could cry sometimes !

[mabel]

I have worked really hard on getting 3 lovely learning journals done this summer - 2 four year old going into school and a 3 yr old to pre school.
Did all the paperwork - many late evening, using lots of photo's, noting positves and areas for learning etc. One of my parents has just hit the roof as she didn't know about this ?? upto now I have always communicated with the school over them, school have given me really positive feedback. But this parent was really negative --- can any one tell me are we meantt to give them to the parents for approval first ?? I have this child 2 days she goes to another childminder for 3 days - that minder keeps no paperwork on her at all ? so mum wants to know why I am -- as I already do a weekly diary for her too, I said its part of my registration. This is about my 6th learning Journey and parents have them as a keepsake at the end - I am gutted about this reaction - she has even shown this other childminder my learning journey. feeling rather interrogated atm she has also ringed all my spelling errors - which I know I shouldn't make but I can be working on them past 10pm at night .....lol help I need some positive advice !!!

[mumto3]

To me it sounds like the other childminder isnt doing sufficient enough work, either that or they dont openly tell the parents about it so not very good parental communication/relationship there and I also think it is abit rude of the mum to write over ur work by circling ur spelling mistakes, not fair at all

[khlwomitchell]

what a cow

thats just bullying you for no apparent reason.
I have my learniong journals as a4 sheets in the same folder as the policies they have signed and other parent info. I pass it to them quite often as they read how i've been watching LO grow and develop. they love it, its like the diary you do for your new born but without them having to do it.

The other minder is closer to wrong by not doing this (though she may have a different system) and i think that the majority of minders do as you do, daily diary and then long term learning journel.

As for spell checking it, thats her copy of a important right of passage for her child and should be cherised. if and when she comes to sit down and read all you have done its her problem its spoilt now.

and what it is meatloaf says.... '2 out of 3 aint bad'!!

[Goatgirl]

Hi ,
What's the mum actually objecting to?
If its sharing information with other settings, do you have permissions in place?

I can't see any other objection, so if its not that I'd just get on with it and concentrate on the parents who are more interested. Some just aren't!

Regarding the other childminder, as far as I'm aware its up to her how she makes observations and whether she records them. She does need to be aware of the childs development and provide opportunities appropriate to stages, abilities and interest etc, but creating a learning journal is just one way to display this info.

Hope you feel better soon. Its not nice to be unappreciated and it does sound as though you've put lots of personal time and effort into these. Onwards and upwards

best wishes,
Wendy

[blue bear]

In the back of my diaries I get the parents to sign the following statement.

I give my permission for Fi Fi to make notes, take photos and videos of xxx These may be in the form of a diary, observations, planning and scrap book showing xxx's learning journey.

I give my permission for Fi Fi and the staff at xxx school to share relevant information regarding xxx to provide continuity of care and learning.

I am aware these may be read and passed onto the relevant services should the need arise.

I pass mine on to parents to share with school but set a deadline as I need them back until child finishes eyfs.

Sounds to me like other childminder is possibly running you down to mum because you fo sonething she doesn't

[mabel]

thanks for you support - i needed it !

Yes she has a weekly diary, I keep it in the bag, but she has lost one diary so I wanted the pre school to see the LJ first,

I have read through it and I have made an error by writing the dob wrong
which I have apologised was 3 days out (thats as I have another mindie and in my head I got the dates wrong - but I hold my hands up inexcusable error on my part)

She didnt seem to like me sharing info with pre school leader (which I have a good relationship with and who loves my LJ) her daughter has potty problems - needs help and reminders/ can becomes distant if things dont go her way/ so needs praise and encouragement etc she just didnt like anything negative but I said these are so that we can help her, we drew up a plan for some next steps from them.

usually this is what my parents appreciate, so I feel in dispair and wondered if others had this problems, yes she signed all the relevant paperwork in the beginning - she just felt she should of had it FIRST but having lost all my hard work previously you can see my reluctance but was I WRONG in giving it to school first ???

[khlwomitchell]

i dont think you were wrong in showing the pre-school first, if you got to them first then whats the difference?
Maybe you just hurt her feeling? I would show my friend/pre-school teacher too if i was well proud of my hard work and have shown my layouts to other minders as examples of how we work and record info.
i think just showing parents a work in progress will stop this being a problem again.
Brush it under the rug and try not to get bogged down by it xxx

[rickysmiths]

You must have signed permission from the parents to share information with others. So Health Professional, Pre School, School etc etc.

I always send my LJs home every half term for the parents to see and invite them to comment and write their comments in them and add photos or give me photos to add if they would like me to. So I am a bit puzzled as to why this parent was surprised you where doing a LJ.

I would have wanted some contact with the other cm/or indeed nursery so I could co ordinate planning topics etc if the child is with them 3 days a week. But I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't forthcomming. In the 3yrs of EYFS and all the children i have had I have only ever seen on childs LJ that was last week for a new after school starter who has just gone into Reception.

I would not give an LJ direct to any setting without getting the ok from the parent first.

[Playmate]

[QUOTE=rickysmiths;982295]You must have signed permission from the parents to share information with others. So Health Professional, Pre School, School etc etc.

I always send my LJs home every half term for the parents to see and invite them to comment and write their comments in them and add photos or give me photos to add if they would like me to. So I am a bit puzzled as to why this parent was surprised you where doing a LJ.

I would have wanted some contact with the other cm/or indeed nursery so I could co ordinate planning topics etc if the child is with them 3 days a week. But I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't forthcomming. In the 3yrs of EYFS and all the children i have had I have only ever seen on childs LJ that was last week for a new after school starter who has just gone into Reception.

I would not give an LJ direct to any setting without getting the ok from the parent first.[/QUOTE]
I think this is why she is upset and to be honest I would be to. All my LJ's are viewed by the parents first and then if they had a problem we could discuss. We have to be careful about negatives, parents do get tetchy about them its human nature. My LJs really only contain posiitves with the odd negative sandwiched inbetween. My parents receive them termly so are aware of what I'm doing. Sorry probably not what you wanted to hear, especially after the amount of time you have spent on them, but in future I would share with the parents before sharing with other settings.

[vaughny82]

Learning journeys etc "belong" to the child they are about, so I would never give one to another setting, it should go to the parent/guardian of the child.

[mabel]

Thank you I really do value this advice, and i can see your points, I always assumed the link was to help school and pre school set out the next steps and I can understand her being upset. Although much of the info is recorded in her copy of her weekly diary.
But its interesting to know this and I will probably adopt this policy from now on, s I have tried to communicate with other c/m but she doesn't do paperwork ? she has done minimum training so doesnt understand, I have only learnt about it from you lot and I keep learning ! so Thank You so much for your comments

[Playmate]

Thank you I really do value this advice, and i can see your points, I always assumed the link was to help school and pre school set out the next steps and I can understand her being upset. Although much of the info is recorded in her copy of her weekly diary.
But its interesting to know this and I will probably adopt this policy from now on, s I have tried to communicate with other c/m but she doesn't do paperwork ? she has done minimum training so doesnt understand, I have only learnt about it from you lot and I keep learning ! so Thank You so much for your comments

Do you speak with the other CM? because the info you pass to each other can be verbal and doesn't have to be written. Are you duplicating paper work? We now do a weekly sheet which gives details of activities, observations and nextsteps, with photographs. We work on them throughout the week, then emailed to parents at the end of the week and printed off to form the basis of their learning journey. We just then add longer obs and art work as they come about. For children under 3 we provide a slip with the food nappy and sleep info daily. We are all getting to bogged down spending hours doing unecessary paper and no where in the EYFS does it say we have to do it! Our parents are really please with what we do and the early years team loved it when we did our FECERs assesment

[marleymoo]

is this mum a teacher?

[mabel]

no haha I wish she was, my teacher mums love me and always praise me, fab feedback from them !
Feeling so much better anyway and have decided to overhaul my system as i think i do far to much paperwork - going to simplify life, something positive has to come out of this today !

[marleymoo]

good for you mabes, take some pressure off

[smiler]

I find this issue of sharing information really interesting. My own little daughter started pre school recently and one day a week she goes to a childminder while i do my other job. the childminder does the drfop off and collection to pre school on that day. the truth is that even as a chilminder myself, who understands the reasons behind sharing information regarding development etc, i think I would object to my childminder discussing any areas of her development etc with the pre school, particularly without checking with me first. Im not sure why! I think i would kind of feel that it was interfering in my job as her parent?? I say this because my childminder told me she had discussed my little ones potty training with her pre school teacher, giving feedback on the fact that she is finding it tough etc. I dont know why but it annoyed me - I suppose i felt it was my job to discuss my child, although i totally understand as childminders we are supposed to do this but it somehow prickled me! We just need to be careful with parents I guess, aand not come across as interfering, so communication with the parents first and lots of it, is definitely best.

[mabel]

how interesting to read your comments from both sides of the fence, I think sometimes (and I hold my hand up to this on reflection - I get carried away with all the official paperwork I should or should not be doing regards to Ofsted-) sadly this mum rarely sees me, so in a way perhaps she feels she needs more input to, its getting the balance right some parents lean on us and we take the reins for them and then others dont want your input, I guess I just hadnt read her right, but perhaps I wont let parent lean on me too much again.

nice comments tho !!