Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read The Importance of Accurate Record Keeping (Links to an external site.) and Standard #6 in the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards (Links to an external site.) document.

Your lead teacher is so impressed with how you are working with the students, she is now going to introduce you to a few of the administrative duties that are also a part of the teacher’s job.

While your lead teacher is an incredible educator, her record keeping skills are less than ideal. She has a table full of stacks of papers: portfolios, checklists, check-in and check-out daily records, anecdotal records, daily logs of each child’s behavior, and art work. Although she has a good sense of where everything is, you remind her that she will be out for the next month and therefore it would be best if the stacks were better organized. During your discussion, your director comes in and tells you that you have four meetings to prepare for this week.

Meeting #1: Licensing will be here to review our records to ensure that are check-in and check-out records are accurate.

Meeting #2: Liam’s parents will be in to discuss his behavior. They have been noticing that he has become quite angry at home and they are sure that something is happening at school to warrant this behavior.

Meeting #3: Licensing will also be verifying any child injuries that have taken place in your learning environment. They have had a report from a parent stating that their child was hurt at school and they were not notified.

Meeting #4: The lead teacher that your students will transition to in the fall will be meeting with you to review your students. She wants to be prepared for these students. Please complete the interactivity to show what documents need to be pulled to prepare for this meeting. Explain why you chose the documents you did.

Review the following list to determine which documents need to be pulled for each meeting and then write your discussion response.

Portfolios
Check-In Check-Out Records
Check-Lists
Daily Records
Anecdotal Notes
Daily Behavior Logs
Parent Monthly Satisfaction Surveys
Incident Report (Injury)
Doctor’s Notes
Insurance Records
Financial Records
Employment Applications
Learning Center License
Current Rosters
Daily Activity Schedule

In your discussion,

• Explain your rationale behind your selections and discuss any documents that weren’t as easy to file. Instructor Tip: Explain your selection and what about the process made it difficult to file the documents?
• Share two methods of record keeping that you would utilize in your own classroom. There is no need to re-invent the wheel – resources like Pinterest and Google are a great place for inspiration. Discuss the two methods, how these will help keep your documents organized, and why you selected them. Instructor Tip: What methods will you use and how will you make sure these methods are secure, private, and organized? You have to protect confidential information (i.e., IEP, 504 plan) as well so be mindful of the place you put these documents.
• Feel free to include a link to the resources that explain the method in more detail. Instructor Tip: Make this easy for your peer by providing a link or even a picture of the resource you will use.

Resources that can help

https://youtu.be/Q_K9qkvUqSo

https://youtu.be/tbTi_DZOLA8

https://www.kinderlime.com/blogs/the-importance-of-accurate-record-keeping/

https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/Position%20Statement%20EC%20Standards.pdf