Parents often know Educa is the right place to stay connected with their child’s learning, but they may not always know where in Educa to send a message. Conversations can give parents and teachers a clear place for ongoing questions and follow-up.
One recommended approach is for a teacher to create a Conversation with each child’s parents. The opening message can explain what the Conversation is for, so parents know they can return to the same place when they have a question.
Some centres may manage parent communication differently. The important thing is to have a clear approach that helps parents understand where to message teachers in Educa.
Why use Conversations for parent communication?
Conversations help keep parent-teacher communication clear, focused, and easy to find.
They can help centres:
Give parents one clear place to ask questions
Keep child-specific communication in Educa
Reduce separate emails and informal messages
Keep previous questions and replies together
Support consistent parent-teacher communication
Parents can use a Conversation to ask about:
Their child’s learning, development, or next steps
How their child is settling or taking part in routines
Follow-up questions from meetings, Learning Stories, or informal chats
When to use Conversations, comments, or notes
Educa gives parents and teachers a few ways to communicate. Each option works best for a different type of message.
Use | Best for | Example |
Conversations | General discussion or questions about a child’s learning, development, routines, or centre experience. | A parent asks how their child is settling or follows up after a meeting. |
Comments | Replies linked to something specific in Educa, such as a Learning Story, Message Board post, or plan. | A parent comments on a Learning Story to say what they noticed at home. |
Notes | Information recorded on the child’s profile for future reference. | A teacher or parent adds a note about a learning interest, support strategy, or family update. |
Use Conversations when the message is not tied to one specific story, post, or plan, and is better kept as part of an ongoing discussion.
Set expectations with families
When you introduce Conversations to parents, explain what they can use them for.
This may include:
Questions about their child’s learning or development
Follow-up after a Learning Story, meeting, or informal chat
Updates about how their child is settling
General centre or routine questions related to their child
It can also help to explain what Conversations are not for.
For urgent matters, parents should follow your centre’s usual urgent contact process, such as calling the centre directly.
Note for Site Admins
Site Admins can support teachers and parents by setting a clear centre-wide approach for Conversations.
This could include:
Whether teachers should create a Conversation for each child
Who should be included in parent Conversations
What types of messages should be sent through Conversations
When teachers should use comments or notes instead
How urgent messages should be handled
Any expectations around response times
Teachers and parents can only see Conversations they are part of. Site Admins can view all Conversations, which gives them the option to maintain oversight across the centre.
A shared approach helps parents receive consistent guidance, even when they have more than one child or teacher at the centre.
Suggested Conversation title
Use a clear title that includes the child’s name.
Examples:
[Child’s name] – Teacher and Parent Conversation
Questions about [child’s name]
Staying connected about [child’s name]
Example opening message
Hi,
I’ve created this Conversation so we have one easy place to stay in touch about [child’s name].
You can use this Conversation to ask questions about their learning, development, routines, or anything else you would like to check with me.
When a new message is added, everyone will receive an email notification, just like other Educa updates, so you can easily keep up to date.
Thanks,
[Teacher name]
How notifications work
When a new message is posted in a Conversation, parents are sent an email notification, just like other Educa notifications.
This means parents do not need to regularly check Educa to know when there is a new message. They can follow the email notification back to the Conversation and reply from there.
Teachers will also be notified in Educa, helping both sides keep the discussion in one place.