In a preschool that assesses without scores, progress is shared with families through three channels: short everyday exchanges at drop-off and pick-up, regular sharing of observations and photographs, and a scheduled progress conversation once or twice a year built around the child's portfolio and development record. Each channel describes what the child can do now and how she has changed, invites the family's own observations, and avoids any comparison with other children.
Families are a child's first and longest-lasting teachers, and they know things about their child that no school will ever see. Sharing progress is therefore not a one-way report but a conversation between two sets of experts. This article sets out how to organise that conversation in a bilingual preschool, how to prepare and run a progress meeting, how to share difficult news, and how to answer the question nearly every parent asks sooner or later: is my child behind?
Three channels for sharing progress
Each channel has a different purpose. Schools that rely on only one of them, for example a single meeting at the end of the year, leave families feeling uninformed for months at a time.
| Channel | Purpose | Typical frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday exchanges | Quick news about the day: what the child enjoyed, how she ate and slept, anything unusual | Daily or several times a week, at drop-off and pick-up or by message |
| Shared observations | A photograph, a short note or a learning story showing a moment of learning | Every week or two, depending on the age group |
| Progress conversation | A fuller discussion of the child's development across all areas, with evidence and next steps | Once or twice a year, plus on request |
Everyday exchanges build the trust that makes the formal conversation work. A parent who has heard something specific and positive about her child every few days is far more ready to discuss a concern than one who hears from the school only when something is wrong.
Preparing for a progress conversation
A good progress conversation is prepared well in advance. Teachers update the child's development record, choose a few portfolio items that illustrate the main points, and agree between co-teachers on what they want to say and what they want to ask. In a bilingual classroom both teachers should take part where possible, because each knows the child in a different language and setting.
Language and interpretation need planning. Families should be offered the conversation in the language they are most comfortable with. If neither teacher speaks it, the school should arrange a competent interpreter rather than relying on a child or a sibling. In families where the parents speak different languages, it is worth asking in advance how they would like the conversation to run.
Families should also be invited to prepare. A short note a week before, asking what they have noticed at home, what questions they have and what they would most like to talk about, turns the meeting into a genuine exchange. Some families arrive with a list; others need the invitation to realise their observations are wanted. Either way, the teachers learn something before the meeting starts, and can bring evidence that speaks directly to what the family most wants to know.
Practical details matter more than they seem. A quiet room, adult-sized chairs or comfortable seating, a choice of times for working parents and an agreed length, usually twenty to thirty minutes, all tell families the school takes the conversation seriously.
A simple structure for the meeting
Progress conversations go best with a clear but flexible structure. The following order works for most families and keeps the meeting focused on the child.
- Start with the child as a person. Share a short portrait: what she loves, who her friends are, a recent moment that captured who she is. This shows the family that the teachers know their child.
- Invite the family's view. Ask what they have noticed at home, what pleases them and what, if anything, worries them. Listen more than talk.
- Walk through the evidence. Using the portfolio and development record, go through the main areas of development, showing work samples, photographs or recordings for each point.
- Name what comes next. Explain what the teachers will offer in the coming months and why. Invite the family to suggest anything they would like the school to try.
- Agree on one or two shared focuses. Choose a small number of things the school and family will both pay attention to, without turning home into a classroom.
- Close and follow up. Summarise in a few sentences, give or send a written summary, and tell the family how to raise questions before the next meeting.
The order puts listening near the start on purpose. Families who have been asked for their view early are more open to the teachers' observations later, and they often add information that changes how the teachers read the evidence.
Answering "is my child behind?"
Parents who grew up with marks and rankings often want to know where their child stands. The question deserves a straight answer, but not one that ranks children. Teachers can explain that skills in early childhood appear within wide age ranges, describe the usual range for the skill in question, and say honestly where the child currently is within it and how she has moved over recent months. That gives the family the reassurance or the information they need without placing their child in a list.
When the honest answer is that the child is at the later end of a range, teachers should say so calmly, explain what the team is doing to support her, and agree on when they will look at it again. When the child is well within the range, teachers can say that too, and gently explain why comparing her with a particular friend is not a good guide, since children develop different skills at different times.
Some families in Vietnam worry about readiness for primary school and ask whether their child should be learning to read and write before starting grade one. Vietnamese education rules have long discouraged teaching the grade one curriculum to preschool children in advance, and early-years research generally supports building language, curiosity, attention and independence rather than drilling letters early. Teachers can show families the evidence of those foundations in the portfolio, which is usually more reassuring than any reassurance in words.
Sharing difficult news
Sometimes a progress conversation must include a concern: a child whose language seems to be developing slowly in both languages, a child who finds it very hard to join in play, a child whose movement or attention worries the team. These conversations need particular care.
Concerns should never come as a surprise at a formal meeting. If a team has been worried for some time, the family should have heard about it earlier in a quieter conversation. At the meeting, teachers should describe what they have observed, with specific examples and dates, rather than offering a label or a guess at a diagnosis. They should explain what the school is already doing, ask what the family has noticed, and discuss together whether advice from a specialist might help. The family decides; the school supports.
Tone matters as much as content. Families hear concerns about their child with their whole hearts. Starting with the child's strengths, using plain language, allowing silence and offering a follow-up meeting soon afterwards all help. A separate article in this category looks in more detail at what teams can do when an observation raises a concern.
Families who live between countries
In an international preschool in Ho Chi Minh City, many families are mobile. One parent may work abroad for weeks at a time, grandparents may live in another country, and the family may already know they will move again in a year or two. Sharing progress has to work for families like these as well as for those who come to the gate every afternoon.
Practical adjustments help. Progress conversations can be held by video call when a parent is travelling, with the portfolio shared on screen. Shared observations and photographs, sent regularly through the school's secure channel, let a parent who is away follow the child's week. Written summaries should be clear enough to make sense to a parent who was not at the meeting.
For families preparing to move, the portfolio and development record become especially important. A clear summary of the child's development, her languages and her interests, ideally in English as well as Vietnamese, helps the next school understand the child quickly. Teachers can also talk with the family about how to prepare the child for the move, and what to tell the next teachers about how she settles best.
Phrases to avoid, and what to say instead
"She is the best in the class at…" Praise by ranking teaches families to compare and implies other children are worse. Instead describe what the child does: she now counts objects accurately up to twenty and enjoys counting the steps on the stairs.
"He is a bit slow with…" Labels stick and say nothing useful. Describe the observation and the plan: he is still working on holding a pencil; we are offering more play dough and tongs to strengthen his fingers.
"Don't worry, he will grow out of it." Reassurance without evidence can delay help. If there is no concern, explain why, with examples. If there is, say so honestly and describe the next step.
"You should practise this every night at home." Turning home into a classroom rarely helps young children. Suggest enjoyable everyday activities instead, such as talking while cooking, reading together in either language, or giving the child small jobs.
Written summaries that families actually read
After the conversation, families should receive a written summary, either the updated development record itself or a shorter letter based on it. It should be written in plain language, in the family's preferred language, and long enough to be useful but short enough to be read. Two pages is usually plenty. Headings that match the six dimensions, and short paragraphs rather than dense blocks of text, make the summary easier to return to later.
The summary should repeat the main points discussed, the shared focuses agreed and the next steps. It should not introduce new concerns that were not raised in the meeting. Families will reread it later, sometimes many times, so every sentence should be accurate and kind.
Families who receive the summary should know what to do with it. A sentence at the end inviting them to reply with comments or corrections, and telling them how to arrange a further conversation, keeps the exchange open. Some families file the summary away; others share it with grandparents or with a doctor. Writing as if any of those readers might see it helps keep the language clear and respectful.
In the Global Nexus curriculum, written summaries follow the six dimensions of development and link to the national programme's goals, but they are written for families, not for inspectors. They never include scores or comparisons with other children, and they always end with what the teachers will do next.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
How often should preschools hold formal progress conversations?
Most hold one or two scheduled conversations a year, plus extra meetings on request. Everyday exchanges and regular shared observations in between matter just as much, so that families are never waiting months for news.
What should parents bring to a progress conversation?
Their own observations from home, any questions or worries, and anything they would like the school to try. Some families bring photographs or examples of what their child does at home, which teachers usually welcome.
Can both parents and grandparents attend?
Usually yes, and in many Vietnamese families grandparents play a large role in daily care. It helps to tell the school in advance who will attend and which languages they prefer, so the right arrangements can be made.
What if parents and teachers see the child differently?
That is common and useful. Children often behave differently at home and at school. Teachers should listen carefully, share their evidence and agree to look again together, rather than trying to decide who is right.
Will the school tell parents if their child is behind other children?
The school will not compare children, but it will be honest about development. Teachers can explain the usual age range for a skill, where the child is within it and what support is planned, and raise any genuine concern clearly.
Why does the school not send home a report card with grades?
Grades cannot capture young children's development accurately and invite unhelpful comparison. A portfolio, a development record and a conversation give families more specific and useful information about what their child can do and what comes next.