As a new parent at FUMP, you may wonder what will be discussed at this parent conference. We are not giving out grades or report cards, so why are we meeting? What is covered in a parent conference for a young child?
Here are some of the goals of the Parent-Teacher Conferences at FUMP.
First and foremost, it is our teacher’s chance to learn more from you about your child. While we have gotten to know your child, it is an excellent opportunity to gain insight into parents’ views of their child’s experience thus far.
Secondly, teachers will be sharing information about your child’s development. At this point in the school year, the teachers have been observing your child’s development in each of the five domains: cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and language development. Each teacher is familiar with the developmental milestones for your child’s age and uses that knowledge to observe your child. Teachers are identifying your child’s strengths and areas for growth for the remainder of the school year and into the future. Teachers will be sharing their observations at the conference.
In some cases, teachers may discover that a child’s development does not align with the expected developmental milestones. Or perhaps, they are exhibiting behavior in the classroom environment that you do not see at home. If that is the case, the teacher may bring up an outside evaluation from a child development specialist. We consider our teachers experts on child development and hope you take action from their recommendations. As always, please let us know if you have additional questions.
If you are interested in additional resources for parents, please check out our PARENT RESOURCES page for local organizations and agencies.