‘Parents as partners’ is one of the commitments to the EYFS principle of ' Positive relationships'. The explanation of the commitment includes respecting diversity by valuing all families, good and welcoming communication by approachable staff, learning together with parents, reflecting children’s home language in the setting, involving fathers and male carers, and reflecting on practice in relation to parents and carers.
(Early Years Foundation Stage, Principle in Practice framework)

At Co-operative Childcare we feel that parents are the children’s first educators. By encouraging our nursery teams to work in partnership with parents it has a positive impact on the children’s development and learning.

We always provide a warm and friendly atmosphere and understand that all families are important and we aim to make parents feel welcome and valued at all times. We respect the diversity of families and the contribution they can bring to a child’s learning and development.


We offer complimentary settling in sessions for the parent and child before their first day at nursery. During these sessions we have the opportunity to get to know the parent and child in a relaxed and informal manner. At this time we will also gather information on the child through talking to the parent and asking them to complete questionnaires. This information will help us to ensure that the child receives the individual learning and development they need.


The sharing of information between the nursery and the child’s parents is vital for the identification of the children’s individual learning needs and to ensure that if a child has a difficulty in any area, we can respond quickly and meet that child’s development needs.

Our nursery teams encourage parents to contribute towards their child’s learning through regular communication and exchanges of information. Parents’ information evenings are held twice a year and all parents are encouraged to come into the nursery and talk to their child’s key person about their child’s learning and development and raise any questions or concerns they may have. Parents are also provided with Wow Vouchers on which they have the opportunity to observe their child whilst in their care and contribute further to their child’s development records

We give feedback to parents on their child’s progress, using specific examples of achievement or behaviour. Progress reports also give a detailed account of each child’s progress and are completed by the key person to ensure thorough and accurate information is given


Our nursery teams are always approachable and endeavour to guide or advise parents when asked for suggestions on caring for their child and offer them support to continue their child’s learning at home. Effective communication between parents and staff ensures there is a two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise.

The nursery ensures that we pass on information to parents through newsletters and parents’ notice boards. Parents will be encouraged at all times to approach staff or the Manager if they cannot access the information they require

Where families and children use languages other than English, we will ask parents to contribute a list of key words and greetings in the home language, which can be used by staff and other children in the nursery. This will ensure that the child and parent feel involved and valued. We will also provide appropriate support for those parents that do not speak or understand English when talking about their child’s learning or progress.


During colleague inductions we ensure that our nursery teams understand the importance of partnership with parents. We also provide customer care training, which focuses on the important role that a parent plays in a child’s life and how we can effectively communicate with parents from different backgrounds.


We encourage parents to be involved in the many events that take place in the setting, such as fetes, carnivals or charity events.