Working moms have a layer of stress that not everyone faces—that of navigating childcare while providing for our families. Finding the right provider is doable, and if you’ve done your due diligence then you already know that your little ones are getting the best care possible. Now it’s time to build strong relationships with your child’s teacher or provider. This will remove some of your stress surrounding childcare, and it’ll build your child’s confidence and security during these early developmental years.

So, you already have your child with the best provider for your family—that means you must have a certain level of trust and respect for your child’s teacher. If you’d like to strengthen your relationship there are certain things you can do to develop a bond between yourself, your child, and your childcare provider.

Small things are often the biggest things in life, and that holds true in relationships. While a nice gift at Christmas is always appreciated, there are things that teachers appreciate even more. Though we working moms have busy schedules and are always looking for helpful time management tips, these small actions don’t have to put us off our game.

DO! Pay Attention to Information Being Sent Home

Depending on your childcare facility, you may receive notifications from your provider via word of mouth, printed letter, or mobile app. Pay attention to this information! Daycare centers and preschools send it out for a reason. You may need to know important upcoming dates, special instructions for projects, or emergency updates.

When parents are attuned to these bits of communication, teachers notice. Trust me. Being known as a parent who is a team player is a fantastic reputation to have in the world of childcare. It is also great practice for when your kids head off to “big” school!

So, strengthen your relationship by showing your childcare provider that you’re paying attention to the information they send home.

DON’T! Overreact Before Speaking with Your Provider

In life, we often find that problems arise. The world of childcare is no different. Though at times we must act on our children’s behalf immediately, these emergency situations are not the norm.

Much more common are the times when something seems confusing or even possibly offensive—but we’re just not sure. Before going to your childcare provider and angrily demanding answers, you will do much better to calmly and politely bring up the subject in a nonconfrontational way.

Give your child’s teacher time to explain the situation, offer better insight, and give you the other side of the story. This will show your child’s teacher that you are there for the long term and that you are a levelheaded advocate for your child as well as the success of the program.

If you don’t get satisfactory answers then it may be time to go to a higher authority, or even to pull your child from the program. However, if it is your goal to build a positive relationship then you’ll want to stay levelheaded in that initial conversation. When you find that things aren’t quite what you feared, you’ll be glad you built trust with your provider.

DO! Show Gratitude When Appropriate

Showing gratitude to your child’s provider can come in many forms. It might be a small gift like a $10 gift card to a coffee shop. If your childcare provider is a parent, too, you might consider a larger gift card to a kids friendly venue like a fun restaurant. Spots like The Rainforest Café or Chick Fil A are some of the best places to visit with family.

You could ask if there’s anything the classroom needs which you could provide, or you could volunteer to oversee the upcoming class holiday party.

One or two small gestures of gratitude can go a long way towards showing your provider that you appreciate them and that you’re working to build a solid relationship with them. While your child’s teacher is going to give love to every child in the program these actions will strengthen the bond they have with your family.

Here are a few more tips for building a great working relationship with your child’s provider:

• Keep them updated on family happenings. Going on vacation in two weeks? Does your little one have a dentist appointment next Tuesday? Will your child be late on Friday? Let them know!
• Talk them “up” around the community. This will almost always get back to them in some form or another.
• Be supportive when they come to you with a concern about your child’s needs, development, or behavior. It doesn’t mean you have to agree or take their advice but show them you respect their opinion by hearing them out.

Katie C