Communication with parents

Communication in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is vital as “settings should develop effective partnerships with parents in order to enhance the learning and development of the children with whom they work.” (KEAP, 2007) For parents and practitioners to work together it means that there are positive achievements for the child in their learning and development stages. (Beckley, P et al, 2009)


Learning Alliance state that: “working in partnership with parents is central to the EYFS” (Learning Alliance pre-school, 2014) this is because all practitioners need to find out about a child’s experiences so far so that they can plan with the best intention for the individual child.

All children at the beginning of their journey will be allocated a Key Person. A key person is someone who will build a strong relationship with the children they have been allocated and they will make sure a child feels safe and secure in the environment that they are in. (Lindon, pp.6, 2010). Early Years Matters states that the key person is: “a familiar figure who is accessible and available as a point of contact for parents and one who builds relationships with the child and parents or carers.” (Early Years Matters, 2014) this means that a parent’s first point of contact for an issue or concern would be the key person. A key person also takes notes and pictures of what the child has been doing during their week and can then send this home to parents to allow them to follow their child’s journey.
During term time letters can be sent home to parents, these let parents know what their child has been learning about. This gives the parents the opportunity to follow this up at home and complete extra learning activities.