Nursery World - Positive Relationships: Working with Parents

Holding negative attitudes towards parents can only undermine the quality of a child's education, says Helen Bromley in the first of new series.

Children come to us not just as unique individuals, but also as part of an equally unique group of related people - their family.

With that comes a set of behaviours, expectations, customs and use of language that helps to form the child's identity and their way of looking at the world. The child's parents, and indeed their extended family, will have contributed significantly to the development of this home culture, whatever their race, creed or religion.

Without parents, we early years educators would not have a job. But as soon as children (and their families) enter the world of education - be that day nursery, a childminder's home, playgroup or reception class - then their culture collides with that of their educators, as well as other families in the setting. Children bring this culture with them, just as they may bring a favourite toy in their pocket, or their lunch in their lunchbox.

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