Tips for Sharing the EYE-TA Child Report Results with Families – earlyyearsevaluation

Preparations to consider before meeting with families:

Meet with the school’s multidisciplinary team to discuss the child’s Early Years Evaluation – Teacher Assessment (EYE-TA) results and develop a plan for the child.
Take some time to review the child’s EYE-TA results. Prepare notes about how you will communicate the child’s EYE-TA results as well as strategies for supporting the child at home and at school.
While there will be an emphasis on the strengths’ of the child, it will be important to think about how you will respond to questions families may have about the child’s area(s) of need.
Arrange for language interpreters, as needed.
Materials to prepare:
- Printed copies of the EYE-TA Child Report. If the family speaks English as an additional language, consider also printing the EYE-TA Child Report in their language (when possible).
- Ensure you have the child’s learning portfolio and other related materials on hand.
- Strategies and activities that families can use at home to support their child’s learning.

Five steps to sharing results with families:

Explain the objective
- Offer the families a warm welcome.
- Celebrate the child’s learning and successes. Discuss the child’s feelings about school and learning.
- State the purpose of the meeting. Give families a brief overview of the EYE-TA. Consider providing a family- friendly information handout about the EYE-TA domains.
- Remind families how and when the EYE-TA was administered.
Explain the content
- Discuss each domain and why it is important for children’s learning.
- Discuss the ‘explanation of results’ table at the bottom of the Child Report.
- It is crucial that teachers communicate to families that:
  - The red triangle is not a ‘bad’ result and the green square is not a ‘good’ result.
- In the fall of kindergarten, a result of a red triangle or yellow circle means that, for this domain, the child does not YET have all of the necessary skills needed when he or she starts Grade 1.
- This does NOT mean the child is ‘BEHIND’. Instead, the EYE-TA results can guide planning decisions around the specific area(s) where additional experiences for the child would be beneficial.
- Discuss the child’s current skill level for each domain.
Focus on the positive
- Highlight observed strengths.
Point out opportunities
- Discuss the domains where you’ll be working on improvements – use this as an opportunity to involve the family in strengthening the child’s skills.
Discuss the action plan
- Talk about how programming will be adjusted to respond to each child’s observed strengths, interests, and preferences. Ask families for suggestions about any other interests or strengths their child may have.
- Brainstorm ways they can support learning and development at home.
- Provide families with resources. Be sure to go through them orally so they understand.

*Invite the family to ask questions and offer comments throughout the meeting.

School Readiness and the Key Areas of Early Childhood Development

Successful learning takes place when parents, schools, and communities work together to support their children. Below are descriptions of the four key areas of early childhood development and how they relate to school readiness and readiness to learn to read:

Domain	What is it?	Examples
Awareness of Self and Environment	Children’s awareness of themselves and the environment comes from thinking and talking about the world around them.	Use the senses (sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing) to explore the world. Make connections between people, places, things, and experiences. Identify animals, colours, places in the community, positions of objects, and opposites.
Social Skills and Approaches to Learning	Social skills and approaches to learning allow children to get along with others and make friends. Parents should encourage independence, curiosity, and creativity in their children which help them become interested in school and learning.	Regulate one’s own energy, emotional reactions, and aggression Willingness to listen, try something new, concentrate, and receive new information.
Cognitive Skills	Children’s thinking skills, including their perceptions, what they know, and their reasoning and judgment.	Recognize words that rhyme. Name letters, sounds, and numbers. Count sets of objects. Distinguish between things that are the same or different. Identify objects and their functions.
Language and Communication	Communication is part of daily life and takes the form of speaking, listening, recognition of signs and symbols, written texts, and a variety of technologies.	Listen to and understand instructions, discussions, and stories. Use full sentences to explain ideas. Talk so people can easily understand.
Physical Development	Children’s knowledge about their body, and how to use it, move it, and control it.	Master gross motor skills such as walking, running, hopping, and skipping. Develop fine motor skills to complete tasks such as drawing, tracing, cutting, and writing.