Make the Connection
Back to School Night week. The relationship you build with a family is part of the intervention, for every one of us.
Team Reflection
Nice to see everyone at the Ice Cream Social! The families loved having you there. You are their children's rockstars!
This week, families are walking through our doors for Back to School Night, many of them still figuring out who we are, whether we get their child, and whether they can trust us. That first real connection you make with a family isn't just nice to have. Research consistently shows that family engagement is one of the strongest predictors of child progress in early childhood and therapy settings. The relationship between our team and a child's family is part of the intervention.
And that applies to every single person at SOI. Every interaction a family has here shapes whether they feel partnered with us or just served by us. Partnership produces better outcomes. That's not opinion. That's the research.
Strategies for connecting with busy families this week:
- Catch them at drop-off or pickup with something specific: "I noticed something cool today, can I tell you?" takes 60 seconds and stays with a parent for days.
- Send it home in writing. For families who are rushing, a quick note ("Marcos asked for more three times today!") lands when they have a moment to breathe.
- Use their name. Use their child's name. Every time. It signals: you are known here.
One non-negotiable
Our children understand far more than they can express. Conversations about families, frustrations, concerns, anything that isn't celebratory, do not happen where children can hear them. Not in the hallway. Not near the classroom door. Not at the art table. What we say about families when they aren't in the room reflects who we actually are as a team. Keep it collaborative. Keep it kind.
For more: Family Engagement, A Key Element in Quality Early Learning via Start Early.
This week's reflection: Think through every family on your caseload or in your classroom. Who have you genuinely connected with this year, and who are you still just getting through the day with? Pick one family you haven't had a real moment with yet. This week, make it happen. Come back and share how you did it.
Sweet moments from our back-to-school Ice Cream Social.
Updates & Announcements
- Step 2/3: Wednesday 9/16, 3:45–4:45 PM
- Step 1s: Thursday 9/17, 4:00–5:00 PM
- IDPs: Friday 9/18, 3:00–4:00 PM
The Back to School Night Trainual is live in your dashboards. It has everything you need to prepare, from the conference agenda to how to share resources with families. Please review it before your conferences. If you'd like to add any documents to share with parents, send them to Christina Cunningham to review by Monday, 9/14 at 5:00 PM.
Because of Back to School Night and planned outs, coverage looks a little different this week.
| Day | Step 1 · CR 6 | Step 2/3 · CR 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Corynn | Rebecca |
| Tuesday | Allie | Ka'tia |
| Wednesday | Athena | Rebecca |
| Thursday | Emily M. | Rebecca |
| Friday | Allie | Denise |
View the Early Bird / Late Bird list of kiddos.
Thank you for all the hard work completing your training modules in Trainual. A reminder to keep scheduling your certification conversations with Christina. They can happen one module at a time, a few at a time, or all at once, whatever you're most comfortable with.
Next month's theme is All About Fall, and there's so much to dive into: farming, apples and pumpkins, the changing leaves, or getting spooky for Halloween. We're looking forward to all the fall fun in store for our students.
Connecteam doesn't have a built-in way to view everyone's approved time off in one place, so we've set up a separate Time Off Calendar to help with planning. Before submitting a time off request, please check the calendar first to see who else might already be off around that time. This helps us avoid being short-staffed on any given day.
View the Time Off Calendar. Once a request is approved, it's added to the calendar so it stays current for everyone.
Mr. Josh is here Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. He can come into your classroom for story time or help with snack, and he brings his ECE units, so he's a great extra set of hands. If you'd like Josh to spend time in your classroom, email Charlene to coordinate which days and time frames work for you.
Important Dates
Buttercups · Step 2
Succulents · Step 1
Sunflowers · Step 1
Next to Classroom 4: Little Rainbows
Planned Outs
Celebrations
Recognition Spotlight
Want to celebrate someone? Share a recognition
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