Parent meetings are a key part of our core communication and feedback to the parents. They should happen three times a year, and usually happen over a TWO WEEK period, where possible they are organised by colour group. Each key worker, with their team leader meets with the parents for the children in their colour (key) group. Meetings are scheduled to last 30 minutes per family, if parents have twins, they can have a double appointment.
There is a significant amount of preparation required for parent meetings. Staff need to ensure that the children’s developmental files are up to date, and have recent examples of work and observations in them.
There should be at least ONE observation to share with parents, but ideally 3 – 5. These will be supplemented with around 4 – 8 annotated photographs of the child engaged in an activity or routine. The observation form can be downloaded here:
In addition, there should be a summative assessment undertaken. This is a check for EACH CHILD against all of the Milestones relevant to their age group. This will give you a clear picture of how the child is progressing and any areas of concern. Its important that any potential signs of developmental delay are identified and discussed with parents. The summative assessment forms for each age groups can be downloaded below. These should be completed for each child and placed in their developmental file, although with the labeled photographs.
Babies Summative Assessment Form
Toddlers Summative Assessment Form
Preschool Summative Assessment Form
Kindergarten Summative Assessment Form
English Club Summative Assessment Form
Conducting the parent meeting needs to be approached using a sensitive and assertive approach. Parents need to feel at ease, and comfortable, so that they are able to listen and take on board the information you are giving them. The meeting should be a discussion and should focus on exchange of information between the nursery and the home environment. The photographs can be used to illustrate points, and help the flow of the discussion. There is a quick Fact sheet that you can download below, showing ‘Myth Busters’ to help you think about how best to approach the meeting:
Parents’ meetings… True or False Myth Buster
To help prepare for the parent meetings, you will discuss the key issues for each child with the rest of the team, and decide with the team leader what will be discussed during the meeting, and you will complete a Parent Meeting Preparation form. This will help you prioritise three key discussion points and summary the outcome of the summative assessment. Ensure the photographs are sent to print in the office a few weeks before you will need them, so you have time to annotate them before meeting with the parents. The Meeting preparation form can be downloaded below.