Following up after conferences is essential to supporting children’s development and maintaining relationships. Here are some things you can do after conferences are over:

• Send a follow-up email or note thanking the family and reminding them of any agreed-upon plans for supporting their child’s development.
• Ask family members if they have noticed any changes in their child since trying new activities or strategies.
• Follow-up on whether families need help accessing any recommended outside resources.
• Schedule another meeting or call to answer any questions that have come up or to set new goals for the child.
• Encourage families to reach out with any questions on concerns they have about their child.
• Include any observations about conference topics on the child’s daily report.
• Reflect on what worked and any improvements you might need to make for the next round of conferences. For example, if several families were surprised about the topics covered during the conference, you may need to enhance your daily communication efforts. If you ran over the allotted time on several occasions, you could either lengthen the meeting time or try to better focus your conversations in the future.
• Address any technical issues that arise on virtual platforms. Seek support from members of leadership or coworkers who have experience using the tool. Share anything you have learned with your team so others can avoid the technical issues you encountered.
• Most importantly, create learning experiences designed to address the goals identified during the meeting. Create a list of the different goals and skills discusses across all conferences. Look for commonalities and create learning experiences that will enhance those skills. Work one-on-one or in small groups to target specific skills.

For the main article Family-Teacher Conferences, CLICK HERE

For the article Things to Do Before Conferences, CLICK HERE

For the article Things to Do During Conferences, CLICK HERE

For the article Director’s Corner: Supporting the Process, CLICK HERE