Using Technology to Streamline Parent-Provider Communication

Guest Post By:

Taylor Flynn | Content Strategist

Parkway Digital | 19 Limestone Drive | Suite 4 | Williamsville, NY 14221
716.633.4097 | taylor@pkwydigital.com | www.pkwyDigital.com

Communicating with parents can become an overwhelming task as your center grows. Let technology help you keep families informed. Email, social media, blogs and apps can all provide a convenient line of communication between providers and parents.

 

Technology offers a paperless solution that helps you meet parents where they already are: smartphones, email inboxes and social media. Unlike written notes or verbal communication, technology allows you to communicate with family members beyond the adult that picked a child up.

 

Direct Communication

Parents are trusting you to watch their children and direct communication is key to retaining that trust. Personalized notes and regular updates delivered to each parent are possible with technology.

 

Send Regular Emails

Email is a flexible, affordable tool for childcare centers. Creating a monthly newsletter gives you a platform to share lesson plans, menus, important dates and seasonal information in a way that is (almost) impossible for parents to miss. You can also send timely emails before special center events to remind parents about any extras their kids will need that day.

 

An email platform like MailChimp can help you streamline your email communications. Create a template for monthly newsletters and quick reminders to make sending emails an efficient communication method. You can also sort email addresses into different lists, such as parents of infants, families with more than one child attending your daycare and parents with kids who occasionally attend your center.

 

There’s an App for That

Many childcare apps include the ability to share schedules, post menus and individually message parents. For centers already using apps for sign ins, payments or filling open spots, consider looking for one that helps you communicate daily updates and regular reminders with families.

 

Indirect Communication

Indirect methods of parent-provider communication can be a good reminder for busy families. Use these methods in a way that benefits your center without disregarding direct communication.

 

Share on Social Media

Social media platforms can help you spread the word about what’s going on at your center and within your community beyond parents. Grandparents, community members and other businesses may be among your followers on Facebook or Instagram.

 

Think about how social media can help you communicate with families and the community beyond just posts. Create an event to advertise a block party you’re hosting or use a closed group or Facebook’s Messenger to share photos with parents. Consider Pinterest for sharing activities that parents can do with their kids at home.

 

Update Your Blog

Your blog is a great place to share childcare information that’s too detailed for emails or social media. Cute event recaps, answers to frequently asked child development questions and ways to continue learning at home make excellent blog posts. Once a post is complete, you can then share the link via another digital communication tool like email.

 

Sharing both center news and resources on your website mean they’re always easy to find and parents can refer to them when they need them. Hearing a question you wrote a blog post on a few years ago? Include it in next month’s emails and post it on Facebook (after a quick update, if necessary).