Famly promotion: Stop talking about children over their heads

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Stop talking about children over their heads

Famly’s Julia Rose explores what it’s like to have your bowel movements and behaviour discussed at the end of the day

“ When children are here, this is their space. I could think of nothing worse at the end of a lovely day at nursery, standing next to the legs of your parent and key person while they discuss how you went to the toilet. ”

Michele Barrett, Headteacher, Randolph Beresford Early Years Centre

That advice was shared with me a few years back and it got me thinking. All the times I’d spoken to parents and carers about how their child’s day was at nursery, I’d been oblivious to the fact that the children were listening too.

Just imagine overhearing your boss talking to your partner about whether you had visited the bathroom all by yourself or if you’d used your manners at work. I have close relationships with my colleagues here at Famly, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Of course, the conversations that we have with parents at the beginning and the end of the day are really important. It’s the time for a two-way exchange of information that builds positive relationships with families. Even so, some things don’t need to be discussed at the door. So what could I have done differently? Enter Famly’s Early Childhood Platform.

Here are some of the ingenious ways educators and leaders use Famly to share routine information sensitively to support children’s well-being, leaving time at the beginning and end of the day to celebrate achievements and milestones together.

The activity feed

The activity tab of a child’s profile in Famly means that parents and carers have all the routine information they need and educators can focus their verbal feedback at the end of the day on the really important things.

Children hear themselves celebrated for their achievements and reminded of what they enjoyed, rather than overhearing how much they ate or slept or…well, you get the idea.

“We needed our families to have their important information in one place. Famly’s really allowed us to focus on what matters. We just have more time to focus on the children’s experience, and the wellbeing of our teachers and families. ”

Candice, Director, Wild Garden of Childhood

A daily diary

Yasmin Darling shared how they used Famly in her setting to open the lines of communication with parents and carers before the day even started. If a child’s had a hard morning, it’s not helpful for their parent to walk in and describe what a struggle it’s been to their educators. Instead, as a requirement by contract for attending, parents or carers are requested to write a message through Famly, detailing what’s going on for their child.

“The idea is that we don’t talk about the children in front of them. The child’s key person can receive the child seamlessly and plan effectively for them. Then, at the end of the day, staff send photos and a Daily Diary of what the child did at nursery back to the parents.”

Yasmin Darling, Holistic Education Consultant

A way to ease transitions

Matt Weeks, the manager of Hazelwood Nursery and Early Years explained how Famly has enabled educators and parents to support the children who find it hard to separate from their carers in the morning. The team can help them by offering parents and carers a way to prepare their child for what’s coming up.

“Something that helps with the home-to-nursery transition is sending a photo to the newsfeed of the room, set-up. The parents can show them the picture and children can see the activities they’re going to do. It makes the drop-off so much easier because they know what to expect.”

Matt Weeks, Manager, Hazelwood Nursery and Early Years

The start of a bigger conversation

It’s not just conversations about the children themselves - parents and carers need help and advice too. Another setting manager, shared how she supported parents and carers to stay in touch during the Covid-19 pandemic, without having to talk about all the worrying and negative impact of the pandemic with their children present.

“I made a weekly post on the Famly newsfeed during lockdown and asked every parent to click the ‘like’ button if everything was going ok. If a parent didn’t click the button, I rang them to check in.t. If they wanted me to reach out specifically, they typed a dot in the comments section, I would then know that they wanted to talk to me in confidence."

Alliance members get an exclusive 50% discount on their first six months of Famly’s Premium and Professional packages.

Read more here: bit.ly/u5famly.

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