Building Your Relationships
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The most important part of any community led project is the community itself.
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Tell your community what you are doing and get them onboard. Door knocking in your local area and making time to meet people one to one are great ways to build power through relationships and get people involved. Putting up posters and distributing flyers so that people recognise you and have heard about the project when they meet you is a great way build people's confidence in the project.
Have somewhere to invite people to come if they are interested. A weekly meet up or stay and play session offers an invaluable way to begin to build on your relationships and continue to meet new people while exploring, testing and demonstrating ideas for the nursery you want to build together. It is a great no pressure way for families come and see what the project is all about without the initial worry of a commitment. Carers can get to know you and connect with other local carers. It places childcare, parental support and community at the heart of your project right from the start.
Ensure different ways and times to participate in the project to increase accessibility. Not all parents will be able to make weekday sessions and not everyone will want to come to a stay and play. Alongside the stay and play having different ways to engage with the project such as workshops, talks, weekend coffee mornings and community meals will offer wider range of ways that people can access the project. It also create opportunities for other family members who might be working during the week to visit the project and get involved. You may want to work with local parents to run targeted groups, for example a local Dad's only session, to reach people who aren't as visible in other sessions.
Maintain and grow your relationships once you have them. Its great to check in with people regularly. Find out what they are interested in and what they can offer to the project. Inviting people to take on roles and lead activities and valuing all contributions whatever the size is an important part of this process. It will also help you to continue to evolve your activities and demonstrate your commitment to being community-led.
Have somewhere to invite people to come if they are interested. A weekly meet up or stay and play session offers an invaluable way to begin to build on your relationships and continue to meet new people while exploring, testing and demonstrating ideas for the nursery you want to build together. It is a great no pressure way for families come and see what the project is all about without the initial worry of a commitment. Carers can get to know you and connect with other local carers. It places childcare, parental support and community at the heart of your project right from the start.
Ensure different ways and times to participate in the project to increase accessibility. Not all parents will be able to make weekday sessions and not everyone will want to come to a stay and play. Alongside the stay and play having different ways to engage with the project such as workshops, talks, weekend coffee mornings and community meals will offer wider range of ways that people can access the project. It also create opportunities for other family members who might be working during the week to visit the project and get involved. You may want to work with local parents to run targeted groups, for example a local Dad's only session, to reach people who aren't as visible in other sessions.
Maintain and grow your relationships once you have them. Its great to check in with people regularly. Find out what they are interested in and what they can offer to the project. Inviting people to take on roles and lead activities and valuing all contributions whatever the size is an important part of this process. It will also help you to continue to evolve your activities and demonstrate your commitment to being community-led.
Alejandra, a parent at Friendly Families Nursery, described this as the project as having ‘open doors’
“You will be taken into account, considered. I felt good about myself being there. The doors that were opened by the team meant I could help out, if I was in the kitchen making snacks for my child I could make them for all the children. Leading the singing at the stay and play I could do easily, people were happy and I felt useful. I’m quite shy but at the nursery I felt I could express myself. I went from isolation to being part of a community. Like a home or family, we felt comfortable.”
“You will be taken into account, considered. I felt good about myself being there. The doors that were opened by the team meant I could help out, if I was in the kitchen making snacks for my child I could make them for all the children. Leading the singing at the stay and play I could do easily, people were happy and I felt useful. I’m quite shy but at the nursery I felt I could express myself. I went from isolation to being part of a community. Like a home or family, we felt comfortable.”
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Talk to us about your co-produced childcare project by emailing [email protected]
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