Parent partnerships and parent engagement have always been central to high-quality practice in early years settings. But in recent years it’s taken on a new level of significance, which is important for all involved – practitioners, parents, and children.
As parent expectations evolve, and Ofsted continues to highlight the importance of strong home-setting partnerships with their renewed framework, early years professionals are reassessing how they connect with parents and carers day to day. For nurseries, senior leadership teams, and childminders, understanding these shifts is essential for supporting all children’s learning, development, and long-term outcomes.
In this article, we’re exploring how parent engagement is changing and evolving, and why strengthening these relationships have never mattered more – giving you the practical strategies and fresh insight to enhance communication and collaboration with families.
The Importance of Parent Engagement for Parents and Early Years Settings
What is parent engagement, and why does it matter for settings? Parent engagement refers to how early years settings actively involve and engage parents in supporting their children. It encompasses different methods of engagement, such as:encouraging parents to engage with children at home and subsequentlyparticipate in the activities in settings; specific programmes for parents themselves; and more intensive programmes for disadvantages families.
In a 2023 analysis of parental engagement by Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), they reported that:
- “Parental engagement approaches have, on average, a positive impact of five months’ additional progress. It is crucial to consider how to engage with all parents to avoid widening attainment gaps. There is extensive evidence on the positive impact of parental engagement approaches.
- Positive effects have been detected for early reading outcomes as well as early language and number skills.
- There is variation in the effectiveness of different approaches, and settings should take care when developing their parental engagement approaches, and plan for effective ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
- Generally, interventions which target particular families or outcomes show greater progress” (Education Endowment Foundation 2023).
As such, parent engagement is part of the wider discourse on parent partnerships, whereby strong, positive partnerships with parents and carers is at the heart of effective early years leadership.
Common Challenges That Settings Face
A positive relationship is built upon trust, mutual respect, and transparency. However, developing positive parent partnerships is not always easy, and there is the possibility of coming across barriers when engaging with parents in your settings.The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) have noted that some of these barriers can include:
- Working parents may have little or no time to engage with practitioners during drop off/pick up times, and can feel out of the loop on how their child is doing
- Similarly, they may not be able to take the time off work to participate and attend events or workshops
- Parents with limited English may find it more difficult to communicate with nursery staff
- General stress may also play a role in how parents are feeling, and may not have the physical or mental capacity to engage in family sessions
Therefore, it’s essential to recognise these challenges, and work on strategies to make parent engagement accessible to all parents and carers.
The Latest Insights from Ofsted
As part of Ofsted’s renewed framework, they also noted the important relationship between parents and settings. At Childcare & Education Expo Midlands 2025, Sir Martyn Oliver His Majesty’s Chief Inspector Ofsted, delivered a speech on the latest developments and Ofsted updates, in which he shared:
“I know many of you here play both roles: that of parent as well as that of a childcare professional. And the revised framework is here to support both roles and ensure that everyone is working to the same high standards that I am sure you all are working to in this room.
This isn’t about parents versus nurseries, or parents versus childminders. We know the best settings are places where parents come to pick up their children every day and get to build those positive interactions and those strong relationships with professionals. We want a system where we all collaborate to get the best outcomes for children at every age – because that’s who it’s really about.”
The renewed approach seeks to improve those relationships by improving their system, including:
- A new inspection report card, giving more details to both settings and parents
- A new 5-point grading scale
- A new online insights platform to give parents important information about the childcare and education services in their local area
How Early Years Leaders Can Strengthen Parent Engagement
In response to the common challengesidentified, and renewed framework laid out by Ofsted, nursery owners and early years settings can better utilise and strengthen parent communication and engagement by:
- Using digital tools effectively, such as messaging apps, nursery software, or digital newsletters
- Creating inclusive communication strategies for diverse families
- Having regular touchpoints on learning updates, parent workshops, stay-and-play sessions, or home-learning ideas
- Building trust through transparency around learning, routines, and safeguarding
- Encouraging two-way dialogue rather than parents feeling they’re spoken at
Seminar Spotlight: Parent Partnerships & Difficult Conversations
At the upcoming Childcare & Education Expo London 2026, there will be a range of features to support early years leaders with these sector challenges, including our new Business Stage which offers CPD seminars designed exclusively to provide essential updates and practical insights for early education leaders.
For nursery owners and senior leadership teams looking to improve parent engagement within their settings should look to attend ‘Parent Partnerships & Difficult Conversations: Supporting All Families’, in which a panel of professions will be discussing approaches to having difficult conversations with confidence, sensitivity, and clarity, and sharing practical tools and techniques for managing conflict, setting expectations, and maintaining trust.
Attendees can expect to leave feeling equipped to strengthen parent relationships, support families effectively, and foster inclusive, collaborative environments.
High-quality parent engagement is integral to the success of early years settings and is increasingly emphasised in Ofsted’s expectations. To be a part of the conversation shaping parent engagement and partnerships, register for your free ticket and book your seminar seat in your Visitor Hub today.
