Educational partnership in remote VVE: effective principles in providing virtual support to parents of at-risk students

Parents are important partners in early childhood education (ECE) programs aimed at preventing educational disadvantages. As a result of the COVID-19 measures, support for parents who participate in such programs has come under pressure. The Dutch Expertise Center (Nijmegen) and the PAS Foundation (Arnhem) have therefore investigated in this project how parents were involved before/during and after the lockdown, what bottlenecks were experienced, but what also worked when offering remote support from the VVE. . Goal This project investigated how parents were involved in VVE programs, before/during/after the lockdown, what bottlenecks were experienced, but also what effective practices have proven to be effective in providing remote support to parents in the context of VVE. Two questions were central: How have the VVE services progressed during the COVID-19 measures from the perspective of professionals and parents? What are effective practices when providing remote HOA? Research design A national exploration was carried out using a digital questionnaire, interviews with a number of VVE professionals and a structured review of scientific sources. Results Based on the survey results, the following effective practices for providing remote support to parents have been suggested: Reciprocity in contact with parents; Clear communication; Combination of media (spoken, written and image); Different communication channels (both synchronous and asynchronous); Taking diversity into account; Request feedback; Digital skills; Provide an overview; Modeling; Expand parent networks. You can read more information about the results in the report and the flyer for VVE providers