A.k.a: Dealing with Parents! Holding Parents Accountable Developing Rules and Policies, and Enforcing Them

Not all parents are as difficult as we will make them out to be. Many are wonderful, kind people that will step back and let you do your jobs. Furthermore, even the individuals who are the most challenging to deal with often have good intentions, and that is important to remember. This presentation focuses on some of the overlying issues that program administrators often have in dealing with parents, and some preemptive steps that they can take to avoid such issues. Preface:

Parents Suck! We do this job because of the kids It’s easy dealing with difficult kids if the parents aren’t difficult Every kid is special in the parent’s eyes

Without them, there are no kids… They can be useful, and they like to be involved - this can be a good thing! When they are unhappy, they can make minor issues seem very large The happier you can keep the parents, the more they trust you Parents are Important

All policies should be made in the best interest of the sailors – How do we provide them with a safe and educational program? What are some potential issues that we may have, and how can we preemptively address those issues? What are some concerns that parents might have that we can cover in our policies to try to avoid any concerns altogether? Developing Rules and Policies

Important things to cover: – Safety – Expectations – Roles of the sailors, instructors/coaches, and parents – Communication paths – Discipline Policy – Personal Grievance Policy Be thorough, but concise Have your club lawyer look over what you have written before publicizing it Participant and Parent Agreement Developing Rules and Policies

The Fun Part: Enforcing Them! Once your policies are in place, how do we make them work?

Troubleshooting Try to not laugh at parents concerns Take their concerns seriously… see if there is a way to learn and implement something to fix it the problem Directors take the heat – Instructors send troubled parents to Director – Instructors should be there to teach

Know Your Support System What is the line of command when there is an issue? – Instructor/Coach > Head Instructor/Program Director > Commodore/General Manager (Hopefully you don’t have to rely on this guy)

Keep Instructors Proactive Every instructor is out front greeting parents and sailors Constant attention No sitting… No gabbing… – Especially no stories about last night! Smile

Check in and out! Provide each instructor with a check-in list – Parents are instructed to sign in and out each sailor with their specific instructor Parents get to know the instructor Both instructors and parents have a daily dialogue Kids don’t go missing… Instructors know who is there for the day – Doubles as an attendance list – Are there any issues? Medications? Etc.

Get to know the Parents They’re much easier to deal with if they love you!

The Secret to Success: Communication Provide parents and sailors with all of the information that they need – Policies and Rules – Program Information and Logistics – Calendars Preseason meetings If you provide the information up front, they will have fewer questions and concerns

When things get tough… remind yourself why you do this job! Martha Pitt – Jon Faudree –