Working With Parents in Child Screening and Ongoing Assessment
by Frankie Hoover Gibson, Program Specialist, Head Startrt Bureau
Your first step in the screening process for every new child enrolled in Head Start is to discuss all of those aspects of development that are pertinent to the child's experience in your program with the custodial parent or other responsible adult. This does not mean to simply interview that person for information needed on the appropriate forms. It does mean listening to, recording, interpreting, integrating, and disseminating a wealth of information.
Listen
Ask questions and value the answers that parents give you. Research supports Head Start's stance that parents are the best authorities about their child. Parents' senses about their child's capabilities should become the cornerstone of the individualized plans you will develop together.
Record
Begin building a well-documented, confidential file of the child's interests, developmental milestones, and other observable behaviors in the intake interview. Enlisting the parents to systematically keep track of new events that occur in the home setting will reinforce the importance of the parents' role. One suggestion is for parents to keep a folder at home with chronological samples of artwork and stories. Another suggestion is for parents to begin anecdotal recording or to keep a journal. Inviting parents to participate in any staff training pertaining to these skills is a way to introduce parents to these techniques if they are unfamiliar with them.
Interpret
Make every effort to understand parents' explanations of behaviors and attitudes attributed to their child. Record what they say and watch for other information that might reflect different or additional details. Always keep parents and key staff up dated in understandable, objective terms. Integrate Any pertinent information gained from screening or assessment needs to be an integral part of a child's individualized program plan. The information never should be used to limit the options for a child but rather to assist each child in growth and researching the child's potential. Remember that every child has unique qualities and that it is our role in Head Start to facilitate an environment that is accommodating and supportive of these qualities.
Disseminate
With the consent and direction of the parents, sharing need-to-know in formation with appropriate staff and other team players in the community is essential. Screening and assessment results are used in conjunction with many other pieces of information to make decisions about each child's program.
Screening and assessment results are always shared with the parents. A discussion of these results is not a one-time encounter with the parents. It is the beginning of an ongoing process in which the parents serve as the child's spokesperson, whenever possible. It is supportive teamwork that enables parents to take increasing responsibility for the child's progress as the child graduates to public schools.
Screening and assessment activities are not isolated events that parents are informed of after the events have been scheduled or have happened. It is essential that parents be involved in every step of decision making regarding planning and conducting a screening or assessment and then in implementing recommendations.
Plan
Parents who participate in the Health Advisory Committee gain a better understanding of the total screening process for all children. They can then convey the details to others at parent meetings. The importance of having parental consent and active involvement in every step of their own child's participation in any testing cannot be overemphasized.
Conduct
Using parent volunteers during certain screenings allows the volunteers to become familiar with the procedure and to see a variety of children's behaviors. Emphasizing that these activities must always be viewed as only a slice of behavior at one point in time is important. The outcome could be different the next day or even the next hour.
Implement
Head Start staff must work in partnership with the parents as new information appears in the evaluation process. There are always important aspects that can be addressed in the home as well as in the Head Start environment. Remember that any screening tool becomes a snapshot in words. When it is added to many other pieces of information the assessment picture for each child evolves.
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