Building School Culture

Download our Family Partnership Agreement for Schools

A partnership with families is critical to the success of our school communities and makes all the difference in our ability to support children, teens, and families alike. Yet how can we best communicate our expectations to our families, ensuring that we are providing clear guidelines about both what they can expect from you and what you need from them to have a successful and vibrant partnership? We have developed a Family Partnership Agreement to ensure that all parties understand the expectations right from the start of the relationship. As we like to say, clarity is kindness!

How to Implement a Family Partnership Agreement

We recommend adding the Family Partnership Agreement to your existing Family & Student Handbook or providing it to families as an additional document to review and sign. At Greenspring Montessori School, all families sign the Agreement as a part of their enrollment process. 

What happens if a family is not adhering to the Partnership Agreement?

In school communities, it is best practice to always try to understand where the family is coming from and meet them where they are.  When we don’t understand behavior, or it doesn’t work for the community, we recommend stepping straight into these conversations. 

Communication is the key to healthy relationships. Needless to say, these conversations require heart and courage! First the Guide/Teacher generally has a conversation. Then, if we do not see the behavior change, an administrator becomes involved. 

A successful partnership meeting requires empathy, love, and strength. We focus the conversation on the Partnership Agreement and our need to be in partnership in order to best serve the child. School personnel must always bring our best selves to these meetings. We can not lose our tempers or let our emotions 

overtake us. As soon as we make the parent “wrong,” we lose the ability to be good partners to them. It is helpful to remember that we are serving as a role model to the family in this conversation, as well.

How do you approach the conversation?

Our approach is curiosity based. For example we may say, “Can you help me understand your upset yesterday at pick up?” We then use our active listening skills, so that the family feels heard and understood. Then we have the opportunity to share that while we understand their frustration, we need them to come to campus as role models for the children in our community. This means they may never yell at our staff. We generally find that once the parent has been heard, they are willing to take responsibility and agree to communicate in a manner that is both respectful and kind – even when they may be frustrated.

What if the school and family cannot work in partnership?

While we do our best to meet the needs of every family, we do not keep families in our community that can not adhere to the Family Partnership Agreement. This ensures that our staff feel safe and supported, and that the role models for our children on our campus are overwhelmingly positive.

Disclaimer

This document is meant to be a guiding document and may not be sufficient as a legally binding contract. Please have your attorney review any legal documents before sending them to families to sign. 

In addition, this article offers our experience in working through challenges with families. Every school must make their own decisions about how to address these challenges and proceed in the manner that best serves their community.

Credit

A big thank you to the Post Oak Montessori School in Texas who shared their Partnership Agreement with us many years ago. While our document has morphed a great deal over the years, we greatly appreciate their leadership and generosity.