This weekend at the TBC Weekday Early Education Conference, I led a conference about using technology in the preschool classroom. Here are a couple of "new" ideas about using cameras to build or strengthen relationships with parents.
1. I'm Calm Now - One of the teachers mentioned an idea that I had not heard before. We all know that sometimes a child comes into the room crying and is still crying when the parent leaves. When the child is happy and playing, the teacher takes a photo and sends it to the parent (text or email). This helps the parent know that the child is happy and calm - and eases the parent's concern. I thought this was a great idea! The teacher said that they try to take and send the photo as soon as possible, so the parent knows the child calmed down quickly.
2. My First Day - This week we had our new group of "baby" kindergartners in my Sunday School classroom. As I was taking photos of the action, a new thought popped into my head. I took at least 1 or 2 photos of each child playing and working in the classroom. I'm going to print them and add "My First Day in K Sunday School" and the date. I'll give these to parents next week. I've not done this before - but thought it may be a good memory for parents - and a way for parents to see that we work and play hard as we learn.
What ways do you use cameras to build strong relationships between parents and church/school?
