Best Questions to Ask During a Parent-Teacher Conference
For many parents of children under five, the parent-teacher conference seems a bit premature. With no homework and daily reports, you may wonder what is there to discuss. Well, Megan Kellogg, director of Doodle Bugs! in McCandless, says there can be a lot to talk about during these meetings. Learning about your child’s independence or ability to share will offer you insight on how to help her get the most of her early education experience.
According to Kellogg, the teacher will come prepared to discuss how your child is doing overall in the class with developmentally appropriate activities, skill building and general demeanor. Conferences are also an opportunity to review your child's assessment portfolio (a personalized collection of work samples, photos and developmental checklists) with the teacher. However, the teacher may not know your concerns or the specific areas you’d like to work on at home, so come prepared with questions. Use the ones below as a starting point:
What activities can I do at home to help reinforce the skills she’s learning at school?
What is my child’s learning style?
What are my child’s strengths and weakness; and how do I address them at home?
Is she on track developmentally?
Are there specific activities/learning centers that she is most drawn to or stays away from?
How can I become more involved with the center activities?
“Keep in mind, the parent-teacher conferences are a status check for parents and an opportunity for quality one-on-one face time with the teacher. If there was a real problem, the director would contact you immediately. This is your chance to provide feedback or learn more about your child’s early learning experience,” Kellogg said.
Doodle Bugs! Children’s Centers provides education-based care for children ages six weeks to 12 years, including Preschool/Pre-K and Summer Camp programs. The BRAVO! Curriculum ®, which is professionally designed and exclusive to Doodle Bugs!, combines theme-related, developmentally appropriate classroom experiences, all-inclusive enrichment activities and a series of center events. Enrichment activities include Tae Kwon Do and Doodle Dance & Fitness.
Doodle Bugs!, located at 8900 Duncan Ave, utilizes unique safety features, including the new SafePass™ system, which is a biometric access system allowing only authorized family members to enter the center by scanning their thumbprint. The center is also equipped with Finger-Safe® door guards, an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and real-time, password-protected online viewing for families, via WatchMeGrow.com.
