You may be surprised to know that pre-K teachers hold parent-teacher conferences, just like teachers in older grades! The main difference between an elementary and pre-K parent-teacher conference is the developmental age of the child.
Children in pre-K are developing skills that will be used later in elementary school. So the topics you discuss with their teachers will focus more on pre-K skills and development.
Here are some examples of topics you might discuss in a pre-K parent-teacher conference:
Classroom Behavior
To learn what your child is like in class, you might ask, “Is my child talkative or quiet? What do they enjoy doing? What do they not enjoy?”
Learning and Development
To find out how your child is developing, you might ask, “What activities does my child excel at? Do they struggle with any activities? How can I support their development at home?”
Social/Emotional Learning
To learn about your child’s social and emotional development, you might ask, “Is my child’s social and emotional development typical for his/her age? Do they have friendly relationships and play with other children? Do they share and take turns?” You might also ask how your child interacts with adults. “Do they listen and follow instructions? How do adults respond when a child has a problem?”
Confidence
You might learn about your child’s confidence by asking, “Does my child speak up during group activities? Are they comfortable speaking to adults and other children? Do they initiate play? Do they like trying new activities?”
Behavioral Issues
If you’re concerned that your child has behavioral issues, you could ask, “Has my child had difficult interacting with classmates? When difficult interactions occur, how did you (the teacher) respond? Did the problems stop after the intervention or did they continue?”
Parent-teacher Interaction
To help build your relationship with your child’s teacher, you might ask, “How do you prefer to communicate with me? How often should we check in? And “How will disciplinary issues, if they occur, be handled?” You may also offer support such as volunteering, or talking to the class about your career, hobby, or culture; if the classroom schedule permits.
Home Check-in
If there has been a major change in your child’s life, such as a move, the loss of a family member, an illness, or other significant life event, you might want to begin or end the conference by sharing this information. You don’t need to go into personal details, but giving a teacher a heads-up about what is going on at home can help them to better support your child at school.
Parent-teacher conferences are a great opportunity to learn about your child’s development, establish a strong relationship with their teacher, and learn more about the educational environment. These topic and questions can give you a good starting point for a fruitful conversation.
About MECK Pre-K
MECK Pre-K is high quality pre-K open to all four-year-old children in Mecklenburg County at no cost to families. Classrooms are located in licensed childcare centers and taught by licensed teachers and highly qualified assistant teachers. You can apply online at MeckPreK.org.
Do you have a child who is not old enough for pre-K this year? Sign up for our email list and be notified when they’re eligible for MECK Pre-K. Simply go to MECKPrek.org/future-meck-pre-k-students and select your child’s age group.