My Story - How to Network with Other Parents

By Allison Harding

Playground politics can be hard work. And I’m talking about the parents, not the kids.

Making friends at a new kindergarten or school can be a daunting prospect – especially if drop-off and pick-up times are filled with laughing, chatting parents who already seem to be best buddies.

We’ve all heard how important networking is once your children start school. But what if you’re at work five days a week or have younger, demanding children or other responsibilities such as caring for an elderly parent? How are you supposed to fit chatty coffee mornings into your day?        

It is possible. You just need to be selective – but not snobby – about what you do and when you do it.

You might not be able to make coffee mornings during the day – so suggest a time that you can meet others. There are almost certainly others in the same boat.

If your children are in after-school care every day, why not suggest a weekend get together for the friends the youngsters are making in that environment?

After all, it’s an important part of their schooling – and a great way to meet other parents in the same situation. You might even be able to arrange some reciprocal pick-ups.

I knew no other parents when my daughter started at our local kindergarten. She had attended a work crèche in a different suburb and we hadn’t forged any local links. I thought the best way to start making some friends was to join the kindergarten committee.

As a journalist, it made sense for me to be the newsletter representative. The work involved producing a newsletter each term – the content was mainly supplied by the teachers and other committee members.

We met one evening a month. It didn’t take much time, but the friends I made on that committee are still close friends today, despite the fact our children headed to different schools. They were all busy women with other commitments, but they made the time to help the kindergarten, which in turn, of course, helped their children.

Helping is the best way to network. Most kindergartens and schools have a range of social, works and parent committees that you can join. If you somehow missed out on the information at enrolment, just ask the teacher or at the office.

Everybody has skills that can be useful in a school environment. You can work in the uniform shop, volunteer at the canteen, help out with literacy programs, take part in walking school bus programs, attend working bees, be involved in school concerts and fetes or accompany classes on excursions.

Make the effort to attend a school board meeting – you’ll become familiar with issues and have the chance to chat with teachers and parents from different classes. It’s in such situations that you often discover people live in your same street!

Involvement in such activities means you meet other parents, even if it’s only once a month or once a term when you can manage a morning off work. Most workplaces are family friendly enough to allow a parent to disappear occasionally for a school commitment.

If you’re shy, summon the courage to suggest a coffee after literacy or the canteen shift. The other parent might be delighted.

Being friendly with your children’s friends’ parents makes the world of difference. You become more comfortable with play dates and with allowing other people to collect your children.

Remember: having somebody to call in a crisis is a wonderful thing.