Establishing Effective Communication With Parents at the Start of the Year

The phrase parent email tends to invoke a sense of dread among even veteran teachers. But what if communication with students’ parents and caregivers were a straightforward, even enjoyable, part of the job?

The start of the school year is the perfect opportunity for teachers to take initiative and contact students’ families. It’s less of a time commitment than you might think, and it pays dividends. I make an effort to reach every single family in my class—not just those who are well-known in the community or are assertive about reaching out to school staff. I’ve learned that some parents have never been called by a teacher before. Others may not feel comfortable approaching staff, or they may have had negative interactions in the past.

I’ve come up with three systematic reach-out strategies for building connections and relationships with parents; by following these steps, teachers can make sure they’ve interacted with parents at least once, and more likely two or three times, before formal parent-teacher conferences. 

Take a Fresh Approach to Meet-the-Teacher Events

A fair number of schools host a meet-the-teacher event shortly before the school year begins. In the past, I didn’t know how to structure the event. It wasn’t a formal presentation, and it wasn’t a parent-teacher conference. My classroom was crowded with people coming and going, and I couldn’t figure out how to best make use of the time. Nowadays, I’ve got a solid solution: I run the event like a scavenger hunt.

I greet visitors at the door and hand students a sheet with 10 things they should look for: their desk, a favorite book in our class library, the answer to 7 x 8, etc. Students walk around the room with purpose and get acclimated to their environment. While they’re participating in the scavenger hunt, I introduce myself to parents, learn their names, and engage in light conversation. As the kids wrap up the scavenger hunt, I give them a special pencil that they can bring back on the first day of school. Afterward, I look at my roster and check off the names of the families I was able to meet.

This format gives kids something purposeful to do and allows me to spend time with parents. Rather than feeling rushed by the swirl of visitors, I head into the first day of school feeling prepared, ready to build on the foundation I established with families.

Assign Parents Some Light Homework

On the very first day of school, I dramatically tell my students that they have homework. Loud gasps! Once the noise dies down, I let them know that the homework is for their parents. The students are always relieved.

The “homework” is a survey asking parents about their child. I read the survey results as they come in. They’re immensely helpful, in that I’m able to get to know my students and their families much more quickly. From these surveys, I’ve learned about favorite sports, interesting hobbies, and the incredible talents of my new students. Parents will also often let me know about academic or social concerns, which is great to have on my radar. For example, one family mentioned being new to the school after a recent move from another area and how the move was affecting their school experience.

Sometimes parents don’t respond, which is to be expected. I gently follow up and send home the survey one more time a week later. In general, I get a strong response.

A sample survey is downloadable below.

Embark on a ‘6x5’ Routine

During the second week of school, my top priority is to contact all of the families in my classroom using a routine I call the “6x5.” In short, I connect with six families per day across five days. I know that there’s so, so much to do at the beginning of the school year, but this task is doable, I promise.

I try to keep each interaction to about five minutes. To track my progress, I make a roster in my plan book with a check mark for each student. When the week begins, I walk to the curb pickup line with my class and say hello to parents—especially those who weren’t at the meet-the-teacher event. The ensuing conversations are quick, along the lines of “Hi, my name is Marisa! I’m Lily’s teacher this year. I’m really enjoying getting to know her in my class.” Parents are able to put a face to my name and leave the interaction feeling like they know me a little bit better.

For the families I’m unable to reach at dismissal, I make several quick calls either from the school phone line or at home in the early evening. If you’re making calls from your cell phone but don’t want families to have your number, you can always press *67, then dial the number, which keeps your number hidden.

Each of these calls is brief and lighthearted. I avoid in-depth discussions and make it clear that I’m just saying hello. If out-of-the-blue phone calls make you queasy, you can follow my script. Start by introducing yourself and asking how the parent is doing. Let them know you’re calling to touch base as the school year begins. They’ll tell you that’s great to hear, and they appreciate the call.

I usually transition to a personal touch point, like “I was just talking to Adam today about how much he loves soccer.” After some brief banter, I tell the parent that I’m excited to work with their child, and I ask them what questions they have. The phrase, “What questions do you have for me?” keeps the conversation light, positive, and well-paced. I avoid other phrases like “Do you have any questions?” which can unintentionally sound pushy and cause the person on the other end of the call to freeze up.

After I answer questions, I thank the parent for their time and encourage them to reach out with other questions or concerns. By connecting with parents early in the school year, I have a much easier time getting back in touch if I need to discuss a discipline issue or an academic concern. The 6x5 routine also nurtures a healthy dynamic between educators and families in advance of parent-teacher conferences, which for some school districts don’t occur until well into the fall.