Annual in home meeting for preschool.

My boys started preschool (public school) on their 3rd birthday which falls in January do to speech. This is their first full year and yesterday my one DS came home with a letter about setting up and the annual in home meeting with their teachers. It went on to say that the school feels it's important to see the childs living situation. It also went to say how important it is to work as a team with them and to keep the lines of communication open. So on Monday, November 7th, both of their teachers will be coming to our home.

I have nothing against them coming to our home. I know my boys will get a huge kick out of showing their teachers around our home. I've asked a few other people and they all find it strange.

Is this a normal part of preschool or is our school district starting a new trend?

 

The preschools around here don't do that. When I worked as an SLP in the schools, we only did home visits with our Early Intervention kids and didn't make home visits like that for kids in our preschool programs.

 

Interesting! I have never heard of that and Im not too far from you.

 

My girls go to a private preschool and the past two years they've had a brief home visit from their "small groups" teacher (they split the class at snack time and it's consistent for the whole year). But it's always been before school started, probably partially so the teachers can scope out the general surrounds and so the kiddos can meet their new teacher. I think the only reason the girls got a visit this year was because they're part of the group that the newly hired teacher will be leading. If it was one of the other "known" teachers, they wouldn't have.

But our school is the only one that I, or my other mom friends, know of that does a home visit.

The girls have loved it, show some of their favorite things, the teacher brings small bags of home made play dough and we all just "visit" for a few. GL!

 

I used to do home visits when I taught in a private school. Is it a Head Start program? I think the Head Start program in my school does home visits.

 

I haven't heard of a preschool doing that around here. My friend's daughter started K this year and her elementary did a home visit - it's the first year for them and I think part of a test for our district, she is in the same district but a different elementary. Our elementary didn't do them this year. I don't know if they will be doing it district wide next year or not.

 

My daughter was telling me this yesterday. She was surprised by it. My Grandson will be going to Headstart.

 

I have never heard of such a thing, and honestly I would be very uncomfortable with it. Not that I have anything to hide, but why do they need to come to my house?? All I can think about is they are just looking for signs of abuse or neglect, but I could be just overly cynical these days.

 

We have had multiple home visits.

First ones were for Early Intervention, all therapy/evaluation was done at home.

Second ones we were involved in a local program called Parents as Teachers and they did 4 home visits a year to share developmental information, do a developmental assessment, and play with the kiddos. They are they ones that referred us to EI so I was very glad to have 'fresh' eyes looking at my concerns.

Third, in MI we had the state funded Great Start Readiness Prechool program do a home visit before the school started. It was required by the grant. Basically, it also helped the child meet the teacher before school to build a bond. She shared a-going-to-school activity and got to know my kids.

Fourth, Universal Preschool for all (also federally funded) in Iowa required it as well. The teacher did much like above, shared information about school, got to know the kiddos, and left us with an activity.

In the area I teach in the K teachers all do home visits prior to school if possible (not always for late enrollees). It helps ease separation anxiety, gives the kids a familiar face, and builds bonds with school/home.


My kids loved it and I never thought it was invasive. The teachers kept to whatever room we went to (living room or kitchen) and were mainly focused on saying HI to my kids and sharing information with me.

 

But would'nt abuse or neglect also be seen at school? If a child comes to school hungry or dirty on a regular basis I would think that would be a sign of troubles at home.

I was talking with a friend last night about this and he said I wonder what the school would do if someone refuses a home visit. Would that make them more suspicious of the childs home life and would the school push even harder for a visit?

My one DS was in EI since the age of 1 and my other DS since the age of 18 months so I am used to having therapists/social workers in my home, but I can see how a parent could feel uncomfortable with a visit from their childs school.

 

Our speech program visited homes until age 3. After that all meetings are done at school.

 

I've heard of it. Our school doesn't do it, but other districts here do. I think its nice for the teacher to see the kids in their own environment and for the kids to show off their home

 

Both the areas we lived in were fairly multi-cultural. I would say the home-vist can be used to address any concerns/misunderstandings a teacher/family may have concerning cultural differences. I will say too--- I asked questions at home visits that I may not have spoken about in an open house-type setting where you have no privacy.

Conferences are not until late Fall for us, some issues are better addressed BEFORE school started.

It would be rare for a teacher to see/witness signs of neglect/abuse in a brief 30 minute visit at a predetermined time (not a drop-in). It would more common to see signs at school (speaking as a teacher) over a period of time of working with and seeing a student.

I think it is a great way to build a relationship with teachers. Parents and teachers are supposed to work as a team-- you cant do that if you are suspicious of each others motivations. Also, it gives things to talk with the student about those first nerve-wracking days (siblings, likes/dislikes, etc).

 

I'm a grandma here, but the school district that I taught in more years ago than I care to admit did home visit every year in every grade, including high school. Since I never had a home room, I never had to do them, and don't remember much about them, including why they did them. I do remember that the male teachers were very uncomfortable going to the home of a single, female parent.

 

Our current preschool does not do a home visit.

The preschool I want to have them enrolled next year does.
They said it was a way to meet new students and see what they are like in their normal
environment.


I dunno about you, but I get great reviews from their current teachers about great behavior. I wish they behaved better for me and my dh!!