Parent Conferences - CareforKids.com.au®

Parent Conferences
Handy Tips to Making the Most out of them

Many child care service providers offer regular parent/carer conferences as a way of staying in touch with parents and to keep them updated on their child's progress in the service.

Parent/carer conferences need to be handled carefully as many parents worry how well their children are doing and may take comments about their child's progress to heart.

Here are some suggestions for making a parent comfortable and the situation productive:

Be on time – keeping a parent waiting may make him/her anxious. Try to set a positive and supportive tone for the conference. Always begin with some positives about the child. Ask the parent to tell you at the beginning of the conference, if s/he has any special concerns; then incorporate your answers into the conference. While timetabling your conferences make sure you set aside enough time to avoid rushing parents through. If one parent is monopolising the time you have scheduled for other parents, make a second appointment with that parent rather than keeping everyone else waiting.

Try very hard not to let your personal biases intrude into the conference – whether it's with a child you adore or a child you clash with frequently. Always try to assess your role in any behaviour problems. Parents respond better when they are treated as partners in solving an issue rather than when they are given both the diagnosis and cure by the expert.

If a child needs work in a particular area, be very specific about what needs improvement. Many parents are willing to work with their children at home, but aren't sure what to do. Give specific suggestions of what a parent can do to improve a child's skills and show the parent samples of the exercises. Keep in mind, however, that many parents work, so their time may be limited.

If behaviour is a problem, try to outline the specific behaviour in a neutral manner. Parents can often supply insight on behavioural issues and may have some good ideas why a child is acting a certain way. They may also have some suggestions about how to handle a specific problem. Behavioural issues can be frustrating for parents, because they can deal with the child in a consistent fashion at home but can't come to school to supervise. Talking issues through with parents will help both sides adopt a consistent plan of action which can be applied in all circumstances.

Try not to tackle too much in one session, if a child has both an academic/developmental issue and a behaviour problem, maybe you should schedule two conferences. If you overwhelm a parent with issues, you may not elicit the home support you need to deal with them.

Avoid mentioning minor problems unless they require a parent to become involved to solve them. Small issues only cause parents concern and often pass in time.

Avoid positively or negatively comparing a child to a sibling or another child in the class and discourage parents from comparing one of their children to another. Never praise one child's academic or social progress in front of other parents: it's bound to upset someone.

If you can see that home support is helping, let the parent know and, remember to praise the child. Parents want their children to succeed and be happy in child care so they expect a lot from carers but many are willing to support carers at home.

Always remember that to every parent, their child is special. If parents leave conferences feeling like they have failed in some way they will wish they never came. However, if they feel confident that they have a carers support in resolving problems the conference was a success!

This article was reproduced from child care resource www.bananasinc.org.

Do you offer parent conferences in your child care service? Go to CareforKids.com.au/Social to discuss your tips and tricks for holding a successful meeting.