Early Childhood - Connecticut State Department of Education

Social-Emotional Competence and Family Relations Chapter 10
allergy to nuts can jointly think of ways to modify the
program to ensure that the child is safe, and plan for an
unanticipated emergency.
Early childhood staff members who have
concerns about a child’s developmental and functional
progress should discuss their concerns with the child’s
family. Initial strategies can focus on what needs to
be done differently in the classroom that can support
the child’s learning and success. This might mean an
environmental change, a change to the curriculum
and instruction, a change in child grouping or the
implementation of a behavior plan for the program.
Programs also may wish to pursue obtaining special
outside expertise. This expertise could come from the
program’s educational consultant or from an expert
with special skills and knowledge.
When program concerns have been identified
and shared with families, and, despite modifications
or adaptations in the classroom the child continues to
appear to be challenged by the teaching and learning
environment, it is time to look for more formal expertise.
Help Me Grow, at Infoline United Way of Connecticut,
is a statewide system available to parents and early
childhood programs. Help Me Grow is designed to
identify children who are at risk for developmental or
behavioral problems and is able to connect children
and their families to existing community resources.
Examples include the Connecticut Birth to Three System,
special education provided by school districts, a child
development monitoring program, and referral to health
and medical services. Families and early childhood
programs can contact Help Me Grow by dialing 211.
Communicating
Effective communication skills and strategies serve as the
basis for building all other relationships. When young
children observe positive and genuine communication
between their parents and teachers, they feel that their two
worlds are connected. Formal communication is needed
when everyone must receive the same information and
when accuracy is required. Suggestions include a parent
bulletin board, weekly messages, journals and a parent
handbook. Informal communication with parents should
happen every day. It occurs naturally when children are
brought to the program and/or when they are picked
up. Although most exchanges are casual, planning can
help to maximize such opportunities. Jotting down
something a child has done so it can be shared with
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parents at the end of the day is one way to make these
brief moments more meaningful and establish ongoing
relationships.
Parent Conferences
While a great deal of valuable information can be shared
in daily, informal communication, parent conferences
provide time for more in-depth exchanges of ideas
and for problem solving when needed. Conferences
are excellent times for teachers to ask parents to share
information that will help them meet individual
needs. Conferences also provide good opportunities to
help parents better understand a program’s goals and
objectives, and how their child is progressing. Helpful
guidelines for conducting parent conferences include
the following:
• Prepare parents in advance. Share the
purpose of the meeting, its anticipated length
and who will be present. Solicit parental
input on topics for discussion.
• Organize your thoughts and be prepared
with examples and work to help parents
understand your perspective.
• Establish a relaxed and open tone for the
meeting. It is important that all participants
know that their contributions are valued.
• Solicit parent perceptions, hopes and goals.
Be sure to provide time to address their
concerns and questions.
• Be descriptive. Celebrate the child’s growth
and avoid labeling or judging.
• Share the curriculum and performance
indicators with parents and provide examples
of their child’s performance in the various
domains.
• Approach the conference as an opportunity
to problem-solve with parents. Prepare, in
advance, some possible strategies but remain
open and willing to search together for
answers.
• Seek opportunities to agree on goals. Use
the conference to work together on an action
plan of steps for home and school in order to
achieve these goals.
• Set a time to talk again, even if by phone,
and take responsibility for keeping parents
informed.