including them in an orientation visit and the settling in procedure. Form a parent's committee so they have a collective voice thus encouraging positive interaction. Integrate a key worker system into your day care so parents have a daily point of contact regarding their child. Provide information about weekly scheduling and activities either by posting details on the noticeboard or sending out a newsletter. Share daily information both verbally and writing so that there is no misunderstanding or confusion as to meaning. Have a website with a blog where you can post comments about goings on at the day care and parents can, in turn, post comments. Include a staff page with information and photos.

Parental involvement in your day care can potentially provide you with untold resources heretofore untapped. If parents feel valued and supported they will in turn want to give back. Opening up channels of communication and sharing can avoid many misunderstandings and conflicts that are borne out of lack of information. So, make sure your day care is friendly, welcoming and open. A relaxed parent is a happy parent.