Does my setting need a parent board?
A parent board is a fantastic resource to have to build strong parent partnerships. Depending on the way they are used and the information shared they enable practitioners to share all the daily details that parents can quickly check and means that practitioners and parents can have more meaningful conversations and pick up time. They are also a great way to share any important news and means that all parents are aware of anything that is going on, unlike slips that get sent home and never read, or lost, or never make it out of the bag. Also, parent boards can enable better communication with parents who speak additional languages if the information is displayed in the correct way. Some settings may use online tools to log most of this information but for settings where parents cannot access the latest apps, phones and internet regularly, a display board such as this is particularly useful.
What should I display on a parent board?
- Daily sheets – such as meals and how much was eaten, nappy changes, sleep times etc – Try to ensure that they can be understood by additional language families by using pictures or symbols where possible
- Copy of the menu
- Support information – such as who is designated lead or SENDCO for any parents who have concerns
- Newsletters or important notices – Such as notices to bring in sun cream or a stay and play session the setting is having
- Activities that have been done during the day – Again try to keep this simple, picture cards or widgets can be useful for this and means all families can understand and feel involved in their child’s day.
- Characteristics of effective learning – You may find it useful to add a COEL display or train to help parents understand the EYFS, how their children are learning and why its all about play.
- Home learning – It can be nice to add optional home learning tasks to a parent board. This way parents can help themselves if they would like to do it or leave it if not. Things like having story sacks hung from pegs underneath or fun activity sheets can be nice for parents to access.
- Interactive – You may like to make it interactive and have a space for parents to add home observations, suggestions etc…
- What to expect, when… document – You might like to add this document so parents can share your expectations and understand more about their child’s development. This a free download too!
There is a great little pack here to get you started with your parent board.