1. Unit 5: Working with Parents and Others in Early Years
Teacher notes (PS 1):
It is imperative that early years workers learn to work with parents, colleagues and other professionals, which is why a whole unit has been dedicated to this subject. By the time learners have completed Unit 5, they should have a good understanding of the importance of collaborative working and the positive effect it can have on outcomes for children.
In this unit, they will learn about the role of parents in children’s lives and factors that affect parenting styles. They will also learn about parents’ rights and different views about childhood. This is important as they will need to appreciate that there are different ways of raising children. They will also learn about the role of other professionals in children’s lives. In this unit they will explore ways of working with parents, colleagues and other professionals and how to communicate effectively to develop positive working relationships with them.

2. Objectives By the end of the lesson you should be able to:
Discuss emotional attachment in placements.
Explain how to support parents and communicate effectively.

3. Activity Complete the activity sheet on emotional attachment
Feedback answers
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.

4. Key Term Interpersonal skills:
The skills required for building relationships.
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.

5. Activity 1
Draw a pie chart that you feel represents the percentage of how we communicate using:
Spoken words
Tone of voice
Non verbal communication

6. Communication Pie Chart
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.

7. How do we communicate?
Watch the clip and list all the ways that we communicate with each other.
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.

8. Methods of Comms Face to face communication and body language
Proximity, orientation and posture
Eye contact
Tone of voice
Facial expression
Active listening
Smiling
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.

9. Key Features of Good Comms Skills
Warmth /empathy
Sincerity /honesty
Interest
Active listening
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.

10. What are the benefits of good communication?
Activity
What are the benefits of good communication?
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.

11. Activity
In small groups, discuss how your placement communicates with parents.
Select an early years setting that is familiar to you and in your group.
Plan an information session for parents to inform them why the setting uses play to support learning and development.
Teacher notes (PS 6):
1. Divide the class into small groups – try to put a mix of placement experiences in the group, e.g. nursery, school, children’s centre.
Encourage learners to discuss the following: information in school letters, noticeboards, posters, parents’ evening, 1:1 meetings, etc. Introduce the context of social events to improve parental communication and relationships.
Some key features of good 1:1 communication are shown on PS 7.
2. List each example and ask learners to identify the most appropriate way to: communicate in building trust, exchanging and sharing information about the child, tracking development, encouraging parents and or carers to engage in their child’s play, learning and development, to prevent misunderstandings.
3. Encourage groups to think about:
How they will inform parents of the session and how to encourage parents including those who are ‘hard to reach parents’ to attend.
How they will make parents feel comfortable/welcome when they arrive.
How they will involve parents, including ways they will ensure that they listen to their views (active listening).
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.

12. Homework for holidays
Evaluate the importance and relevance of respecting parents’ choices (links to last weeks lesson)
500 words please.
© Pearson Education Ltd Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.