Engaging with families through positive communications is an essential part of an early childhood educator’s role. What we do in terms of reaching out to families shapes how they, in turn, reach back to us. Families who feel welcome in the program are more likely to participate and become involved.

For this assignment, you will be creating a positive communication that you could use as a tool for connecting with and sharing information with families. To get started, think about something important that you would like to let families know about (for example, an upcoming special event or the opportunity to visit the center). Alternately, you might choose to share some child development information (for instance, reinforcing the importance of keeping a regular schedule or about reading to children every day). Think about how to share your communication with all families, including those who are from diverse culture and language backgrounds.

For the assignment, create a 1-page positive communication flyer or newsletter using one of the two templates provided below. (Or, use your own template if you prefer.)

Flyer Template

Newsletter Template

Be sure to include all required information about who the information is for, why it’s important, what will be happening (an event or visit), and/or what you want them to know (such as if they need to RSVP or not). If you are thinking about an event, be sure to include where it will be held, as well as the time. Lastly, include your name and contact information so families know who and how to reach you if they have questions.

[Organization]

Upcoming Events

[Date]

[Event Name]

[Date]
[Event Name]
[Date]
[Event Name]

Important Announcement

[To replace a photo with your own, just right-click it and then choose Change Picture.]

[Street Address, City, ST ZIP Code]

[Website] T: [Telephone]

Make It Your Own
It takes just a couple of clicks to give a template like this one a whole new look.
On the Design tab of the ribbon, check out the Themes, Colors, and Fonts galleries to preview different looks from a variety of choices. Then just click to apply the one you like.
Show Off Your Style
You make your fabulous style look easy. So do we.
We’ve created styles that let you match the formatting you see in this template in no time. On the Home tab of the ribbon, check out the Styles gallery to apply any text style used in this newsletter.

More Important News

In the Community

[Event Name]

[You can add a description and key information about event here.]

[Event Name]
[You can add a description and key information about event here.]

Paint a Picture
If you add pictures to other parts of your newsletter and want to match the cool, two-part border on the photo you see at the top of each page, just paint it!
Format Painter, on the Home tab of the ribbon, works for graphics just like it does for text. All you do is select a photo that contains the formatting you want, click Format Painter, then click the photo where you want to apply that format. Wasn’t that fun?
Tables Aren’t Just For Numbers
The shaded and bordered areas of this template are created using tables. In fact, when you add a table in this template, you’ll get that formatting automatically.
On the Insert tab, click Table and you’re on your way!
To make it even easier, after you click Table, choose Quick Tables and you’ll see a sample table that’s been formatted to match this template exactly.
A Quick Sidebar…
If you add another page, you can also add a new sidebar.
Just click in the first paragraph on the new page. Then, on the Insert tab of the ribbon, click Text Box to choose either of the sidebar layouts you see in this template.