Martine van der Pluijm

113 How can teachers build partnerships? All teachers reported that they perceived improvements for parents or children. Most teachers agreed that children appreciated the presence and the one-to-one contact with their parents. Teacher 9 reported: “ They feel special if their parent comes into the classroom and plays with them. They just love sharing things from school and home .”Many teachers emphasized that these moments of contact were precious because they had the impression that these stimulating interactions rarely occurred at home. Teacher 1 explained: “ Children tell me that they did something at home with their parents, but I wonder whether they really used language during these moments .” Several teachers reported that children were more open to contact, were proud, and used more vocabulary. Many teachers agreed that parents became more confident, used teachers’ examples of how to interact with the child, asked more questions, were more aware of what their child was learning, and used more difficult words. Some teachers reported that parents experienced eye-openers (“Oh, that’s why playing is important”) and used these experiences home. Teacher 11 said:“ I see that parents knowmore about the simple things they can do at home and that they enjoy doing them in the classroom and at home.” Next, we asked the teachers about how satisfied they were after using AHL. Twelve teachers were satisfied. Most teachers reported that their new role with parents was more satisfying than before. Teacher 5 explained: “ Yes, satisfaction and insight. It’s intensive, but you get something in return. I feel satisfied when there are so many parents in the classroom that you have managed to create a low threshold for parents. I am grateful for these new insights. ” One of the teachers who participated less in the professionalization activities was not satisfied. Some teachers said that they were less enthusiastic when improvements were slower than they had expected. Teacher 9 recalled: “ Sometimes it’s difficult to be satisfied with the small steps you make.” For some teachers, it was difficult to accept that some parents were unable to help their child and use language. Teacher 1 reported: “ If you have a very limited vocabulary in Dutch and in your native language, then it is hard to really understand .” Teacher 12: “ It’s sometimes frustrating if it doesn’t work. Sometimes it just doesn’t work. ” Finally, all teachers reported that they would continue their work with parents after the research period. They all agreed that the program provided the necessary tools and that it was compatible with their usual program. Some reported wanting to continue with AHL because it facilitated their activities with the children. Teacher 5 explained: “ Now it’s easier to talk with parents about their children’s development during the school report meetings.” Teacher 4: “That parents work with us this way gives me a warm feeling. And I can do my work with the children much more easily. They knowmore, they are more open, they talk more. Everything is coming along more smoothly. ” Ten teachers suggested improvements to the program, such as providing more time to work with parents or changing school policy to involve parents more. The most important reason for teachers to continue with AHL was its effectivity. Teacher 14 explained: “ Yes, we’ll continue this. If you experience that it works, then you want to continue. ” Teacher 10,