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Home › Articles › Preschool Prep › On the Same Team

On the Same Team

Forging A Partnership with Your Child's Preschool Teacher

By Judy Molland

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When Martha Jackson of Thousand Oaks, Calif. went to pick up 4-year-old Natalie after school one Friday afternoon, she found her daughter sitting in a corner of the busy playroom, head in her hands, sobbing. It took several minutes of holding Natalie close before the little girl could explain why she was so sad. "It was my share day," she finally blurted out, tears streaming from her limpid blue eyes. "I was supposed to bring something to share, and all the kids were waiting for me, and I didn't have anything. You didn't tell me!"

mom and child As it turned out, the teacher had sent a note home with Natalie, giving information about share day, but somehow her parents never set eyes on it. Jackson decided that from then on, she had better set up a direct connection with the teacher and avoid future heartache for her child.

Establishing good communication with your child's preschool teacher is crucial, but what are the best methods to accomplish that goal? Parents and teachers agree that the key is to start early and keep in touch through good times and bad. Once you have established a relationship with your child's teacher, if you do sense a problem at school, you can contact the teacher and she won't be a stranger.

Starting Early
"It's very important for the teacher to meet the child before school starts," says Betty Farber, editor of Guiding Young Children's Behavior. "In fact, many schools now have home visits, which are very helpful to teachers. They find out a little bit about the child, see him at home, see what kinds of toys he likes to play with, what the atmosphere is. And later on, when the child is in the class, there's a certain bond there. He might say, 'Oh, remember when you were in my room and you saw my toys?'" She adds that most schools have an orientation before the term starts, where the director introduces the parents to the teachers, and sometimes there's a school visit with the child the semester before the youngster starts school.

On Day One
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