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The quality of interaction between children, parents and the kindergarten team is becoming an important criterion for evaluating preschool education. A few years ago, this trend was already reflected in the new edition of the ECERS-R scale for the comprehensive assessment of the quality of education at the School of Education. In a study of the reasons for parents’ dissatisfaction with kindergartens in Moscow, which was conducted by the author of the article, the trend was confirmed: it was the “interaction” criterion that was rated by parents significantly lower than other groups of criteria. The study showed that extreme manifestations of negativity in interaction (rudeness and rudeness of educators and administration towards children and parents, bullying and harassment, ignoring serious problems) lead to the decision to change the children’s school. The opinion of modern parents, who are increasingly involved in the educational process and become managers in the education of their children, requires special attention. Although kindergartens do not yet experience competition and do not fight for parental satisfaction and loyalty, customer retention, competition already exists in preschool education. Unfortunately, in Russian kindergartens, the interaction between all participants in the process is not given enough attention or the importance of this aspect is ignored in principle. There are still few methodological recommendations for establishing interaction, which also confirms the insufficient attention to the issue. The quality of communication can be improved through a comprehensive program of interaction with parents, strengthening their involvement, including through interactive programs, cultivating a personality-oriented model of interaction with children and families, taking into account high competition in the children’s environment and leveling it due to organizational issues and teaching children to build partnership models of interaction. The author analyzes in detail the aspect of interaction between staff, parents and children, talking about the results of his research, and gives recommendations for establishing high-quality interaction, referring to the development of methodologists and his own practical experience.

Keywords
Interaction between staff, parents and children in kindergarten, improving the quality of interaction, parent satisfaction with kindergarten, reasons for parental dissatisfaction, interaction criterion in the ECERS scale, student-centered approach, individual approach, student-centered pedagogy, satisfaction with preschool education , involvement of parents in the educational process.

Introduction

Children’s education is a customer-oriented service. Its consumers are primarily parents as persons choosing an educational institution, and indirectly – children. In the modern Russian educational system, there is a misunderstanding of this postulate, which does not negate its truth.

Parents are increasingly involved in the educational process and become managers of their children’s education. This trend is caused by the demographic situation and will be strengthened: the country is dominated by urban families with a good level of income, education and a small number of children – on average in Russia there are 1.7 children per family. Women give birth later (the average age of having a first child in Russia is 28), preferring to make a career first. Parents have the opportunity to take care of their children at a high level, to choose the best for them. For the last decades, child-centricity has been the main characteristic of families with children.

Modern parents are taking on more and more responsibility for organizing the educational path of their children. Their awareness of educational opportunities is growing, as is the variety of educational offerings on the market. And that means there is a choice. The level of demands made by mothers and fathers to educational services is increasing. They are no longer ready to put up with the rude attitude, rudeness and ignorance of teachers, the administration of educational institutions.

In order to turn a teacher towards personality-oriented education, one should talk about him/herself more often

school, the teacher as the only holders of knowledge that needs to be passed on to the new generation, then today the situation is changing: the main position is occupied by the family, parents, who now decide how, what, where and when their children will study” [Lyubitskaya, 2020].

The expectations and needs of parents as customers of children’s educational services must be studied in order to understand and meet the needs. After all, the extreme dissatisfaction of the parents leads to the decision to change the preschool educational institution. The outflow of pupils against the backdrop of increasing competition will become critical for the stable existence of a kindergarten of any form of ownership. Sooner or later, this will also affect the direct heads of state kindergartens and directors of complexes, who now, according to I.V. Abankina, do not feel competition in preschool education, although it exists and comes from the private sector [Abankina, Polivanova, 2019]. According to the results of the “Monitoring of the Economics of Education” of the Higher School of Economics, in 2017 the number of preschoolers in non-state preschool increased by 8.5% compared to the previous year [ibid.]. According to I. V. Abankina, only demand from families and their requirements can motivate preschool institutions to improve the quality of services [ibid.].

Existing monitoring, for example, the “Monitoring of the Economics of Education of the Higher School of Economics” in 2015, the monitoring of the TsENO IPEI RANEPA, conducted in 2016-2018, show that the proportion of parents who are dissatisfied with the quality of education is approaching 50%. To understand the reasons for the dissatisfaction of the parents of preschool educational institutions in Moscow and to understand what exactly makes parents decide to transfer to other kindergartens, the author of the article conducted a qualitative study.

Description of the study and main findings

In the second half of 2021, a qualitative study was conducted among parents of preschool children in Moscow to identify and describe the reasons for parents’ dissatisfaction with preschool educational institutions using the example of Moscow preschool educational institutions. It was attended by 20 mothers of children aged 3 to 7 from different districts of Moscow, attending kindergartens of various types and forms of ownership. The method of semi-structured interviews was used. The thematic framework for the questions was the international Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) [Shiyan, Vorobyeva, 2015].

Personally oriented communication with children is the main request of parents

The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) is a globally recognized methodology containing six groups of criteria. One of the groups of criteria – “interaction” – includes the criteria for interaction between children and caregivers and directly between children [Shiyan, Vorobyova, 2015].

In the new edition of the ECERS-R (Revised) scale, the 7th group of criteria appeared – “Parents and staff”, where the criteria include “interaction and cooperation of staff”, “providing the needs of parents” [Shiyan, Vorobyeva, 2015].

Research results

The “interaction” group of criteria leads in terms of parental dissatisfaction with a large margin from all other groups (types of children’s activity, care and attention, object-spatial environment, speech development and literacy). This indicator implies the interaction between children, educators, administration, parents. Reasons from this group are critical for transferring a child to another preschool.

Study participants complained that the individuality of the child was not taken into account, and that the caregivers acted in an overly strict, rude and unprofessional manner. They did not like strict discipline, increased requirements for clothes and shoes. The authoritarian position of the leader in relation to parents and the lack of attention of the leadership to the problem, the conclusions of teachers about the incorrect upbringing of the child by parents, work with a psychologist without the consent of the parents were mentioned. Mothers were dissatisfied with the quality of feedback on the affairs and progress of their child, they were concerned about relationships with peers. Finally, moms resented supporting the anti-vaccination stance with words and giving preference to unvaccinated children.

“Triangle” of interaction

Three groups of people enter into interaction in the process of preschool education: kindergarten staff, children and parents. Interaction occurs both between groups and within groups.

The kindergarten team consists of administration, educators and their assistants who are in direct contact with children. Since a single culture is assumed within the children’s institution, all employees of the kindergarten for the purposes of this article can be combined into one group.

Comprehensive Engagement Program

Kindergarten staff should become closer to parents in a broader sense: ensure a sufficient flow of information about what is happening, be available and take on some educational function. Good knowledge about the affairs of your child, the confidence that you can communicate with the teacher and administration without obstacles if necessary, reassures parents. Otherwise, anxiety arises, turning into aggression. And this is already a destructive position that will greatly complicate the dialogue.

Kindergarten communication methods with parents should be systematized into a document, for example, “Comprehensive program of interaction with parents”, defining the form and frequency. These can be personal meetings, a chat, an information stand, a group in social networks, holidays and open lessons, educational seminars for parents.

For personal communication with parents, it is recommended to establish rules: days and hours of reception. It is important not to confuse rules with obstacles: parents should have free access to the team in sufficient time allotted for this, without interfering with the work process. Moms and dads don’t have to make an appointment a month in advance in a 15-minute slot.

Parents need quality feedback about what is happening with their child: relationships with friends, educational process and progress, everyday aspects. Information on the daily routine can be transmitted during the meeting and seeing off of the child. Whatsapp group chat and a closed group on social networks are also well suited for this. Open lessons with the direct participation of parents are good for demonstrating the educational process. But the presence of parents as spectators is inappropriate: it is difficult for children, especially anxious ones, to do something for show. Such lessons can be held 2-3 times a year. The results of creative work can be shown at an exhibition in the hall, music classes – at holidays (with the invitation of parents), for which children are preparing with pleasure and without strain to the best of their strength and abilities, and not like “serf actors”. But you need to talk about the educational progress of the child in private. Regularity is also important here: for example, twice a year.

The information booth at the entrance is also a great way to keep parents informed. It can announce upcoming events and main news of the kindergarten. The main thing here is the quality of information presentation and its timeliness, timeliness. No one will read bureaucratic information in small letters. The same information should be duplicated in electronic form.

Modern parents will highly appreciate the interaction of the “advanced” level: seminars and trainings in developmental psychology, pedagogy, practical development of communication skills with children that parents do not own, but would like to use in everyday life. These are eco-friendly conflict resolution, coaching methods, pedagogical methods for the development of speech, fine motor skills, writing, games. In accordance with A. Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy, the possibility of obtaining and expanding the repertoire of parenting tools and methods and interacting with the environment about one’s own parenthood affects the level of mother’s self-efficacy, that is, her ability to solve the problem and achieve the desired result.

Another great collaboration tool is parenting advice, a strategic parenting session where moms and dads can show off their expertise. The topics of the councils can be different: the formation of a cultural and sports program, travel programs, organizing spaces for games and sports. Here, parents will be happy to help with their ideas, connections, and organization. Maybe their profession will allow them to provide highly qualified assistance in a certain area. One of the participants in the study, a mother-designer, with pleasure and free of charge, developed a design project and helped to equip the developmental space of the group at the most modern level.

Interactive and deliberative events seriously deepen the interaction between parents and the kindergarten, and this benefits everyone: the quality of educational services improves in the kindergarten, and the satisfaction of parents also grows – it directly depends on the involvement of parents in kindergarten life. Events in which parents have the opportunity to communicate with each other unite dads and moms. Belonging to a circle of like-minded parents also affects satisfaction. The significance of the family’s contribution to children’s achievements and the dependence of academic results on the degree of parental involvement were studied by F. Henderson, N. Berla, M. E. Goshin, T. A. Mertsalova, Mark Peters, J. Stylianides, K. A. Lubitskaya [Lyubitskaya, 2020; Mertsalova et al., 2018; Epstein, 1987; Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2005].

The main rules in building interaction between kindergarten employees and parents: courtesy, correctness, ethics and acceptance, a personality-oriented approach to a parent and his child.

Personally oriented model of interaction

In order for the communication of teachers with children to suit everyone, teachers must focus on a personal model of interaction with children. In fact, this is the main request of parents, a little more manifested in private kindergartens. Personalized communication, taking into account individual characteristics, is a service.

Personally oriented communication with children is the main request of parents.

The secret of accepting an idea, acquiring a skill and constantly using a personality-oriented communication model by educators lies in working with the teacher’s personality.

For the development of personality-oriented interaction with children, the teacher must have a high degree of self-acceptance. A low degree of self-acceptance is characterized by an intolerant attitude towards children, intemperance, rude authoritarian interaction, especially in difficult emotional situations [Maralov, 2020].

An excellent tool for interaction is parental advice

The established practice of professional development of a teacher through lectures, trainings for the tasks of developing a personality-oriented style of communication is ineffective and works only for instant situational elimination of the problem – after all, objectively nothing happens to the personality of the teacher.

Transformation must begin with the head of the preschool educational institution and the conscious formation of a supportive climate within the team. If a leader wants his teachers to treat each child warmly, kindly and individually, despite all children’s pranks and irregularities, he must also treat his subordinates warmly and kindly, with acceptance and sympathy, despite their mistakes and shortcomings. The employee himself will see his mistake and draw conclusions on how to act in order to avoid trouble in the future. A fine or a reprimand will not make a teacher softer and warmer in relation to children, colleagues and the leader himself. It is difficult for an educator who is constantly in tension and fear of punishment to adhere to a personality-oriented pedagogy. He will inevitably break out on those who are directly nearby – on children. In case of trouble that deserves punishment, you can act differently, sincerely sympathize: “I understand how upset you are, how offended you are. ” Another time, this teacher, inspired by the leader’s reaction, will try to be more attentive, quicker, kinder, more accurate, etc.

Of course, there are employees who regularly make mistakes. In this case, it is necessary to take responsibility for the wrong decision when hiring and say goodbye to the negligent employee.

In order to turn a teacher towards personality-oriented education, one should talk more often about himself. What did you like when you were in college? What is good with children? When children are happy, do parents notice, praise? It is necessary to rely on the strengths of each teacher and help him realize his potential. A coaching approach to management, relying on the advantages of each teacher and support is the foundation of a client-oriented kindergarten [Downey, 2003].

Harmonious relationships

Children’s environment is by definition highly competitive: quarrels and even fights often occur. Children should be in full view of the teacher at all times, this is a safety issue. The teacher should always be aware of children’s conflicts, but not always intervene. If the situation escalates, it is better to settle it from the role of an intermediary, moderator, without accepting someone’s point of view, joining the feelings of children. Talking to a child immediately after a quarrel, fight or unpleasant conversation is ineffective, as well as discussing the feelings of another. He is focused on his condition. Better to do it later, when the situation calms down. Then the children learn to negotiate.

Another effective way to reduce the level of competition is to manage risk within reasonable limits. The degree of willingness to take risks will be determined by the child himself: this is an excellent training in knowledge of his abilities and pumping the skill of asking friends or adults for help. For example, having built an object from a growth constructor and climbed onto it, the child himself decides from what height to jump. But it’s more fun to play this way not alone, but in two or three. It is important for the teacher not to stand over his soul and not control every step, otherwise the child will shift the responsibility for his safety to an adult.

Finally, to build a sense of shoulder, the ability to cooperate rather than compete, there are many exercises that should be included in the training program. Two children can simultaneously draw a pattern: the teacher or the guys from the group help them in this, counting or clapping. Friends are given the task to complete the maze without disengaging their hands, or complete the obstacle course at the same time. It is also useful for the teacher to be there in order to change the course of events of the children’s game in time. Children do not know how to control emotions, the teacher can prevent the consequences of aggressive behavior. Physical game exercises with the direct participation of the teacher himself can come to the rescue [Ershov et al. , 1998; Reutsky, 2010].

It is very important to let children play. Role-playing games are the basis of preschool development. An educator watching a child’s game can, if necessary, turn on, take on some role, throw in an accessory, a new thought, an idea. Then the game will find another direction and continue. Directing a children’s game is not worth it: let the children take an active position.

Sometimes the behavior of a certain child in a team is destructive, aggressive and affects the entire children’s team, and even the adult team. This should be of concern. To resolve the situation, you must definitely try to involve the family: find out from the parents about the situation, offer the help of a staff psychologist, draw up a plan of joint action.

Conclusion

Interaction between the team, children and parents is an important, but still underestimated parameter of the quality of educational services. In modern preschool education, according to the research of the author of the article, this is the weakest point. Its negative manifestation to a critical extent forces parents to make a decision to change the preschool educational institution. Now the outflow of pupils for state kindergartens is not critical, since they do not notice the pressure of competition. But this situation won’t last

forever: competition is intensifying, and the quality of interaction will have to be improved. This can be done in the following ways: consciously build communication with parents and involve them in the educational process; stimulate the use of a personality-oriented model of interaction between teachers and children and parents through the formation of a corporate culture and work with the personality of the teacher, his self-acceptance; reducing the level of children’s competition and emphasizing cooperation in raising children.

Figure 1. Group interaction in kindergarten

Literature

1. I. V. Abankina, N. V. Rodina, et al. (ed.). (2018). Participation of parents in providing quality pre-school education. Monitoring of the Economics of Education, 11(131). – Moscow: NRU HSE.
2. Abankina I. V., Polivanova K. N., Frumin I. D. (2019). From universal accessibility to modern quality. – Moscow: NRU HSE.
3. Downey M. (2003) Effective coaching. – St. Petersburg: PR_Publishing.
4. Ershov P. M., Ershov A. P., Bukatov V. M. (1998). Communication in the classroom, or directing the behavior of the teacher. – Moscow: Moscow Psychological and Social Institute, Flint.
5. Lyubitskaya K. A. (2020). Parental involvement in the formation of the educational space of children. DISSERTATION for the degree of Candidate of Science in Education. – Moscow.
6. Maralov V. G. (2020). Psychological features of the orientation of teachers to the personal model of interaction with children. – Moscow: Academic Project.
7. Mertsalova T. A., Goshin M. E. (2018). Types of parental involvement in education, family socioeconomic status and learning outcomes. – Questions of education, 3, 68-90.
8. Reutsky S. (2010). Cribs on animal bait. Games and physical education. — SPb., Educational projects. Agency for Educational Cooperation.
9. Shiyan O. A., Vorobieva E. V. (2015). New opportunities for assessing the quality of education: ECERS-R scales have been tested in Russia. Modern preschool education. Theory and practice, 7(59).
10. Epstein J. L. (1987). Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement: What Research Says to Teachers and Administrators. Education and Urban Society, 19(2), 119–136.
11. Hoover-Dempsey K. V., Walker J. M. T., Sandler H. M. (2005). Why do parents become involved? Research findings and implications. Elementary School Journal, 106(2), 105–130.

The quality of communication between parents, children and kindergarten staff

Svetlana Mikhailovna PODIEIANOVA

E-mail: [email protected]

Ph.D., master coach, co-founder of Talentville Kindergarten and School, (29/1, Lomonosovsky, pr. , 119 192, Moscow).

Abstract

The quality of interaction between children, parents, and kindergarten staff is becoming an important criterion for evaluating preschool education. A few years ago, this trend was already reflected in the new version of the ECERS-R comprehensive educational quality assessment scale. In the study of the reasons for parents’ dissatisfaction with Moscow kindergartens conducted by the author of the article, the trend was confirmed: it was the criterion of “interaction” that was rated by parents significantly lower than other criterion groups. The study showed that extreme manifestations of negative interaction (rudeness and boorishness of teachers and administration towards children and parents, bullying and harassment, ignoring serious problems) lead to the decision to change kindergartens. The opinion of today’s parents, who are increasingly involved in the educational process and are becoming managers of their children’s education, requires special attention. Although kindergartens are not yet experiencing competition and are not struggling for parental satisfaction and loyalty and customer retention, competition in preschool education already exists. Unfortunately, in Russian kindergartens, insufficient attention is paid to interaction between all participants in the process, or the importance of this aspect is ignored in principle. There are few methodological recommendations on how to establish interaction, which also confirms the lack of attention to the issue. The quality of interaction can be improved through a comprehensive program of interaction with parents, strengthening their involvement, including through interactive programs; cultivating a person-centered model of interaction with children and families; taking into account the high competition in the children’s environment and leveling it out through organizational moments and training children to build partnership models of interaction. In the article, the author examines in detail the aspect of interaction between staff, parents, and children, describing the findings of her study, and gives recommendations for establishing quality interaction, citing the development of methodologists and her own practical experience.

Keywords

Interaction of staff, parents and children in kindergarten, improving the quality of interaction, satisfaction of parents with kindergarten, reasons for parental dissatisfaction, criterion of interaction in the ECERS scale, personality-oriented approach, individual approach, personality-oriented pedagogy, satisfaction with preschool education, parental involvement in educational process.

References

1. Abankina I. V., Rodina N. V. et al. (2018) Parents’ participation in providing quality preschool education, 11(131). Moscow: HSE University. (In Russian).
2. Abankina I. V., Polivanova K. N., Froumin I. D. (eds.). (2019). From universal accessibility to modern quality: pre-school education in Russia. Moscow: HSE University. (In Russian).
3. Downey M. (2003). Effective Modern Coaching. (In Russian). Saint-Petersburg: PR_Publishing. (In Russian).
4. ECERS-R Scales Tested in Russia. Preschool Education Today. Theory and Practice, 7(59). (In Russian).
5. Epstein J. L. (1987). Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement: What Research Says to Teachers and Administrators. Education and Urban Society, 19(2), 119–136.
6. Ershov P. M., Ershov A. P., Bukatov, V. M. (1998). Communication in the classroom, or Directing of the teacher’s behavior. Moscow: Moscow Psychological and Social Institute, Flinta. (In Russian).
7. Hoover-Dempsey K. V., Walker J. M. T., Sandler H. M. (2005). Why do parents become involved? Research findings and implications. Elementary School Journal, 106(2), 105–130.
8. Luybitskaya K. A. (2020). Parental involvement in the formation of children’s educational environment. Moscow. (In Russian).
9. Maralov V. G. (2020). Psychological features of teachers’ orientation towards the personal model of interaction with children Moscow: Akademichesky Project. (In Russian).
10. Mertsalova T. A., Goshin M. E. (2018). Types of Parental Involvement in Education, Socio-Economic Status of the Family and Students’ Academic Results. Educational Studies Moscow, 3, 68-90. DOI: 10.17323/1814-9545-2018-3-68-90. (In Russian).
11. Reutsky S. (2010). Cheat sheets for animal acrobatics. Games and physical education. Saint-Petersburg. (In Russian).
12. Shiyan O. A., Vorobieva, E. V. (2015). New Opportunities in the Education Quality Assessment.

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