Small Steps, Shared Stories: Supporting parent engagement in the Early Years

Why is parent engagement in the Early Years important?

A home–school collaborative approach creates a multi-faceted support network for families. This ensures that all of a child’s early developmental needs are met and lays the foundation for long-term educational success. As noted in the EYFS Statutory Framework (DfE, 2024), building strong relationships with families and caregivers is a core priority for early years practitioners and settings. Open, respectful, two-way communication supports families to develop trusting connections with their child’s setting, helping ensure that the child’s best interests are at the heart of all decision-making ⁽¹⁾.

Although face-to-face communication is often preferred, it’s not always feasible due to time pressures, staffing constraints, and competing responsibilities. As a Reception teacher, I’ve experienced this challenge first-hand. At the end of the schooling day, I have 30 children whose parents I need to communicate and connect with, and therefore lengthy handovers are not always feasible. Digital platforms like Tapestry have become a useful way for me to give my parents real-time updates without requiring extra time. Although a digital tool cannot replace in-person connection, it can, if used thoughtfully, be a great way to meaningfully engage families in the learning process of their child.

This article will explore common barriers to parent engagement in the early years, practical strategies for creating a welcoming culture, and how digital platforms like Tapestry can support meaningful family involvement.

Barriers to parent engagement in the Early Years

There are many variables that can act as a barrier to parental engagement ⁽¹⁾. These include language differences, cultural misunderstandings and assumptions, parental confidence, working patterns, and socio-economic pressures. During a child’s transition in a setting, early years practitioners have a valuable opportunity to gather information about the child, their family, and their local community. When used thoughtfully, this information can help identify potential barriers, and from this, settings are then able to collaborate with the necessary professionals to provide tailored support. Parents of children with learning differences or additional support needs may require inclusive approaches to feel empowered and involved ⁽¹⁾.

Many parents and carers will bring their own experiences of school—positive or negative—which may influence their comfort and confidence in engaging with educational settings. Perceived power imbalances can create emotional distance and hesitation ⁽⁴⁾. Trust is not automatic; it must be earned. In my own practice, I make a conscious effort to get to know a family. I ensure early conversations are not solely centred around their child’s development and “next steps.” Taking the time to let parents know what’s going well and getting to know them on a more personal level can be a great way to break down emotional walls and build trust.

Parental availability can be limited, especially for those with demanding work schedules or limited digital access. Relying exclusively on one form of communication (e.g., face-to-face only or digital media only) can unintentionally exclude families. A flexible, warm, responsive approach that aligns with each family’s circumstances can help to overcome these barriers and ensure all parents feel included in their child’s learning journey.

The Role of Tapestry in Engaging Parents

As a Reception teacher, I have used Tapestry as a tool to strengthen home-setting connections by providing parents with insights into their child’s learning milestones and play experiences. These observations often spark valuable conversations about next steps and how we’re supporting each child’s individual learning journey. To further support home-based learning, we regularly share resources such as videos, website links, and memos that parents can easily access and use to extend learning at home. This collaborative approach reinforces the idea that we are working together, ensuring that parents do not feel the responsibility is theirs alone.

In order to foster joint reflection and co-involvement in the child’s journey, parents can also share wow moments, messages, pictures, and videos showcasing their child’s achievements within the home setting. Parental contributions to the learning journal help validate the importance of home-based experiences ⁽⁶⁾. One valuable feature of the Tapestry app is that practitioners are able to provide feedback by commenting on these uploads, which encourages “anytime” engagement, removing some logistical barriers such as limited time for face-to-face communication or attendance restrictions.

Celebrating achievements both at home and in the setting helps nurture emotional connections and boosts motivation for both children and parents ⁽⁵⁾. As EYFS.info (2024) highlights, digital platforms like Tapestry foster flexible and inclusive engagement by enabling real-time, two-way communication.

Empowering parents and families in the early years

Parents and carers are their child’s first and most important educators. They should be empowered to lead and drive change within their own homes. Parenting is a complex skillset, and early years settings should offer a supportive culture where families feel safe to seek guidance and grow in confidence. Tamis-Lemonda et al (2004) suggest that positive feedback, resources, and suggestions, if used appropriately by a skilled practitioner, can help to build rapport and parent confidence ⁽⁷⁾.

During my teacher training, over a decade ago, I encountered one principle that continues to shape my practice: what I consider to be the ‘right’ way of doing things may not look the same in another’s eyes. Every family brings their own values, routines, and priorities. As practitioners, it’s vital that we respect diverse parenting styles and the different capacities families bring to their child’s learning journey.

When using digital media platforms, it is important to consider that some families may need additional digital literacy support to help them engage fully and confidently ⁽¹⁾. In my own setting, I routinely monitored patterns of parent engagement and created time to sensitively explore with families any barriers they might be facing—whether digital, personal, or circumstantial. This helped me develop individualised approaches and offer additional support to ensure all families felt included and empowered.

Reflecting on the impact of parent engagement in the early years

Strong relationships with parents help to create a warm, collaborative culture in which families and practitioners work together to provide the best possible environment for children to learn and grow. Children thrive in communities where they are understood, valued, and supported. Evidence suggests that closely monitoring and meeting children’s needs through strong parent engagement in the early years leads to improved outcomes in literacy, communication, and socio-emotional development (Hindman et al., 2020). Enhancements in these prime developmental areas foster stronger attachment and support school readiness.

As early years practitioners, it is our responsibility to lay the foundations children need to thrive—and this cannot be achieved without the support of parents and families. As we continue to navigate a growing digital era, it is essential that we use technology intentionally to build meaningful and inclusive partnerships that place children at the heart of everything we do.

References

1. Curran, H., Dubiel, J. and Bates, A. (2023) Parental engagement in the early years, schools and beyond: What works and the implications for SEND. ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367656415_Parental_engagement_in_the_early_years_schools_and_beyond_what_works_and_the_implications_for_SEND [Accessed 16 July 2025].
2. Department for Education (DfE) (2024) Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage: Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2 [Accessed 16 July 2025].
3. EYFS.info (2024) Cultivating collaborative relationships: 5 strategies for parent engagement in early years education. Available at: https://eyfs.info/articles.html/general/cultivating-collaborative-relationships-5-strategies-for-parent-engagement-in-early-years-education-r428/ [Accessed 16 July 2025].
4. Goodall, J. and Montgomery, C. (2014) ‘Parental involvement to parental engagement: A continuum’, Educational Review, 66(4), pp. 399–410. DOI: 10.1080/00131911.2013.781576.
5. Hindman, A.H., Wasik, B.A. and Snell, E.K. (2020) ‘Closing the word gap: Implementing a parent engagement program to support language development in the home’, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 50, pp. 88–102. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.02.005.
6. Sheridan, S.M., Knoche, L.L., Kupzyk, K.A., Edwards, C.P. and Marvin, C.A. (2011) ‘A randomized trial examining the effects of parent engagement on early language and literacy: The Getting Ready intervention’, Journal of School Psychology, 49(3), pp. 361–383. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsp.2011.03.001.
7. Tamis-LeMonda, C.S., Shannon, J.D., Cabrera, N.J. and Lamb, M.E. (2004) ‘Fathers and mothers at play with their 2- and 3-year-olds: Contributions to language and cognitive development’, Child Development, 75(6), pp. 1806–1820. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00818.x.

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