Active partnerships are an integral part of the Sunshine experience. At Sunshine Kids, we believe that children benefit most in partnerships with parents that involve consultation, collaboration and negotiation. To create workable partnerships, the centre acknowledges the variety of parenting practices and values the social and cultural diversity of families.

Partnerships between home and centre are strengthened when partners focus on :

	Enhancing the well being of children,
	Actively listening to each other,
	Seeking knowledge,
	Sharing understandings of the children,
	Respecting and responding to each other’s expertise and contribution,
	Communicating their expectations with openness and honesty.

Through both formal and informal channels, the strategies we use to communicate to parents may include :

	Visuals - photographs, samples of children’s literacy, pictorial and art work;
	Oral - telephone, discussions and parents-teachers meetings
	Written - notes, daily observation records, messages in the communication book