Parents and guardians should be regularly informed of how their children are progressing and provided concrete ways they can support their children in key learning areas. Early care providers and teachers have a unique opportunity to partner with families in keeping infants and toddlers on a healthy path to development, especially when a child may be experiencing developmental delays. Tools like developmental milestone checklists help track a child’s development over time from both a teacher and parent perspective. CLI has provided additional resources, such as roadmaps and a video series, designed to help providers and parents act upon developmental concerns they observe in children in their care.
In prekindergarten, a natural opportunity to have these conversations is parent-teacher conferences. CLI recommends using conferences not only as a touchpoint for discussing concerns about a particular skill, but also as an opportunity to educate families on what skills they should expect their children to exhibit and why they are important for future learning. Tools like family observation forms also hold potential for collecting valuable parent insight and perspective that can positively impact a teacher’s approach with a child. Building this partnership during parent-teacher conferences provides a foundation for follow up communications through phone or email.
Resources to Share with Families:
Developmental Milestones Checklists for Infants, Toddlers, and Three-Year-Olds: English | Spanish
Families that track their children’s development are more likely to spot delays that can be effectively addressed with early intervention. These milestones were derived from a national review of literature on developmental progressions. The checklists support children from birth through 48 months.
Navigating Concerns about Your Child’s Development: A roadmap for families: English | Spanish
A one-page roadmap to support families in tracking their children’s development and taking next steps if they have concerns.
Understanding Developmental Screening and Early Intervention Video Series
This video series is designed for parents and caregivers to understand the benefits of early screening and early childhood intervention (ECI) services. ECI services are available for children up to 3 years of age.
Family Observation Forms (Pre-K): English | Spanish
Families are valuable sources of information on children’s skill development. These forms align with the learning domains of the CIRCLE Progress Monitoring System and can be used in children’s portfolios and at parent-teacher conferences to provide a full picture of children’s development.
Family and Teacher Goal-Setting Form (all ages): English | Spanish
Parents and teachers can use this tool together to prioritize learning areas for children’s targeted support and to create an action plan for learning activities both at home and the school or center. The form is appropriate for all family-teacher partnerships that support children from birth through elementary school.
Understanding Your Child’s Assessment Results
This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the Student Report for Parents and will help families interpret their children’s results.
Family-Friendly Descriptions of Assessment Measures
These dual-language resources help teachers describe assessment measures and why they are important for later school success in family-friendly ways. These resources are designed to be shared with families to help them understand their child’s assessment results.
Teacher Toolkit:
Navigating Concerns about Children’s Development: A roadmap for early childhood professionals: English | Spanish
Children are rapidly developing in early childhood, especially the first three years. Early care providers and teachers have a unique opportunity to partner with families in keeping children on a healthy path to development—especially when a child may be experiencing developmental delays. This one-page roadmap supports caregivers in taking next steps when they have concerns about a child’s developmental progress.
Implementation Guide: Student Report for Parents
This guide was developed for teachers who are sharing the Student Report for Parents with families.
Steps for Communicating Data in Family-Friendly Ways
This document is a quick checklist of effective ways to share assessment data with families during parent-teacher conferences or conversations.
Words for Hard Conversations with Parents: Download English | Download Spanish
Talking with parents about developmental or behavioral concerns can be challenging. It is important to communicate your concerns clearly and directly, but also in a way that is respectful and kind, and keeps the focus on how teachers and parents can work together to best understand and support the child. Here are some ideas for language to use during such conversations.
Related Professional Development:
Professional Learning Session: Conversations with Families about Students’ Development (coming soon)
Return to Family Engagement Resources