Seeking Input for Preschool Communication to Parents

My kiddos had a great teacher who used a method of communication that was simple, but got the job done.

She had a sheet for each kid at the end of the day. Every child in the classroom's name was on it and she would circle the names of the kids my daughter played with during recess or worked with during center time.

The sheet also had a list of what "specials" they did that day, like PE or music or art and told what kind of day they had (good, okay, or Oh dear! Everything was difficult today!).

Finally, she jotted down simple academic things that they did. It took her just a few minutes and really helped me with the discussion on the ride home for the day.

Now that my kids are in elementary school the teacher puts out a Friday memo via e-mail that talks about what they did that week (she covers every subject) any upcoming events and general things in the class (like we need more kleenex).

Hope this helped!

I have found that the best way to get good communication from teachers (at any age) is to show them the reason you ask/are involved is becasue you care about your kiddo and want to support the teacher as a parent parnter. Coming from a place of mutual respect and not check and balance helps a lot with open communication.
As a mom who works outside of the home, pre school is a necessity for me, but I missed the communication sheets from younger years so I made some concentrated efforts in this department and tried not to add to the overwhelming ammount of work the teacher already has to do. You may already do this, but here are some tips that I used to help foster more communication.
1. Meetings. set up actual meetingsevery couple of months to talk about classroom goals, how to support what teacher was doing in class and how my child was doing on tasks. Tips she had for me. Questions about any lessons, etc.
2. volunteer. I couldn't do a lot, but wherever I could, I got invovled in the classroom activities so I knew more about what the kids were like, how the dynamics worked, etc.
3. bribe/reward. do nice things for the teachers. coffee, bagels, little $5 starbucks cards just because to say "Thanks for being here for the kids"
4. Informal chats. I set aside one to two days a week at drop off or pick up to chat with teacher and find out what is new with her, the classroom, ask about some of the actvities on the sheet, upcoming events that she would like parent support. I would even find one day a week to pop in on the director/principal of the school to say hello and/or chat about upcoming events, etc.
All this ground work helped me because when I had a serious question or concern they knew it came from the right place and I typically got the full story or an explanation why I couldn't.
Hang in there. You will find the right combination that will work for you!

My son is in a 3 yr old class at a church preschool but I do like the way they handle communication with the parents at the end of the day. They send home a photo copied sheet each day that tells what they did, who was line leader, show and tell, etc. Then I can ask questions of my son about what he did that day.

When my youngest were in preschool, I created a sheet to help the teachers tell me about their day. It was very simple with a sad face on one end, a straight face in the middle and a happy face on the other end. It also had numbers 1-5 under them (1 under sad, 3 under straight and 5 under happy). Then I put some descriptions like 5-my child was happy and acted according to his/her age today. No time outs, got along well and listened. 4-my child had a good day today. maybe 1 time out or issue of not listenening. 3-my child had an ok time today. 2-3 time outs, some listenening issues or tantrums...you get the point. I made it pretty specific so that the teacher didn't have to do a lot of thinking to fill out that sheet. It seemed to work and I felt like I knew a little more about how the day went. They also could write a note on it like "today we had problems moving from circle time to lunch. She wouldn't put toys away and hit another child..." whatever so you'd know what happened. At the preschool that my last child went to (and I taught at), they had a daily communication sheet that said something basic like "today we went to music and for a walk outside. The kids enjoyed looking at the birds and getting some fresh air". Then, as a teacher, we were required to write something specific about each child "Tammy really enjoys when we march in music class". There are also blanks at the bottom that say I ate all, some, or none of my lunch as well as how many wet/dirty diapers we changed during the day and how long they slept. I loved this form b/c I really felt like all my major questions were answered...did they have a good nap or were they going to be cranky in the evening because they were tired. Had they pooped that day, etc. Both sheets were about 1/2 page long, maybe even less, but conveyed a lot of information. Try asking about that and then maybe even creating a form for them to see. As for the field trips, I don't want my preschooler going anywhere without me, so none of the schools they've ever been to have field trips. they may bring someone to the school, but the kids don't leave.

Typically it is up to the teacher on how much or little is communicated. We have certain items that must be posted outside the door, but other than that, it really is not regulated. I have had years that my own children had teachers with virtually NO communication and then ones like this year that sends out an email weekly. Just depends. As a preK teacher, I like to email weekly (prior to the week starting) and then send a 'recap' note home on the last day of the week. It is work to organize that but it makes a huge difference in the flow of the class and confidence and support from the parents. I would express that you are interested in being plugged in more and see if the teacher offers to provide another form of communication.

Adjusting to your child going to school and being out of your protective care can be challenging. Pre-schools are not able to communicate with you regarding daily behavior in the classroom; that is an unrealistic expectation. The expectation is that they are able to address discipline issues and take care of difficulties. If were an escalated situation, say endangerment of some kind, then the expectation is different. Communication with parents is then an obligation.

Field trips..."last minute" is interesting. Sounds difficult to pull off. Tardy parents is something you cannot control so don't even go there. It's just part of the world picture, though most times tardy would mean being left behind. Oh well! Your school doesn't leave people behind; that can also be construed as a good thing. Remember, the world doesn't revolve around your child.

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Adjusting to your child going to school and being out of your protective care can be challenging. Pre-schools are not able to communicate with you regarding daily behavior in the classroom; that is an unrealistic expectation. The expectation is that they are able to address discipline issues and take care of difficulties. If were an escalated situation, say endangerment of some kind, then the expectation is different. Communication with parents is then an obligation.

Field trips..."last minute" is interesting. Sounds difficult to pull off. Tardy parents is something you cannot control so don't even go there. It's just part of the world picture, though most times tardy would mean being left behind. Oh well! Your school doesn't leave people behind; that can also be construed as a good thing. Remember, the world doesn't revolve around your child. Waiting is a huge part of life.

I'd honestly look at switching preschools if you're that unhappy with the communication.
There should be a director that is advising you about what is going on in the school on at least a monthly basis. It's common for a curriculum to be posted near the classroom with what a class follows on a general basis each day. Field trips that are planned at the last minute, is inconsiderate to all parents and caregivers. As far as behavior in the classroom, it is up to the individual teacher and yes there are "incidents", you're talking about 3 & 4 year olds after all. We have a folder that comes home each day and my son's teacher puts a sticker on a chart each day if it's a good day. If it's not a good day, no sticker and many times there is a follow up email and or mention of it in person from the teacher but it's only to the individual child's parent not to the entire class's parents.