Just wondering if other preschools are the same as mine. There are a few things I'm hoping will change next semester, but I would like to see what the norm is before I say something.
Do you know what your child is learning each week during class? There is a calendar posted outside the door that that lists generic curriculum for the day/ week, such as Monday-letters, Wed-numbers
The only time I know how my daughter is progressing, or if she is having trouble with anything, is during the two conferences....one each semester.
Next year I am hoping to know exactly what they are learning each week. For example: Letter of the week is M. That way I can make a point to point out more things that begin with M at home or serve snacks that begin with M. I would also like to know throughout the year how my daughter is doing. That way I know that she is doing really well in some areas or we need to work on some areas. Last semester I found out that she gets distracted really easily either during story time or while playing. During story time she wants to talk to her friends and during playtime she will be having lots of fun working on something, but if a friend calls her over then she goes. I never realized these things until I learned about them at her conference.
In the beginning of the year I would try to ask questions about my daughter because it was her first year ever at preschool. Each time I felt a little brushed off. Next year I have decided to stand my ground and ask lesson being taught at the beginning of the week and more updates on my daughter's progression through preschool. Is that too much to ask?
At my daughter's preschool they have a dry erase board that they keep by the sign in sheet. They write down what books they read, activities they did and things they learned each day so you can see it at pick up time.
As far as individual progress goes. They have two conferences each year and then you can talk to the teachers in between if you have any concerns.
Really good preschools will send home a calendar of lessons each week or each month, listing the themes, letters, numbers, etc that the kids will be doing. My older daughter's preschool did that and it was wonderful.
However, run of the mill preschools don't do it. We moved, and so our younger daughter went to a mostly-okay preschool and it was hard to get specifics out of them. Keep asking; if you are in there every Monday morning asking for lesson plans, eventually they will get the picture and have it ready for you. That's what I did, but man, what a struggle. You'd think for as much money as these places charge, they'd be a little more cheerful about giving out information, right?? Sigh...
My daughter's school only had one progress meeting and it didn't happen until Feb. She can be a challenge so I used to try to talk to the teachers at the beginning/end of class but there was so much going on it was hard. I ended up requesting a meeting with the teachers because of our concerns with her behavior at home in October and sure enough she was having problems at school too! I have a feeling if I hadn't requested the meeting, they wouldn't have said anything until February. This being said, it is NOT too much to ask to meet with the teachers after class when no one else is around, even if you don't have any special concerns, like I did. My daughter's teachers were always great about meeting with me and even talking on the phone in the evening.
My son has a folder that he brings home all his papers in. We provided a notebook and explained to the teacher that we would like to be updated as much as possible on his activities/progress. We also set up an additional conference. They also provide a calender that shows what they are learning. It helps if you can volunteer occasionally too. It gives you a better idea of what really goes on in the classroom (something you can't get from a conference.)
My son's preschool would post the lesson plans for the week on a bulletin board for that class. They also served food, so it was right beside the menu plans for the week we were in and the next week. They also had monthly themes that they would cover. Maybe posting the lesson plans for everyone would be a time efficient way you could suggest to them, rather than the teachers thinking they have to update every parent each day on the lesson. Just post the plan each week.
my daughter's preschool provides a note each day. We know exactly what project they worked on that day, if they took a nap and how they ate. Along with that their work is placed in their folder, but no conferences. However, the teachers are very open to discussion anytime we walk in.
My children's daycare/pre-school tell me daily what they learned/what they ate and if there was any behavior problems. We also get a start of the month schedule that will not only address this but what songs they are learning in music class.
At my son's montessori preschool we got
- Quarterly parent teacher meetings
-monthly newsletters, outlining the areas they were focusing on (arachnids, the human body, dinosaurs, the solar system, etc.), school happenings, upcoming important dates, "what we've been up to", field trips, etc.
- weekly folders with all of their work to take home
- daily conversations with the teacher at pickup time (pickup was a 30 min block, held in the playground... so you could come on the dot and let the kids play, or pick up right then... but there was always time for show'n'tell for the kids to show their parents what they've been working on but couldn't come home yet (like their bookworms stayed in the classroom... round circles were added to the worms for every book they read... as did longer projects that took several weeks to several months to complete like their Eric Carle art, or their lifesize human body made of butcher paper, yarn, egg crate for the spine, balloon for the stomach, tubes for the intestines, etc...complete with all the major bones, blood vessels, & organs, THAT one took 3 months), as well as time to talk with either of the teachers. All of us talked with the teachers every single day... from just small talk to behavioral stuff to academics to upcoming events.
So we were kept very involved. We knew what they we playing, reading, studying, & favorite "works", as well as favorite chores, friend issues, songs... we knew it all... and were encouraged to.
I know we were spoiled rotten by this school... and I wouldn't have had it any other way. They were utterly fantastic.
When my son was at a church Mother's Day Out, they would send home a nice note about what story they read, what they had for snack, etc.
Once he switched to public pre-k they didn't usually send home daily notes. Then when he was having trouble, they started sending a folder every day. It had a photocopied page divided by the different parts of the day, and they could write a short note or just put a sticker or smiley face real quick. And I could write notes and questions on the back of the page. We've continued this through 2nd grade. They'll also send home a letter or short email weekly what the whole class is working on.
In pre-k, I never worried too much about what they were learning because I knew my son was doing fine with letter, colors, and numbers at home. I just made sure I read lots of fun books with him and took him to the park, zoo, playdates, etc. to be well-rounded.
