A CONVERSATION WITH JACKIE STAUDINGER DIRECTOR , KU MACQUARIE FIELDS PRESCHOOL
Macquarie Fields is a diverse and unique community with families from many different cultural and linguistic backgrounds . 96 % of families enrolled in the preschool speak English as a second language .
Describe the type of relationship that you aim to develop in your centre between educators and families .
We aim to develop a mutually respectful relationship between educators , families and carers . Because many parents speak English as a second language , it is particularly important that educators greet families every day with a welcoming smile and show that they are happy to see them . Using positive verbal and nonverbal communication strategies is the first step towards respectful relationships .
How would you describe the benefits to children when educators develop strong and positive relationships with families ?
By showing children that educators and parents / carers have a relationship based on mutual respect , it allows children to feel emotionally safe , secure and happy . It is a major step towards children being able to develop positive relationships and attachments with educators .
We use the Parent Circle of Security approach to help us understand ways of building on parent and educator relationships . All educators have been trained in this approach and it helps us in several ways including :
Building the types of trusting relationships where parents feel a sense of belonging within the centre . We want parents to know that educators feel privileged to have the opportunity to teach their child .
Giving us strategies to support parents to understand their own relationships with their child and the primary attachment relationship between parents and their children .
Developing strategies for helping children to develop relationships with their peers .
Can you talk about the key strategies you use to develop these relationships and engage families in your centre ?
We find that families at our centre like the structure , routine and predictability of preschool . Many of the families are new to Australia and do not have the support of extended family and friends . Some of the strategies we have found work well for us are :
Orientation evenings . For the past two years we have run orientation evenings with great success . We use visuals to help with language barriers . This includes using photos to demonstrate playbased learning , how to pack a lunch box and the routines of the day . All educators attend the orientation evening to meet and greet the families .
Educators play the “ lion ” role in the morning and afternoon . This means that an educator greets all families and children and supports them to sign in , place the children ’ s lunch in the correct place and apply sunscreen . Parents take their child out to the play space to support their transition .
Storypark is used as a tool for parents to provide feedback on the program and read community posts . This works well for our families because they can use translation apps to translate the posts into their own language .
Page 4 www . ku . com . au APRIL 2018