How Parents Can Be Involved in the Collection of Documentation for the Early Childhood Assessment System

IEP/IFSP Goals
Review your child’s current IEP/IFSP goals either alone or with your child’s teacher.

The Purpose of Collecting Documentation
Understand that the purpose of collecting documentation is to collect samples of your child’s activities that demonstrate his/her abilities with regard to his/her current IEP/IFSP goals. For example, to have a picture of a child sitting would support the skill "child sits", but may not be a useful item for documentation if your child has been sitting alone for over a year.

Equipment
Consider what, if any, type of equipment you have access to at home. The most common items would include a regular camera, tape recorder with ability to record, or a camcorder for videotaping. Even if you have no equipment you may still be able to contribute by sharing verbally about your child’s experiences or bringing in papers. Papers, pictures and videos will be returned after they are put in electronic form.

Who Determines What Documentation is Used?
Talk with your child's teacher or therapist about ideas for documentation relevant to your child’s goals. Contributing documentation can be a great help for your child's teacher and also allow you to be an active part of your child’s assessment team.

Suggestions for Collecting Documentation

• Cognitive Skills:
  Language- Make videos or audio tapes of your child singing the ABC song or other memorized songs or telling stories. Send in pictures of your child enjoying a book with another person. Bring in a sample of scribble writing for the teacher to scan.
  Science- Make a video of your child doing a puzzle or other problem oriented activity.
  Social Studies- Take pictures or videos of your child playing store.

• Self-Help Skills: Take videos of meal time or snack time or of your child interacting with a pet. Audio tape a mock phone call with emergency information. Bring a calendar with stickers showing dry days during potty training for the teacher to scan. Bring any sticker chart which targets changing a particular habit or behavior.

• Sensory Motor Skills: Make videos of the child in motion (crawling, walking, outside playing, at the park). Share pictures of the child sitting, standing, or holding things.

• Communication & Social Skills: Take videos of conversations at home or interactions with extended family members. Share pictures of birthday party activities. Make an audio tape asking your child questions like, "How do you play CandyLand?" or "What did you do at school today?" The teacher may want to make an audio tape of you sharing about a particular social experience involving your child or ask you to write about the experience.

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