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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Giving a Good Report at Pick Up
ardeur 12:38 PM 11-08-2018
I know I'm not good at this and I want to do better. I feel like most of the time I communicate with parents regarding policy reminders or about a minor injury or a behavior issue. I hate that most of my communication is negative like that.

Do you make it a habit to comment on something good the child did that day? How often do you make these comments? Daily? Can you give me examples of what you say? The child in question in a challenging, but very bright 4.5yo.
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Gemma 12:58 PM 11-08-2018
If I have any issue during the day I immediately text parents so that there is a paper trail in case it escalates. Thankfully I have a good grip on my group, and most time I text parents is to send cool pics.
I cannot engage in a conversation with any of the parents during transition, or they'd never leave!... so I usually greet them when they come in, and wish them a good day/night when they leave.
I have a DCD that likes to talk about himself a lot and could go on and on forever, so I have to be a bit rude some days and after I say my goodbyes, I turn to whatever else I can do to send the message that the conversation is over and he should leave
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Flowerchild 02:52 PM 11-08-2018
I was like that. I hate being fake and telling them they had a great day when they absolutely didnt. 😒 but I have learned yo be generic and just say they had a good day or they had a good nap or something like that. They smiled all day. They laughed and had lots of fun. Etc. Just note something not negative to say. I was told to write down things like that that happened and I could remember to tell the child. It gets old because they aren't always so happy and fun all the time buy I'd rather end the day right than say something negative. Just say they had a good day if nothing else. I'm very shy and reserved and don't feel comfortable making conversation with parents and socialise like my center likes to do so that's why I go with something short generic and positive. I promise I have a heart lol. I complain a lot but this workplace is very tough job. 😊high turnover rates. 😕
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Flowerchild 02:54 PM 11-08-2018
Originally Posted by Gemma:
If I have any issue during the day I immediately text parents so that there is a paper trail in case it escalates. Thankfully I have a good grip on my group, and most time I text parents is to send cool pics.
I cannot engage in a conversation with any of the parents during transition, or they'd never leave!... so I usually greet them when they come in, and wish them a good day/night when they leave.
I have a DCD that likes to talk about himself a lot and could go on and on forever, so I have to be a bit rude some days and after I say my goodbyes, I turn to whatever else I can do to send the message that the conversation is over and he should leave
My parents love to leave asap lol
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knoxmomof2 06:51 PM 11-08-2018
I don't typically involve the parents in behavioral issues unless it has reached the point that I have run out of ideas. I've only done this for 6 years and only keep 4 at a time, so I'm sure the numbers are in my favor. I've had 1 like you mentioned. By that point, my dialogue was "I need follow through at home. He's had 7 timeouts today and screamed bloody murder through them all." He was a handful from the time I started keeping him at 11 months though... The parents would give him consequences or rewards at home based on his behavior with me. There was a lot more to it with him though- both parents split and remarried within a year, Mom wasn't consistent with discipline and comments she made sometimes told me that she didn't always follow through at home. I eventually just told them he "needed more than my program offered" and he moved on to Preschool. Otherwise, I just say "good day, good appetite, good nap, no poops" or something similar.

If there's a negative, I'd say balance it with a positive : "he hit his friends a lot today, so several timeouts... but he's the only one who ate all of his broccoli today, so there's that!"
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Hunni Bee 10:03 AM 11-09-2018
Unless it was super out of the ordinary or a big deal, I don't give negative behavior reports at the end of the day. Or positive ones for that matter. If they want to discuss their child's behavior, they need to request a conference.
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Jiminycrickets 01:08 PM 11-09-2018
I usually say something about their mood that day either which way, so assuming there was no dramatic misbehavior like hitting or something, I'll just say, "He had a good day. He really liked the painting project we did," or "She seemed a little on the grumpy side today, but she had fun when we played with sand in the sensory bin." I don't think positive comments need to be like "Your kid is sooo good at this or that! What an amazing child!" Most of my parents just seem to want to know if they are having a decent time when they're here and that I'm noticing the kiddo as an individual and not just waiting to "tattle" on them all the time.
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VAmomof4 01:49 PM 11-09-2018
I just give a general description of their day. Eating sleeping playing. If they've done something that requires a time-out then I will let them know about that.
On another note how the heck do I start my own thread?? I have emailed moderators with no response.
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Snowmom 02:47 PM 11-09-2018
Right now, I have 10 dcks.
Each week, I try to concentrate on finding one great thing about a child. It helps me connect & bond with them better and I let the parent know via text when I find the something I really like.

This week, I concentrated on a 4 yr old dcg. Let me tell ya... she tests my patience every week with her witty comebacks and partner in crime (another 4 yr old). This week, I noted how empathetic and sweet she is with the younger crew. I took a picture of her patting a little one on the back for a "job well done". Sent it to mom and told her I was so proud of how she looks out for the young ones.
It's the truth. It benefited both of us (me and mom).
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CityGarden 02:57 PM 11-09-2018
I do not give individual daily updates..... bad or good.

I send a monthly newsletter and calendar home and we have a class photo sharing / journal site. I think parents mostly want to know what their child's days is like so I aim to be proactive in sharing that - plus I like to minimize time chatting at pick up.
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Hunni Bee 08:51 AM 11-10-2018
Originally Posted by VAmomof4:
I just give a general description of their day. Eating sleeping playing. If they've done something that requires a time-out then I will let them know about that.
On another note how the heck do I start my own thread?? I have emailed moderators with no response.
On the "homepage" with all the threads, there's a blue button the lefthand side about midway down...that says "new post" or "new thread".
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nannyde 05:15 AM 11-11-2018
I tell the truth and I don't do compliment sandwiches. I hate that.

It dilutes the message. I don't play when it comes to discussing behavior issues.
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CeriBear 05:39 AM 11-11-2018
I usually say something generic like “he had a good day—no timeouts” or “she did a great job as class helper today.” If a child does something extra nice for a friend I always like to relate that to a parent. Just the other day I told a mommy that her little girl loves to help her friends make up their cots. A little boy was crying because he couldn’t do it and M. walks over and says “ l’ll help you.”


As for bad reports I usually don’t give them unless a parent asks or it is for a serious ongoing behavior issue. Even then I try to add something positive to the conversation. I usually say something like “B. does so well at naptime. He falls asleep quickly and when he wakes up before lights on he lies or sits quietly on his cot and looks at a book. I wish all my early risers were as quiet and had their listening ears on. We did have some problems during playtime though. B. still uses pushing, hitting, and screaming instead of using his words when he wants something another child is playing with or when someone tries to take his toy. We are working on this but today he had to sit by himself a couple for hitting his friends in the block center and during free play.”
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Ariana 09:27 AM 11-11-2018
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I tell the truth and I don't do compliment sandwiches. I hate that.

It dilutes the message. I don't play when it comes to discussing behavior issues.
I agree with this. I used to do the compliment sandwich but it is just a waste of time.

I only discuss negatives if it really serious and something I need the parent to help me with. Otherwise I say they had a good day, the usual, ate and slept well. The less info the better and then when a serious topic comes up I tell them bluntly and they take it more seriously. Constantly complaining about little negative behaviors waters it down I think when it is something bigger.
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flying_babyb 07:10 PM 11-19-2018
Daily!
"hey _____! today _______ really enjoyed__actvity. He struggled with ____________. Heres his daily sheet. He needs___________. See you tomorrow"
Under 3 mins (except for my talker parents)
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