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How to Get Parents to Know, Like, and Trust You

Welcome to November...the month we show gratitude for our parents! 

Welcome back to Special Education for Beginners! In this week’s episode, we’re continuing our November theme of Family Ties: Strengthening Parent Partnerships in Special Education—and today, we’re digging into one of the most foundational strategies: helping families know, like, and trust you.

As special educators, we’re often the case manager, service provider, and meeting facilitator all rolled into one—but to a parent, we’re still just a new face sitting across the table talking about their child. That’s a huge emotional gap, and if we want to create meaningful, long-lasting partnerships, we’ve got to close that gap intentionally.

So when they meet you for the first time, they’re not just listening to what you say… they’re watching closely to see if you’re different.
Are you listening to them? Do you care? Can they trust you?

🔑 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why familiarity matters when working with families of students with disabilities
• How to intentionally introduce yourself and build initial trust, even when parents are guarded or uncertain
• Easy ways to become someone parents actually enjoy working with (hint: it’s not about being perfect—it’s about being real)
• Why follow-through builds trust—and what can happen when you drop the ball
• Practical tools that support consistent, meaningful, and professional communication all year long

This episode is filled with real talk from the classroom and practical tips you can implement tomorrow to make your parent communication stronger and more sustainable.

🧰 Featured Resource:

💛 Parent Communication Logs & Reports

This tool was built specifically to help you:

• Track every phone call, email, or note home
• Keep a record of what you promised and what parents shared
• Share positive feedback with easy-to-use templates
• Use a Parent Survey to learn how each family wants to communicate
• Keep IEP conversations clear and organized with printable documentation forms

Whether you're printing and filing or using it digitally with Google Forms, this resource makes it simple to stay organized, intentional, and relationship-focused.

🎯 Grab the resource here

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