How a Nursery Should Partner with Parents & Carers

Partnerships between nurseries and parents/carers are absolutely essential for ensuring the safety and healthy development of children. Daily updates, collaborative sessions and dedicated ‘key carers’ will create a seamless transition between home and nursery setting for your child.

Learn more about parent-nursery partnerships with Tiddlywinks Nurseries.

The importance of nurseries involving parents and carers in early years

Holistic childcare and development requires involving parents and carers during the early years. This is so important because it facilitates a smooth bridge between your home and our nursery for your child, increasing comfort and confidence. Effective communication provides the following benefits:

• Identifying and managing issues – Regular communication makes it easier for both parties to spot and share issues, needs or anxieties the child may have. This helps with the development of management skills, helping your child to feel more confident attending nursery and developing their social/educational skills.

• Consistent learning – Sharing strategies between nursery staff and parents/carers means learning and development can continue between both settings. This boosts and reinforces development.

• Inclusion and cultural sensitivity – Parents sharing family history and cultural backgrounds ensures a nursery can take the necessary steps to make children feel supported, represented and valued.

• Parent confidence – Every parent/carer wants peace of mind that their child is being looked after and educated by people who are truly invested in them. Regular communication enables parents to ask questions and discover what their child is doing day-to-day.

Effective communication is equally important when settling into nursery and further down the line as your child develops their social and educational abilities.

Why it’s important for our nurseries to build partnerships with parents and carers

Starting nursery can be a stressful/turbulent time for children and parents alike because of the amount of change to routine. Secure and strong partnerships between parents/carers and childcare providers ensure tailored support can be provided for the children starting nursery, and the parents helping them through the process. 

Issues such as separation anxiety are common, especially during the early days in a new setting. Regular communication helps childcare staff to understand how best to support and comfort each child, gradually and gently building their independence. It’s often a good idea to learn more about communication by asking the right questions at a nursery viewing. 

How we communicate with parents and carers as a nursery

At Tiddlywinks, we feel it’s vital for our nurseries to build strong partnerships with parents and carers because it’s the best way to develop a personalised, tailored plan for the care of each and every child. Every family is assigned a dedicated ‘key carer’ who gets to know your child’s personality, routines and interests, and works closely with you to share observations, celebrate milestones and agree next steps together.

Day to day, our interactive childcare app keeps this partnership alive, sending real-time photos, activity updates, meal and nap notes, so you always feel connected, even while you’re at work. We also welcome the everyday conversations at drop-off and pick-up, where quick updates and questions can be exchanged face to face.

For anything more formal, our finance team sends fee statements and billing notifications by email, and every nursery has clear channels for feedback or concerns, so you’re always heard. Whether through the app, in person or by email, we believe communication should be open and consistent, giving parents and carers the confidence that they’re genuinely part of their child’s learning journey.

Learn more via our ethos and values page.

How a nursery should partner with parents and carers

The partnerships between parents and carers will vary case by case. No two children are the same, therefore the needs of the relationship will be different. 

Some parents will need to hear more about their child’s social development and how they manage interactions each day. Others may need less-detailed but regular updates regarding the educational achievements their child has made. 

At Tiddlywinks, we adopt a bespoke approach to parent/carer communication. Our key carers are dedicated to making sure parents are kept informed, and all concerns and queries are listened to and addressed in the best way possible. 

Get in touch with us to book a nursery viewing, or learn more about our partnerships.