COMMUNICATION is KEY! While some parents are fantabulous to work with others are not so much...SO in order to keep such communication with those not so involved parents you must have strategies. Some of the strategies I would use in my classroom would be to have a meet and greet before the school year started. Although this seems very simple most parents work hours or days that are difficult to reach, so I would offer this on a few different days as well as a different time slots. If a parent has communicated with me that neither days will work for them I would be sure to either set up a special meeting at a time they could attend or to communicate some other way via email or phone call. By doing this I am showing the parents that I care about their child and getting to know them and their families better, and that I would go the extra mile for them! Another great strategy would be to invite the parents for special days such as 100th day of school or Green Eggs and Ham day during Dr. Suess week. Anytime there is a special celebration day or activity going on I would be sure to invite the parents or guardians to the school to be there with their children. A news letter at the start of each month or even week would be wonderful to send home with the kids in their take home folder. The newsletter could contain updates on classwork, field trips, special guests, lunch menu, pictures, etc. That way the parents would feel more involved or "in the know" of what their kids are doing all day at school. Having regular parent teacher meetings will help with making the family feel more welcome so that during that time they can see how the room is laid out and the art work or classwork their child has done. The importance of such strategies is that the more involved you keep your students families, the more welcome they will feel with you as a teacher and more comfortable with their child being left in your hands of knowledge and care.