chasrosam Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone might be able to help me, I normally work with 3/4 year olds but have been asked by my manager to help run the toddler 2/3 year room for a couple of weeks as they are struggling and need some support. My most pressing issue is the amount of time the staff spend filling in parent feedback books, I appreaciate that feedback is essential but am looking for some ways to make it less time consuming. Does everyone use books or can I possibly introduce a paper form with preprinted info for staff to highlight or make a small comment on ? Also can anyone help with what you feedback about as I think some of our feedback is a bit pointless ! I would prefer the correct and useful info was given. Currently feedback is given on nappies, food tuck, activities etc Thanks for any help, sue:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mps09 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 This has been covered on a thread before... If you do a search on my user name you'll find some posts called Daily Report/Diary/Record Form Sorry I don't know how to post a link - but there are some form ideas on their which are quick and easy to use! Hope that is a bit of help.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I have just received feedback from parents on a general questionnaire and all rated the daily contact books very highly. I include nappy changes, food eaten, general mood and a brief comment on what they have enjoyed that session (more detailed information on activities goes in learning journey). They can be a little time consuming but really only takes 5 minutes at most for 3 children. Personally I don't like pre printed proforma's for this - I use a little notebook and scribble things down as and when I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Hi, I think these feedback books have been the most popular introduction at our setting! I recently decided to photocopy some of the more interesting entries and put them into the relevant section of the child's learning journey. Lots more evidence! We don't commit ourselves to writing every day, but a minimum of once a week. It is usually more than this, but gave us a let out. If parents express the desire for details about what and how much they had for lunch, snack, etc. Toileting concerns. News about what the child did at the weekend. Tickets, photos, artefacts that might spark conversation i.e. photo of new baby, ticket from train ride, leaf found on walk..... I agree, pre printed sheets can seem quite dry and I have found books much better for pre-schoolers. Good luck! Lesley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I find that children are very excited about what we're writing in their book - they choose which mini photo they want to be stuck in and like us to tease them about what we're writing. They will pass us children's books to write in, 'reading' the child's sticker on the front with accompanying individual 'clipart' picture. It's great on lots of levels! They can't wait to tell us if someone at home has written in it too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gezabel Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I find that children are very excited about what we're writing in their book - they choose which mini photo they want to be stuck in and like us to tease them about what we're writing. They will pass us children's books to write in, 'reading' the child's sticker on the front with accompanying individual 'clipart' picture. It's great on lots of levels! They can't wait to tell us if someone at home has written in it too! I agree the introduction of our home diaries is one the best things we have ever done. I think when considering 'time issues' we need to include the benefits of whatever it is we are spending time on and in this case OK they may be time consuming to a degree but I think it is time very well spent. I personally don't like the idea of a pre-written form as I think it takes away the 'personalised' aspect which is just one of the things parents and children love Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasrosam Posted October 18, 2009 Author Share Posted October 18, 2009 Hi again, Thanks for all the input and help, very much appreciated :-) I dont think I really explained it very well but I didnt really mean feeding back to parents about the childs day generally - we put in about activities and add photos, and this is also very popular. I am thinking more about the daily routines, the staff in this room spend about 30mins a day filling in details like " john has had a soiled nappy", " John has eaten half of his sandwich ". I wondered if there is a specific requirement for what info we need to pass on? I would think that if the child normally has a soiled nappy when he is with us then we could speak to mum/carer and say that we would only advise about this if it was unusual or different. I would rather the books reflected the childrens experience with us than details which seem the same every day. I hope I have explained that a little better :-) Thanks sue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I agree. We don't tell parents stuff like nappies unless they've specifically requested it or there's been a 'change'. We record nappy changes in a log and if parents ask we can easily tell them. We only use the book for news and wow and photos, stuff like that, or we'll put something in like "how many purple things can he find at home - we've been on a treasure hunt today!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyfs1966 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I think the value of "daily diaries" really is dependent on the type of setting and the ages of the children. I work in sessional care with children aged from 2 1/2 to 5 and don't think that they would add real value in my setting. The real question is how do you interact with parents, and are you sure that they have sufficient info on their child's day (given by any means) to be secure that you are truly working in partnership. If yes, then a daily diary is unecessary. If no, then it may be an avenue to explore, along with others. I think we sometimes end up feeling under pressure to adopt every good idea used in every setting, and sometimes don't stop to question WHY? If something is a good idea, then consider it, but weigh up pros and cons, and then make an informed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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