Partnership with parents

How it is used

A key principle in early years frameworks and inspection reports. Settings work in partnership with parents through handovers, learning journals, parents' evenings and stay-and-play sessions. Parental involvement and parental engagement are related terms.

Example sentences

1. Partnership with parents is strong here: families share photos and news from home every week.

2. We work in partnership with parents to support her toilet training.

Common collocations

• work in partnership with parents
• parental involvement
• parental engagement
• stay-and-play session

Related terms

• handoverA short exchange of information when a child passes from one adult to another, for example when a parent collects a child and staff explain how the day went.
• parents' eveningAn event, often held in the evening, when parents come to the nursery or school to talk with staff about their child's progress and well-being.
• learning journalA record of a child's time in a setting, with observations, photos, drawings and notes, showing their interests and progress; it is often kept online and shared with parents.
• key personThe member of nursery staff who has special responsibility for a small group of children, builds a close bond with each child and is the main contact for the family.

More terms: Working with Families and Safeguarding

• safeguarding
• child protection
• disclosure
• neglect
• designated safeguarding lead