Daily Diaries - Frustrated with Parents

[joannetalbot]

hi all

i seem to pretty much follow the same format as most of you with your daily diaries with all the basic info etc plus I include my spontaneous obs within my write up.

i e-mail these to parents so they've got them by the time they get home from picking up their children.

My biggest gripe is that I get zero feedback for all 3 of my sets of parents - zilch, absolutely nothing. i may as well e-mail them to the aliens in outer space for the feedback or comments that i get from them which is starting to really get my back up as i put alot of info and effort into doing these sheets for parents and when you get nothing back in return you do start to question whether it's really worth doing them. sorry, for the rant but it's been a bug bear of mine for some time and kinda now coming to the forefront of my thoughts every day !!

i think it's because i'm drowning in paperwork anyway and desparately trying to think of ways of cutting back on the paperwork i do daily so that i can get some of my life back again.

1 parent who i very subtly mentioned this too (and who i knew didn't even read them) has said that she'd be more than happy to have the daily info verbally but would that really be ok with ofsted do you think? the diairies show i'm working on a daily basis in partnership with parents; it shows the healthy food he is given and the activities he takes part in so unless it's written down how can i provide evidence for that? i can't can it !!!

i'm considering doing a weekly summary sheet for the parent who asked for it verbally and i think by doing it weekly i will be more disciplined to only write bullet points down instead of the stories i give her everyday!!

i did mentioned all of this story to my local NCMA lady and she said that they do an A5 book that only gives you a limited amount of space to write the basics down for the day plus space for a spontaneous obs which sounds good and may be a way forward for me.

Sorry if i've bored you up to this point but does anyone else have the same frustrations as me and if so, how did you make this whole d/diary thing work for you.

many thanks for any replies

jo x

[mandynunn84]

i might not be much help as im not even registered yet but...
could you not do it verbally to the parents but put a written version in a book for your own evidence??

mand xx

[grindal]

I get no written feedback from my parents - so I have taken to writing their comments into the front of my learning journals. I write the date and add comments about what they have told me they did over the weekend, or that evening - or any comments they want to add about my daily diaries or learning journals.

Then I can add links to my obs, or things we do to show progression.

Agreed it means I am doing more writing, but it does not take long and shows I am working in partnership.

I use the NCMA daily diaries and put one or two little photos in most days - so not much room left for writing!

[lisa b]

I use A5 books from a lady on Ebay, she has fab books where you can even note their 5-a-day intake, they work well for me as my parents DO bring them daily and i can show ofsted or my network co-ordinator when they visit.
Parents generally dont give feedback unless you ask for it, I think it would be a fab idea if you made a short questionairre for your parents where they can comment or give suggestions etc... That way, you will have something to show Ofsted in regards to your setting and your parents views!

Hope that helps
Lisa :)

[singingcactus]

Have you tried giving example to the parents of what you are looking for by way of feedback. I have a note at the front of my daily diaries telling parents that this is a 2 way notebook and I will tell you all about your kids day here so you can stay involved, and in return I want to know what the kids have done at the weekends, or if there are any special achievements, or if you are working on anything with your kids at home , so that I can better support you and your child, and I can chat to them about their weekends. I write that it is important that I do get feedback so that them and their child get the very most they can from the time they spend with me.
Maybe your parents don't actually know what to write in your diaries, if you are using email it is even more disposable and detached from their child. Being given the tactile and permanent paper record in their book, at the same time as they are given their child, makes a much more solid psychological link between the diary and the child and you. That is of course my opinion :).

[loocyloo]

i use written sheets in an A5 ringfolder that comes & goes daily. i ask parents to add anything i need to know, and have extra sheets in for them to write on ... some do, some don't! some verbally tell me things that i write down! i ask them to let me know anything they are doing/have done/going on in LO world!
i also say that i use the diaries to help me plan for their child; see how activities/meals/etc were recieved and then i know what else to do!
i've just added a space for parents to sign each day to say they;ve seen the diary .... not sure how that is going to work, but worth a try !!!

[miffy]

I use sheets in a folder and it stays with me - there is a space for me to put down anything the parents tell me each day and I get them to sign it at pick up.

Tbh they don't often add any comments but they do ask to read them each evening.

A weekly summary sheet sounds a good idea if you don't think the parent is interested in reading it

Miffy xx

[onceinabluemoon]

I use sheets in a folder and it stays with me - there is a space for me to put down anything the parents tell me each day and I get them to sign it at pick up.

Tbh they don't often add any comments but they do ask to read them each evening.

A weekly summary sheet sounds a good idea if you don't think the parent is interested in reading it

Miffy xx

This is a fab idea! I may have to pinch it!

I know some of my parents don't bother to read their child's diaries. mostly now I don't bother to write them anymore but spend time talking to them at pick up time instead.

[Katiekoo]

I sent out a questionnaire to parents asking for feedback about the diaries. One family said they absolutely depend on it to feel part of their child's life at my setting, the other said they only really want to know the basics and don't have time to read sweet stories of how the day went, plus the diary never made it back to me each day. So I have tailored the diaries to suit individual parents. One gets a book that gets passed between us with lots of detail. The other gets one sheet with a summary.

[snufflepuff]

I just write quick notes in an exercise book (covered and decorated on the outside)- What the child ate, nappies/ potty training, sleep times, activities, maybe a bit about how they have been. One diary stays with me because mum said herself right from the start that she would forget it- she reads it maybe once a week but we spend a good time chatting at the end of each day so I tell her everything then. The other book goes home and I don't get comments in it from parents but that's fine.
I once minded a friends LO for a day while her usual cm was on holiday there was sooooo much detail in her diary! It was like a step-by-step commentary of her day. I don't know how she found the time to write it all!

[joannetalbot]

many thanks to you all of your replies, it's been really interesting reading how you work with your daily diaries.

i decided to e-mail my diary to parents as I can type much quicker than i can write so i was trying to save myself some time there!! i print off a copy to go into the childrens EYFS folder. Theres a note at the bottom of my sheets encouraging parents to comment/leave feedback by return e-mail but they never do. Each parent also has a small communication book in their childs bag (so another way of me trying to keep the communication 2 way) where they can give me daily info about the child etc and in there i've explained the kinda info that would be useful for me but again none of them ever fill them out either.

at the beginning of the year i updated all my policies and e-mailed the complete set to all parents and gave them a tick sheet for them to tick and sign once they'd had chance to look at them. 1 parent sent it back with 1 month, the other took 2 months and i'm still waiting for the 3rd which is now over 3 months ago. i've asked her several times to return the form but it falls on deaf ears.................so you can all see what i'm up against here:rolleyes:

i think a condensed version of my daily sheet is a way forward for me with 2 sets of my parents and with the 3rd who is happy to have the info verbally then a weekly summary sheet is the best idea i think. i really do have to start disciplining myself as i get carried away writing so much for parents but i never get any thanks for it :crying:

i know most of you use the daily diaries which ping pong between you and the parent but just a little word of warning.................a friend of mine had exactly the same set up but then ran into some difficulties when a parent had issues with her over her child who clearly had behavourial problems. all the evidence that my friend had about the child etc was in the diaries so if the parent wanted to complain and take it further the parent had the diary and therefore all the evidence so she had nothing to back up her side of things which left her wide open with no leg to stand on really. another friend of mine had exactly the same system but once she'd heard about this problem she still did the diary but made sure she kept a copy for herself so she had a record of exactly what had been written. you just never know when you might need it to help you in a tricky situation. :rolleyes:

jo x

[Becky001]

Hi I'm new to the forum so I hope you get this. I do a daily diary but like many of you I can type more quickly than write and I can the keep a copy. I have a set form on the computer to complete, i.e. meals, sleeps, nappies etc and then a small area to write a comment or post a picture. I then print a copy for the parents which I put in the child's bag and keep a copy for myself which I put in their EYFS file. I also write any verbal feedback at the bottom of the sheet so the parents are aware that I take on board what they've said.

[zippy]

I know this may sound a bit off the wall, but i have been seriously considering doing my daily diary as such by text message, i know this would have to be a condensed version but i am too having problems with feedback sometimes i dont think they even read them, this way they hav to read it (nobody ignores a text really) also i could ask direct questions within it so unless they are inncredibly rude they will have to reply. My phone is one that shows both sides of the conversation so it will be easy to show an ofsted inspector our conversation. Opinions please peps, is this to off the wall or might it actually work lol

[sharonmanc]

Zoerhymes:

Why not, my children's schools send messages by text all the time for this very reason

[zippy]

thats a very good point sharon, mine does the same had totally forgotten about that, looks like its a goer then lol

[claire & steve]

Hi do you need to put copies for each day from your daily diary into your learning journals,I havent been doing this...:(

[marleymoo]

Hi do you need to put copies for each day from your daily diary into your learning journals,I havent been doing this...:(

i keep a settling in diary up and until i feel it is appropriate to begin the developmental journal and i do it this way because i don't believe a child can begin to learn and develop until they have formed a secure attachment. when i feel this is established, and only then, do i begin the journal, and this becomes the only written document i keep. parents are informed about their child's day on daily basis at handover. i don't see the point in duplicating anything - at all. if any next steps are agreed verbally at handover then i put this on the next steps sheet in the child's journal. parents always told me that they don't need to know in writing every time they have a nappy changed or what they had to eat because they know my routines, menu choices etc, that's what i have those pieces of paper for.
i seem to take a more relaxed approach to this stuff than everyone else seems to on here. :( maybe i'm wrong, i dunno, but there's no way i'm spending my evenings and weekends doing this stuff - i don't get paid for non-contact time, do you? i don't even get paid enough for contact time!

[mindingmummy]

Hi,

I use a little a5 book for my parents. When they pick up I give a brief outline of the things that they need to know straight away then hand them the book and say I have written up all the other bits for you to see. (I dont leave it in the kids bag otherwise im sure it wouldnt get looked at)
I do find that both my sets of parents always read my notes and quite often I get notes from them to read the next day which is helpfull which I can then class as working with the parents.

I dont put any learning/development stuff in there so as not to confuse normal daily ifo like behaviour, eating, nappies ect with the development stuff. I think if you try to give too much in one go it makes it seem too much info.