Make Time For Follow-Up
By Jill Dickey

"I wish I could convince the parents to follow up!" As child care providers often lament, tired parents all too often whisk their child away at 5 o’clock, never bothering to ask what he or she learned that day. Providers know all the time that goes into lesson and activity planning, the money that goes into curriculum kits, materials and books; and the hard work that goes into guiding and teaching little hands and minds. And it’s frustrating to feel that parents are missing teachable follow-up moments, neglecting the groundwork providers have laid for further exploration.

From the parent’s perspective, teaching is a much more casual business. Our children get an impulse to paint, so we help them notice the magic of mixing primary colors. Sometimes they learn because we’re curious, too: we’re gardening, and why do those sunflower "faces" follow the sun’s movement across the sky? But it’s the rare parent who teaches her child a different letter each day, making an orderly progression from A to Z. The pressures of work, housekeeping and meeting the child’s physical needs, low aptitude for teaching and a nagging insecurity about "teaching it right" prevent most parents from tackling what they see as a difficult task.

The good news is that providers can subtly (and not so subtly) encourage parents to follow up on the day care curriculum in several ways. The first job is to inform parents of what their children are being taught. Here are some tools to help bridge the gap between day care and home.

The Curriculum Outline
It’s easy for a provider to simply photocopy for parents the curriculum outline she’s made for herself. Parents can post the outline on their refrigerator, which serves two purposes. One, they can use it to give their balky child something to look forward to each day at day care. Two, it serves as a follow-up prompter: as Mom or Dad prepare dinner, they can glance at the outline and ask about the activities of the day. For example, a lesson on flags may prompt them to put a flag on the flagpole, sing "The Star-Spangled Banner," or make a family flag after supper.

The Baby-Gram
In addition to telling parents what their child ate, how she napped and what she said, this end-of-the-day brightener can discuss activities and how their child responded to them. "Katie loved making bread shapes! She learned "triangle" and "circle" today. She might enjoy shaping canned biscuits or using Play-Doh at home," is one not-so-subtle example of encouragement.

Monthly Newsletter
If a provider is really ambitious, a monthly newsletter can include follow-up tips. From recipes for modeling dough and instructions for science experiments to fingerplays and songs, all the material can build on the day care curriculum. To make it more interactive, a provider can solicit easy recipes and activity ideas from parents to include (peer pressure works like a charm to stimulate parent involvement).

Bulletin Board
An information-packed bulletin board can catch the eye of parents who are waiting for their child to finish picking up toys or for the provider to finish chatting with another parent. Multiple take-home copies of posted recipes and follow-up activities can be pinned to the board, and the information should be updated at least monthly to coordinate with the curriculum. A corner for parent tips and photos encourages involvement.

Pick-Up Time
Naps only allow so much time for writing individual suggestions in a baby-gram. Providers can also pass on praise and follow-up ideas as parents arrive to pick up their children. "We put on a country show today. Travis is a natural-born performer! Does he sing at home or in the car?" Or, "Jessica did a great job picking up blocks today, and she actually seemed to enjoy it! We made it fun by counting out groups of five." (To the child:) "I bet you could show Mommy how you do that with blocks at home, couldn’t you?"

Special Events
Parent involvement on field trips and holiday parties offers an ideal opportunity to chat with parents about follow-up activities. These events afford more time to learn about parents’ particular interests and aptitudes, so providers can tailor their suggestions. Providers can also ask each parent to give a "guest lecture" at day care once a year. A mother who’s a nurse can offer a great body parts lesson or insight on why we sneeze, blink, etc.

Parents say they want to be involved in their child’s education, but many are perplexed as to how to go about it. If providers can extend a helping hand, offering easy-to-implement ideas on a regular basis, parents will enjoy following up.