6.7: Family Teacher Conferencing

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Conferences

Our responsibility as early childhood professionals is to observe, document, and assess children’s development. This provides us with information about each child to enable us to plan and implement effective curriculum, design an environment, develop a schedule/routine, and to know how to guide and support the behavior of the children in our program.

It is important that we share this information with families in a supportive and engaging way. We typically do this with formal family/teacher conferencing; however, there are informal ways to communicate with families on a more daily basis. Conferences are designed to facilitate discussion with families regarding the shared goals that the teacher and the family have decided upon through the many informal communication that happens throughout the school year.

Sometimes there are difficult things that need to be communicated to families in a formal conference. It is critical that we have established a trusting, collaborative relationships with families in order to have these difficult conversations. When families know that you truly care about their child, they will be more likely to hear what you are saying and engage with you in working together to support their child’s developmental needs.

Effective communication strategies are important in all the ways that we communicate with families. Conferencing is one of those ways. The following are some tips on how to have an effective conference with families.

Groundwork for Successful Conferences

Explain purpose of the conference to the family
Play for uninterrupted time
Plan for private location as to not be unintentionally interrupted
Plan goals and material to be discussed
Prepare family for their participatory role
Send an overview of the conference prior to meeting

Strategies for Successful Conferences

Help families feel at ease
Being with positive attitude and comments
Encourage family participation
Listen actively - paraphrase and reflect on what the family is saying
Summarize for family
Provide copies of the assessment tool being used

Things to Avoid in Conferences

Avoid using technical terminology
Avoid the role of "expert"
Avoid negative evaluations
Avoid unprofessional conversation
Avoid advice giving
Avoid rushing into solutions

Below is an example of a Family-Teacher Conference Letter that you may want to consider using prior to meeting with the families.

Family-Teacher Conference Letter

Dear Family,

As the day of our scheduled family-teacher conference draws near, we need to collect our thought about your child so our time can be put to good use. The following questionnaire is designed to assist me in covering all areas of concern and celebration to you and to me. Please take a few minutes to complete and return it to me prior to our conference. Remember this is not an evaluation, it is a sharing of information about a child the we both care about. Thank you for your collaboration!

Please answer the following questions:

My child communicates the following to me at home about school:
- Relationships with children and adults
- Favorite activities and areas of play
I see my child's areas of strength as:
I feel that my child needs to develop skills in:
I would like to discuss or have more information on:
Have you considered the whole child - social, emotional, physical, and intellectual?
What else have you been wondering lately?

Preparing for the conference

Here are some things you can use as a checklist to prepare for your conference ahead of time:

Time scheduled
Coverage in classroom arranged
Staff lounge reserved (or place where you will hold the conference)
Organization of anecdotal records and portfolio
Handout sent for family participation
Family contacted for observation appointment
List of questions prepared
Outline of topics prepared
Plan for opening examples
Environment prepared - snacks, writing materials, privacy sign

Productive Family-Teacher Conferences Need

The following are some things to consider to ensure that the conference is productive:

Planning and preparation to achieve goals
Time and privacy for discussion
Strategies to facilitate two-way communication and sharing of information, questions, and ideas
Respect for each participant's expertise
A positive focus on child's progress and development

References:

"Principles and Practices" by Stephens, Peterson, and Eyrich is licensed under CC BY 4.0 / A derivative from the original work