---
title: Communicating Inclusively with Parents and Caregivers | Kaplan Early Learning Company
description: This entry explores how teachers can set the stage for family diversity by examining classroom practices that can encourage or discourage inclusiveness in communications with families.
image: https://blog.kaplanco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ginger-welch-family-communication_a-1.jpg
---

# Communicating Inclusively with Parents and Caregivers

Staff WriterJanuary 16, 2020[Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion](https://blog.kaplanco.com/tag/diversity-equity-inclusion), [Accessibility and Inclusion](https://blog.kaplanco.com/tag/accessibility-and-inclusion)2 minute read

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***This entry is the second in a blog series on gender identity in preschool, written by child psychologist and early education author Dr. Ginger Welch. This entry explores how teachers can set the stage for family diversity by examining classroom practices that can encourage or discourage inclusiveness in communications with families.***

Have you decided that you're ready to examine your classroom communication style for gendered messages? Great! Here are a few common practices that can help you get started on inclusive communication.

- ** Going with *they*:** Like me, you probably grew up thinking that he and she are singular, and they is plural. Hold on to your seat, because they is now widely accepted as appropriate for individuals. It gets us out of the he-or-she box and is more inclusive for parents and children alike.

### About the Author

Dr. Ginger Welch is a former early childhood educator and current licensed psychologist and infant-mental-health mentor who has provided early intervention and early childhood mental-health services for over twenty years. As a full-time clinical associate professor at Oklahoma State University, she conducts research on early childhood trauma and child maltreatment and routinely presents at national conferences, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Zero to Three. Dr. Welch is the author of the resource books [*How Can I Help? A Teacher's Guide to Early Childhood Behavioral Health*](https://www.kaplanco.com/product/30756/how-can-i-help-a-teachers-guide-to-early-childhood-behavioral-health) and [*The Neglected Child: How to Recognize, Respond, and Prevent*](https://www.kaplanco.com/product/27685/the-neglected-child-paperback).

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