{"id":464100,"date":"2025-12-29T12:15:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T17:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/?p=464100"},"modified":"2026-02-09T08:29:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:29:21","slug":"3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Engaging with parents is a vital part of kids and youth ministry\u2014and it isn\u2019t always easy. Parents and caregivers play a huge role in the faith development of their kids, which means the way we communicate, support, and partner with them really matters. When we work together, kids are better supported both at church and at home.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s natural to want to jump straight into creating a family strategy, but real partnership begins with trust. Families won&#8217;t automatically trust us just because we lead a ministry\u2014and that\u2019s okay. Trust is built slowly, through consistency, empathy, and follow-through. When families know we care about their kids and respect their role, trust has room to grow.<\/p>\n<p>And honestly, trust isn\u2019t built through words alone. Parents and caregivers need more than encouragement\u2014they need practical, tangible tools they can actually take home and use. When we provide clear, helpful resources that support them in their everyday role, we show that we\u2019re not just talking about partnership\u2014we\u2019re committed to it.<\/p>\n<p>Here are three tools you can offer to parents to build trust and help them do the difficult job of raising kids and teenagers.<\/p>\n<h4><strong><em>1. PARENT HANDBOOK<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>A Parent Handbook can be the first real glimpse parents get into your ministry\u2014and that makes it a powerful trust-building tool. It answers the question many parents are already asking\u2013 <em>\u201cCan I trust this place with my kid?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A thoughtful handbook gives you space to clearly and warmly communicate&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">Who you are as a ministry<\/li>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">What you value and where you\u2019re headed<\/li>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">How families can connect with you and your team<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s also where families can find practical details about safety guidelines, check-in and check-out procedures, and what to expect when their kids are with you. When parents see that you\u2019ve been intentional about both safety and spiritual growth, it reassures them that their kids are in good hands.<\/p>\n<p>We recommend sharing your Parent Handbook at key moments\u2014like an <a href=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/families\/open-house-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-gc-link=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/families\/open-house-1\">Open House<\/a> to kickoff your year or a <a href=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/families\/parent-small-group-leader-breakfast-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-gc-link=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/families\/parent-small-group-leader-breakfast-1\">Parent and Small Group Leader Breakfast<\/a>\u2014and keeping extra copies available for new families throughout the year. Updating it annually with a fresh cover, current staff info, or small vision tweaks helps it feel current and cared for, not forgotten.<\/p>\n<h4><strong><em>2. PARENT SURVEY<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>A Parent Survey is one of the simplest ways to show parents that you want to understand them\u2014not just invite them to what you&#8217;ve already planned. Each year, there\u2019s important information you need to collect, but surveys can do more than gather data. They create an opportunity to listen.<\/p>\n<p>Through a short, thoughtful survey, you can learn things like \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">The ages and stages of kids in each family<\/li>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">What parents love most about raising kids or teenagers<\/li>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">Where they feel uncomfortable, uncertain, or in need of support<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But the real impact comes after the survey is completed. When you follow up, acknowledge what parents share, or reach out with a simple note or conversation, trust deepens. Families can feel seen. They can feel heard. And they\u2019re more likely to believe that you\u2019re truly on their team.<\/p>\n<h4><strong><em>3. PARENT TIP VIDEOS<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Your ministry doesn\u2019t stop with the kids and teenagers who show up each week\u2014it extends to the families who are walking with them every day. That\u2019s why regular, ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/volunteers\/volunteer-parent-communication-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-gc-link=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/volunteers\/volunteer-parent-communication-1\">communication<\/a> matters so much.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of saving all your parent engagement for one or two meetings throughout the year, consider offering small, consistent moments of encouragement. Monthly <a href=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/families\/parent-tip-videos-for-kids-youth-ministry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-gc-link=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/families\/parent-tip-videos-for-kids-youth-ministry\">Parent Tip videos<\/a> are a simple way to do exactly that. These short videos can offer \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">Encouragement when parenting feels overwhelming<\/li>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">Practical advice for common challenges<\/li>\n<li data-gc-list-depth=\"1\" data-gc-list-style=\"bullet\">Helpful resources parents can actually use<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Over time, these touch points communicate something powerful: <em>\u201cWe\u2019re here for you.\u201d<\/em> And to make it sustainable, you can batch-record your videos once or twice a year and schedule them out\u2014making it easier for you while still being meaningful for parents.<\/p>\n<p>With each of these tools, you&#8217;ll be working to build trust with parents by providing them with helpful tips, encouragement, and resources. Getting each of these tools up and running might seem like a lot of work, but you already know parents are worth it.<\/p>\n<p>And with Grow you don\u2019t have to build these tools from scratch. In the Grow Marketplace, you\u2019ll find ready-to-use <a href=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/families\/parent-tools-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-gc-link=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/all-ages\/families\/parent-tools-5\">Parent Tools<\/a> designed to fit your ministry and your context! Whether you\u2019re planning months ahead or looking for something you can use right away, the Grow Marketplace makes it easy to find exactly what you need, when you need it. Grow is more than just curriculum\u2014it\u2019s everything you need for your ministry, for the whole year or just for next week.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Engaging with parents is a vital part of kids and youth ministry\u2014and it isn\u2019t always easy. Parents and caregivers play a huge role in the faith development of their kids, which means the way we communicate, support, and partner with them really matters. When we work together, kids are better supported both at church and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":371,"featured_media":464101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[239,386,83,84],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-464100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-families","8":"category-families-home","9":"category-kids-ministry-blog","10":"category-youth-ministry-blog"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.0 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year | Grow Youth &amp; Kids Ministry Curriculum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn practical ways to help teenagers discover and use their gifts through service, encouragement, and discipleship in your youth ministry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Engaging with parents is a vital part of kids and youth ministry\u2014and it isn\u2019t always easy. Parents and caregivers play a huge role in the faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grow Youth &amp; Kids Ministry Curriculum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/stuffyoucanuse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-29T17:15:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-09T13:29:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/grow-logo.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kyle Barrett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kyle Barrett\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\\\/\",\"name\":\"3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year | Grow Youth &amp; Kids Ministry Curriculum\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Blank-23ToolsParent.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-29T17:15:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-09T13:29:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn practical ways to help teenagers discover and use their gifts through service, encouragement, and discipleship in your youth ministry.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Blank-23ToolsParent.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Blank-23ToolsParent.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":562},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/\",\"name\":\"Grow Youth & Kids Ministry Curriculum\",\"description\":\"Children&#039;s Ministry and Student Ministry Resources\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Youth Ministry Curriculum\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/1-4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/1-4.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Youth Ministry Curriculum\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/growcurriculum.org\\\/go\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/stuffyoucanuse\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/stuffyoucanuse\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year | Grow Youth &amp; Kids Ministry Curriculum","description":"Learn practical ways to help teenagers discover and use their gifts through service, encouragement, and discipleship in your youth ministry.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year","og_description":"Engaging with parents is a vital part of kids and youth ministry\u2014and it isn\u2019t always easy. Parents and caregivers play a huge role in the faith","og_site_name":"Grow Youth &amp; Kids Ministry Curriculum","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/stuffyoucanuse","article_published_time":"2025-12-29T17:15:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-09T13:29:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":200,"height":200,"url":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/grow-logo.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Kyle Barrett","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kyle Barrett","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/","url":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/","name":"3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year | Grow Youth &amp; Kids Ministry Curriculum","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Blank-23ToolsParent.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-29T17:15:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-09T13:29:21+00:00","description":"Learn practical ways to help teenagers discover and use their gifts through service, encouragement, and discipleship in your youth ministry.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Blank-23ToolsParent.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Blank-23ToolsParent.jpg","width":1000,"height":562},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/3-tools-parents-need-from-you-this-year\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/#website","url":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/","name":"Grow Youth & Kids Ministry Curriculum","description":"Children&#039;s Ministry and Student Ministry Resources","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/#organization","name":"Youth Ministry Curriculum","url":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/1-4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/1-4.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Youth Ministry Curriculum"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/stuffyoucanuse","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/stuffyoucanuse"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/371"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=464100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":464103,"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464100\/revisions\/464103"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=464100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/growcurriculum.org\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=464100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}