Parent Phone Calls and Communication

A few things in life have the power to make your stomach clench and your breath hitch, and unfortunately getting an unsolicited call from your child’s school is one of those things! Most schools emphasize parent contact for both serious and non-serious issues, but in that moment, when the phone rings, you have no idea which it will be. This is why we start off each conversation with who we are, where we are calling from, and the phrase “it’s not an emergency your child is ok!” (Of course in a true emergency we would lead with what action was being taken, such as calling 911, administering an epi-pen, etc.)

So why are we calling you? Here are a few of the most common reasons you might see our number pop up on your phone.

• We have a question: it could be as simple as, “Did Johnny eat anything purple for breakfast?” or even, “Have you noticed any new behavior at home?”
• We need something from you: “Johnny is out of diapers; can you bring more at pickup?” “Jane’s shoe has broken can someone drop off a new pair?”
• We want to inform you: “Your wallet is in Johnny’s backpack!” “Jane pooped on the potty for the first time!”
• We’re excited to meet you! We may call just to introduce ourselves as your child’s teacher, and check in before their first day!
• In the event of an ouch from the neck up, we always call to let you know, from a small scratch due to their favorite toy, or a bump due to a tumble off a bike. In some cases, we will even ask you to come by and take a look. As the parent, you know your child best, and we want you to make the call on whether or not they are fine to stay. However sometimes bumps are not to be messed with and we may require you to take them home, and ask for a doctor’s night for them to return. We know that this involves a lot of scheduling and often calling on a grandparent, aunty or uncle for help, it may even involve missing work, but please be assured that at the end of the day we have the same goal as you, to keep your baby safe and healthy.
• Sometimes kids just aren’t feeling well, we will often give parents calls when we notice things out of character, with behavior, bowel movements, or general wellness. We take temperatures often and if a child is running a low grade fever we may ask you to come pick up. High fevers mean you’ll get a call to pick up immediately.
• There may also be a school wide announcement and we missed you in person so we’re calling to follow up.

Rest assured that we take communication very seriously and will always reach out to you when it comes to your child. It’s also a two-way street! We welcome you to reach out to us with questions, feedback, to check in, or just to let us know upcoming things that may affect your child. Communication is key, and we are constantly trying to improve and refine our communication styles.