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Parents and Guardians Forum>How Does Your Daycare Communicate With You?
Unregistered 08:52 AM 07-08-2014
Hi All,
I am a mother of a little girl and she goes to daycare while I am at work. I'm curious as to how teachers communicate to the parents at your daycare. I get a daily activity sheet, which seems to say the same stuff every day. But I would like to know more, how my child is doing, is she having trouble with numbers or ABC's, etc. They also use it to let me know when she needs something at school too, what she ate, and when she went to the bathroom. Still I feel that some things are not communicated and I miss some information about what's going on in the daycare, like special events. I feel that there could be better communication and I'm not sure the "daily activity sheet" is the best solution. I've put together a survey to find out what other parents think. It only takes 3 minutes at most and would like to hear your input.

Thank you in advance. A link to the survey is below

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/daycareparents
Reply
Blackcat31 09:13 AM 07-08-2014
Have you talked directly to your child's daycare teachers and let them know how you feel?

Honestly the day to day communication you are asking for is not something I do for children older than a year old.

YOU can ask those type of questions of your child if she/he is old enough to speak. I would ask her how her day was and what type of things she did.

The continual and in depth communication that some parents look for isn't as easy to supply as you think it is. I care for 12 kids daily and certainly don't have time to write up a lengthy daily report for each child.

I do communicate with each parent about general day to day things but that is all done face to face at pick up and drop off times.

I am confused as to why you would go to such lengths as creating the type of survey you did about this and not just openly speak to your provider/teacher instead.

I have to say, the survey does not read as though you are a parent looking for opinions/feedback.
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deidremccl 09:28 AM 07-08-2014
Hi thanks for your reply. I'm not asking for a detailed report. I'm just not sure these "daily activity sheet" papers are really that informative, and maybe that's because they're a pain to fill out. I just notice that every day, my child eats all her food, and plays outside (even though it rained that day).

My daughter is 2. Recently we thought she might have had a UTI because she was having infrequency in urinating. Of course the daycare addressed this with me, which is wonderful. I would expect a phone call like I did in this type of situation. When I went to pick her up, I noticed her activity sheet says, "potty" every hour, although I was contacted that she hadn't gone but once all day. So I asked if "potty" meant she went or if that's just when they check everyone to see if they need to go. She said they document when they went.

I am more curious as to how many people are getting these daily sheets and actually benefit from them. Would parents like to see something else other than these papers we get every day. I imagine that writing down everything for every single child takes a lot of time. With all of today's technology, why aren't we using some kind of application, where providers can use a smart phone or ipad and just click a button for a child when they are out of something, or when they went potty. The parent can then go online, say before they pick up their child and check on their daily progress in real time or see if they need something and pick it up on the way to drop it off when they pick up.

I created a quick survey, because I thought it would be a good way to measure different points and areas. I'm a technical person, so I like to analyze results rather than just have opinions all over the place, although I do appreciate those too!
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TickleMonster 09:30 AM 07-08-2014
You need to be the one to ask your provider about what your child is doing at daycare. Ive done daycare for 3 years and I quickly learned that parents got bored when I rambled on about their kids day everyday. So now I really dont say anything but they all know if they want to know something, they can always ask. Most never bother to ask but its probably because their kids are old enough to answer questions themselves about what they did at dc. It is nice that your provider writes you a daily sheet even if its just about the basics. I dont even do that. If you want to know how your child is fairing scholasticly then try having her do her ABCs and whatnot at home. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much they have learned and if you notice an area that needs work, simply ask your provider and Im sure they will be glad to help. Make sure to communicate your needs and concerns to your provider as we are not mind readers.
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Blackcat31 09:41 AM 07-08-2014
Originally Posted by deidremccl:
Hi thanks for your reply. I'm not asking for a detailed report. I'm just not sure these "daily activity sheet" papers are really that informative, and maybe that's because they're a pain to fill out. I just notice that every day, my child eats all her food, and plays outside (even though it rained that day).

My daughter is 2. Recently we thought she might have had a UTI because she was having infrequency in urinating. Of course the daycare addressed this with me, which is wonderful. I would expect a phone call like I did in this type of situation. When I went to pick her up, I noticed her activity sheet says, "potty" every hour, although I was contacted that she hadn't gone but once all day. So I asked if "potty" meant she went or if that's just when they check everyone to see if they need to go. She said they document when they went.

I am more curious as to how many people are getting these daily sheets and actually benefit from them. Would parents like to see something else other than these papers we get every day. I imagine that writing down everything for every single child takes a lot of time. With all of today's technology, why aren't we using some kind of application, where providers can use a smart phone or ipad and just click a button for a child when they are out of something, or when they went potty. The parent can then go online, say before they pick up their child and check on their daily progress in real time or see if they need something and pick it up on the way to drop it off when they pick up.

I created a quick survey, because I thought it would be a good way to measure different points and areas. I'm a technical person, so I like to analyze results rather than just have opinions all over the place, although I do appreciate those too!
Totally understandable... I hope I wasn't offensive in my reply to you.

Sometimes it's hard to see things from the other side and in all honesty most the parents (generalized) don't really seem that interested in hearing detailed feedback about their child's day so many providers don't even bother.

However, for those parents that really DO value the feedback, I think it's important to stress that to your care giver so they are aware that you really do read the daily communication sheets.

Perhaps the center doesnt think you do..kwim?

I am also analytical about stuff so totally get it.

Hoping you are able to find the feedback you are looking for!
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deidremccl 09:48 AM 07-08-2014
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Totally understandable... I hope I wasn't offensive in my reply to you.

Sometimes it's hard to see things from the other side and in all honesty most the parents (generalized) don't really seem that interested in hearing detailed feedback about their child's day so many providers don't even bother.

However, for those parents that really DO value the feedback, I think it's important to stress that to your care giver so they are aware that you really do read the daily communication sheets.

Perhaps the center doesnt think you do..kwim?

I am also analytical about stuff so totally get it.

Hoping you are able to find the feedback you are looking for!

It wasn't offensive! , It's good to hear feedback from the other side as well. And perhaps you are right, maybe they don't realize that I actually do read these activity sheets. Or maybe I am the only parent that actually does read them. lol. I guess that's what I am trying to find out from others as well. Thanks for your input!
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deidremccl 10:01 AM 07-08-2014
Originally Posted by TickleMonster:
You need to be the one to ask your provider about what your child is doing at daycare. Ive done daycare for 3 years and I quickly learned that parents got bored when I rambled on about their kids day everyday. So now I really dont say anything but they all know if they want to know something, they can always ask. Most never bother to ask but its probably because their kids are old enough to answer questions themselves about what they did at dc. It is nice that your provider writes you a daily sheet even if its just about the basics. I dont even do that. If you want to know how your child is fairing scholasticly then try having her do her ABCs and whatnot at home. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much they have learned and if you notice an area that needs work, simply ask your provider and Im sure they will be glad to help. Make sure to communicate your needs and concerns to your provider as we are not mind readers.
The abc's was just an example. I am more trying to get opinions from parents on how they communicate with their daycare providers and if they find their activity sheets helpful/ and or informative. I also should have mentioned that my DC is fairly large, so face to face communication with the teacher you dropped off the child with in the morning is not always the same teacher she's with when you pick her up. Sometimes children also behave differently at school then they do at home. To use my example, perhaps a child sings her abc's perfectly at home but doesn't participate in class when doing the abc song. There could be an underlying reason. Please try to be a little more objective in your response, this was was a little condescending.
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NightOwl 10:24 AM 07-08-2014
It sounds like you are questioning the accuracy or honesty of your dc teacher's entries. Which is understandable, because they DO seem fishy. I and my parents use an app called Daily Connect and it's fantastically easy. But the app could be falsified just as easily as an activity sheet.
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Heidi 10:32 AM 07-08-2014
I used to get those daily sheets when my kids went to a center years ago. I read them, but often there was a lot of repetition. Of course, with toddlers especially, there IS a lot of repetition!

I don't do them, because I only have 4 kids and 4 families, and I prefer face-to-face conversations peppered with the occasional pic/text or FB update.

I have talked to center friends who have bigger classrooms (often with multiple teachers) and they have told me honestly that those sheets get done at nap time for everyone, and they just give their best guess. Not so much falsifying as when the kiddos are awake, it's hard to focus on documentation.
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melilley 11:09 AM 07-08-2014
I have worked in 2 fairly large centers in the past (for 14 years altogether). Truthfully, you probably get the same input each day because teachers have limited time to actually fill out the daily sheets so they just jot down the same basic things. We had to help the kids get down for nap, take breaks, do lesson planning, change a diaper/take a child to the potty during this time here and there, sometimes had to leave early because of ratios, all during the 2/3 hour or less nap time. Plus, like Heidi said, with toddlers there is a lot of repetition. We (well myself at least) always accurately did the potty times and in one center, we were required to keep track of how many servings each child had and had to write them on the daily sheets, but it didn't always work out to be able to keep close track between serving, helping the kids, talking to them, etc... Plus, like others have said, a lot of parents don't read the sheets (I was like you when my daughter went the dc that I worked at, I read everything) and I've seen them crumpled up in bags, thrown away, etc...

You could see if your center does any kind of observation or assessments to see what your daughter does or doesn't do, appropriate for her age.

As for the smart phone app idea, it's a great idea, but most centers don't allow teachers to have their cell phones in the classrooms. They would have to have a center smartphone and most aren't willing to pay for one and emails are a great idea, but the classrooms would have to have a computer in them as it is difficult to be able to leave to go on one outside of the room.

I hope I'm making sense...lol
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deidremccl 12:12 PM 07-08-2014
Originally Posted by melilley:
I have worked in 2 fairly large centers in the past (for 14 years altogether). Truthfully, you probably get the same input each day because teachers have limited time to actually fill out the daily sheets so they just jot down the same basic things. We had to help the kids get down for nap, take breaks, do lesson planning, change a diaper/take a child to the potty during this time here and there, sometimes had to leave early because of ratios, all during the 2/3 hour or less nap time. Plus, like Heidi said, with toddlers there is a lot of repetition. We (well myself at least) always accurately did the potty times and in one center, we were required to keep track of how many servings each child had and had to write them on the daily sheets, but it didn't always work out to be able to keep close track between serving, helping the kids, talking to them, etc... Plus, like others have said, a lot of parents don't read the sheets (I was like you when my daughter went the dc that I worked at, I read everything) and I've seen them crumpled up in bags, thrown away, etc...

You could see if your center does any kind of observation or assessments to see what your daughter does or doesn't do, appropriate for her age.

As for the smart phone app idea, it's a great idea, but most centers don't allow teachers to have their cell phones in the classrooms. They would have to have a center smartphone and most aren't willing to pay for one and emails are a great idea, but the classrooms would have to have a computer in them as it is difficult to be able to leave to go on one outside of the room.

I hope I'm making sense...lol
Thank you. You are making perfect sense and make a lot of great points. Daycare teachers have a tough job and I would definitely rather have them focused on the children instead of filling out paperwork.

Thank you for the great idea on observation/assessment.
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AmyKidsCo 01:11 PM 07-08-2014
I use the Daily Connect instead of daily sheets. I also have a monthly newsletter, a FB page, speak with all of the parents at drop-off and pick-up, and send home portfolios of observations 2-4x a year, and do the Ages & Stages screenings. Guess I'm a nut for parent communication.
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Unregistered 11:45 AM 07-10-2014
If the parents don't ask how their day went I won't tell them. too many kids and not enough time to discuss so many details with parents. Most don't care anyway.
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Unregistered 05:27 PM 07-10-2014
This sounds odd- check out a few thread below "introduce your daycare" I believe. He/she is fishing.
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MOM OF 4 03:48 PM 07-12-2014
I used to tell parents verbally, although ONE mom was SO rude and accidentally said that "I talked too much" when going on about the child's day; a 5 minute conversation, via a text she meant to someone else, that I got .
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Jazzii 08:44 PM 05-01-2016
Thought this would be fun to bump.

One of the things I love about my job is that I talk to my parents daily. I would agree that daily sheets aren't the greatest and they definitely are a pain, I fill them out for specific parents. Usually a conversation suffices.

A lot about curriculum goes out in our monthly newsletters, and if parents have specific questions we encourage them to ask.

We have tri-yearly conferences and more if necessary. Our kids do journals, sensory, etc. And we use these tools for assessment
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CityGarden 10:20 PM 05-01-2016
this is a very old thread.....
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Jazzii 08:40 AM 05-02-2016
Originally Posted by CityGarden:
this is a very old thread.....
I know, I intentionally bumped
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Blackcat31 08:56 AM 05-02-2016
Originally Posted by Jazzii:
I know, I intentionally bumped
You are always welcome to create a new thread, even if it's an old topic.

Sometimes resurrecting old threads is beneficial and other times, not so much.....depends on the content I suppose.

But like I said above....don't hesitate to start a new thread about ANY topic you wish to talk about...even if there are hundreds of other threads already posted about it.
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happymom 10:52 AM 06-06-2016
I have two children in a child care center. My 4 year old is sent home with a 1/3rd sheet of paper each day that shows how he ate (none, some, most, all) at meals/snacks, his nap including when he fell asleep and when he woke up, and whichever activity they did that day. It also has a behavior tracker and says if he had a good day. I always look at his report but it's usually redundant. I use it mostly to find out how well he went down for his nap (he gets a special reward for behaving well at nap time).

I usually talk to the same teacher when I have questions about how he is doing. She's not his main teacher but she's good at communicating with me. He's 4, so he and I can talk about his day.

My infant also has a 1/3rd sheet of paper that shows his diaper changes, bottles, solids and naps. It also has a place for them to write his mood. His teachers are a lot more available and easy to talk to than my 4 year old's. I also usually drop off and pick up with the same teacher which makes communication a lot easier.
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Tags:daycare environment, parent communication
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