Partnership working with parents / carers
The Home Learning Environment (HLE)
The HLE significantly impacts a child's future life chances, particularily in the development of early speech, language and communication skills.Improving the home learning environment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
A positive HLE is created through warm, loving relationships in a safe and stimulating atmosphere, fostering secure attachments and self-regulation. Parental involvelment in early learning has a greater impact ob children's well-being and achievement than any other factor. As a practitioner, supporting parents / carers to provide a positive HLE plays a crucial part in improving children's outcomes.
Effective practice in the early years includes:
- Maintaining a strong partnership with parents / carers
- Providing clear information about their children's progress
- Encouraging parents / carers to chat, play and read with their children
Top tips when working with parents / carers
- Provide parents with information on what children learn linked to the EYFS areas of learning through the play experiences and opportunities. This can be through:
- Display of child-initiated learning activities
- Focused activity day
- Messy or sensory play weeks
- Encourage parents to carry on learning activities at home by developing and providing resources and activities that can be borrowed such as:
- Den kits to borrow
- Story/rhyme sack
- Curiosity baskets/bags
- Take home bear and book
- Provide parents with information on activities that take place in the school/setting and could also be completed at home, such as: