In-House Position Newsletter
November 2015
Education Specialist
Parent Teacher Conferences are held each year in November and May. Your director will choose one week in each of those months to hold conferences and will pick times to meet the needs of the families in your center.
Each conference should last no longer than 20 minutes and it is important to keep on schedule, so families do not have to wait. We are their first impression of Parent Teacher Conferences, so we want them to walk away feeling like it was a positive experience! The goal is 100% participation with families.
Conferences should be based around the child’s development, but should not be centered around going through the assessment tool page by page. It should be an overview of the assessment tool as a whole, with the information summarized on the Parent/ Teacher Conversation Tool. A Parent/Teacher Conversation Tool should be filled out for EVERY child, even if their parent declines a conference. This should include things that the child is mastering and doing well, along with something that is actively being worked on with the child.
Don’t forget to take the Education Specialist survey, so we can continue to address topics of interest and support you in whatever ways we can!
Health, Safety and Licensing Coordinator
Accommodating Special Needs Children in an Emergency
In each of our states your Licensing Rules will typically require that providers have a written plan for how each child with special needs will be accommodated during each type of emergency (fire, tornado, man-made and other natural disasters, serious accident/illness/injury and crisis situations, including intruders and bomb threats). The plans should also include evacuation and relocation procedures for children with physical, mental, developmental, and sensory limitations.
The best way to accommodate a special needs child in the event of an emergency is to get to know the individual needs of each child enrolled. Discussing emergency planning with each child’s parents at enrollment is one way to gather this valuable information. Emergency planning for children with special needs should be as individual as each child. Each staff member should also be trained on the needs of each individual child and this training should be updated regularly.
Rainbow Child Care has prepared the Emergency Management Policies and Procedures guide that should be posted in each classroom and the front office. You should have the Center and Emergency Contact Information sheet posted by each phone in the center which shows the evacuation location and contact information for your center.
Rainbow Representative
Every teacher brings unique talents and ideas to a center. Encourage your staff to learn and benefit from each other’s ideas and perspectives. Creating a team atmosphere where teachers work together makes every day more enjoyable and will help create a center that is brimming with creativity!
Each month we will continue to provide ideas as well as general tips for connecting with staff and families. We would also love to hear your ideas and see your hard work! Please send ideas and pictures of completed activities to education@rainbowccc.com.
Staff Appreciation Idea: “See the light in others, and treat them as if that is all you see” Dr. Wayne Dyer. November 24th is Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day; Find a way to celebrate the many unique talents that exist within the staff of your center. Make card for your staff that celebrate the unique talents and skills they bring to the classroom!
Family Connection Idea: Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks! Be sure to let all of your families know how thankful you are for them! You don’t have to spend a lot of money! A hand written note or a poster in the lobby full of reasons why you and the staff are thankful for the families at your center are great ways to connect. If you do a poster you can hang a second poster and allow families to write reasons why they are thankful for the staff and center.