What You and Your Child Get Out of Parent-Teacher Conferences

Even though you see your child’s teacher every day when at drop-off and pick-up times, and you speak to them about how things are going just as often, parent-teacher conferences are still an important element of the relationship between teachers and families.

So why are these meetings so important for young children?

The time spent in a Parent-Teacher Conference with your child’s teacher is time devoted specifically and especially to your child. There are no distractions, no other children, no interruptions to take time away from your child’s teacher sharing with you all the growth, development, and learning your child has achieved over the past few months.

This time is for you to work with your child’s teacher to set realistic goals for your child, and to map out how those goals can be achieved.

Do you want to know more about your child’s literacy experiences at school? This is a perfect opportunity to ask. Your child’s teacher will be able to share the Focus on Literacy! building blocks and literacy strands they have been focusing on each week, the books they’ve been reading aloud at group time, plus the wall charts and interactive writing experiences they’ve been developing together.

Do you want to share your child’s interests? This is a great time to tell your child’s teacher about the learning experiences and explorations your child enjoys outside of school. Sharing this kind of information can provide an opportunity for your child’s teacher to incorporate those interests and ideas into the classroom.

Do you want to find out if your child will be kindergarten-ready? As your child’s teacher shares information from the individual progress reports and school-readiness developmental indicators, be sure to ask questions so you can fully understand your child’s development and progress, and what is to come during the rest of the school year.

Now, during these Parent-Teacher Conferences, is the perfect time to ask all these questions and more. This is time set aside for your child alone, and your child’s teacher will be ready and willing to hear your questions and find the answers you need.

The most important thing you can do is to show up, open up, and ask.