| So often in child care centers we focus on | | | | The first areas are those parent volunteers who |
| promoting parent involvement. We do this with | | | | feel they should discipline or have the right to |
| meetings, parties, field trips, and classroom | | | | discipline the children. This frequently happens if |
| volunteer work. For teachers it is important to | | | | the teacher is shy about approaching the subject |
| feel comfortable having parents in the room at | | | | with the parent volunteer. Perhaps they feel |
| any time and for parents it is important to get a | | | | uncomfortable about placing limits on the parent |
| snapshot of their child's world of friends and | | | | volunteer. Perhaps the parent's personal idea of |
| activities. | | | | discipline comes from another culture - one that |
| Generally those parents who have the time and | | | | cannot legally be supported in our regulated child |
| inclination to volunteer need guidance while | | | | care system. The center disciplinary directive |
| functioning in the classroom. A short discussion | | | | guides the paid teaching staff and it is the paid |
| with the director, family workers, and classroom | | | | teaching staff that is responsible for utilizing the |
| staff can be extremely helpful in solving any | | | | disciplinary guidelines. |
| bumps in the volunteer road and can avoid hurt | | | | The second area of difficulty for parent |
| feelings that can come. | | | | volunteers is "reporting to others." It is human |
| The parent volunteer is not the new classroom | | | | nature to observe and talk to other parents in |
| teacher. The parent volunteer is not the teacher | | | | the classroom. After all, for many volunteer |
| for a day. The parent volunteer is just that, a | | | | parents the classroom is an exotic place so talking |
| volunteer, someone to be supportive of | | | | about it with friends is a natural. Little thought |
| classroom activities that have already been | | | | may be given to the entire story that was seen |
| planned by the early childhood personnel. Most | | | | or the challenge students may be having. All this |
| parents are happy to follow the teacher's | | | | can create hurt feelings. |
| directives and most parents leave the classroom | | | | Successful parent volunteer programs happen |
| marveling at how the teacher can "control" an | | | | every day and they have the ability to bring |
| entire group of young children. | | | | children, staff, and parents together to create |
| Those parent volunteers who have difficulty in | | | | strong early childhood programs. They key to all |
| the classroom usually find problems in two areas. | | | | this is pre-planning. |