How professionals get to know children & families ?

[Yulia M]

The teachers can learn more about their students and their families though asking questions, and analyzing.  They can ask children questions that reference to the activity that the child is doing, also they can send out questionnaires forms for the families to fill out before the child starts the program, so that way they can have more understanding of their dynamics. 

[jenaee]

I agree with Yulia, that teacher's should ask questions about their students and families also be very observant while asking questions. Giving feed back to the parent is a good way to reference what the child has been doing the classroom; maybe get the parents to be more involved maybe practice at home

[Alton Earle]

Yes, asking questions and analyzing. I'm less of a fan of questionnaires than face to face contact. That might just be a familiarity bias (we've never done them, but our teachers all spend time talking with parents -- sometimes on a daily basis). One thing we tell parents is that us getting to know their child is a process. I think the same is true for us getting to know their family. By not "pushing," often a deeper level of understanding develops over time. For us, patience gets us where we need to go. A comment on p. 54 of the Child Care Licensing Guidebook is that different languages and cultures have different norms of communication. What works well in one may not work well in another.

[Shae]

I agree that asking questions and talking to the children is a big park of getting to know children, but you also need to observe them. See how they act around other children and listen to how they talk to each other, sometimes talking to an adult is harder than talking to other children and you find more about them through observing.

[Gale Coleman]

Clear communication is helpful for good relationships and family engagement. When you share information about what happens in your program, you give families a window into their child’s day. That glimpse into your program invites families into what their child is doing and learning. Ideas to help communicate well with your families is to Encourage parents to read your parent handbook, this will help them become familiar with your policies. Offer regular conferences with the parents to discuss their child’s progress, by keep information on your bulletin board, in your newsletter and on your website current. Parents want to know what to expect. And preparing a brief “My Day” each day for parents that describes what their child experienced, this could include whether or not they napped, what they ate, what centers they chose for free play, any art projects they worked on.