JBER CDCs host parent conferences

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Child development centers on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will schedule parent conferences throughout the month of April to acknowledge the importance of early childhood development.

Through the conferences, parents will have the opportunity to discuss their child's accomplishments and progress, as well as set learning and development objectives, said Gena Walker, lead training and curriculum specialist with child and youth programs on JBER.

Each child in the child development program has a child portfolio, which includes teacher observations, developmental assessments and work samples, Walker said.

"We [review the portfolio] with the parent, and we note all the accomplishments and the successes the child has had," she said. "We then make goals based on the child's interest and developmental needs."

"If there are concerns with development, we have resources in our community that we are able to refer families to so that every child gets exactly what they need," she said.

The goal with the parent conferences is to prepare the child for school.

"We don't wait until children are 5 to prepare for school," Walker said. "School readiness starts when they get in our programs."

CDCs host parent conferences twice a year in the spring and fall, said Stephanie Montoya, Denali CDC director. However, conferences can be scheduled outside of these times.

"We understand there is a mission going on, and we want to support that mission," Montoya said. "So we are flexible to have these conferences when parents are available."

More than a thousand families are expected to participate in the parent conferences throughout all JBER CDCs, Walker said. At Denali, 225 families are expected to take part in the conferences, where - as of April 6 - 50 percent of parents have participated.

Parents can benefit from the observations made by the education professionals at the CDC.

"As a mom, it helps me to know that they pay attention and they actually know things about [my daughter]," said Senior Airman Jenise Goodrow, 3rd Maintenance Squadron low observable journeyman. "She's not just a kid that comes [to the CDC]. They don't just watch her.  [They] actually have a relationship with her.

The interactions are brief when Goodrow drops her daughter off in the mornings and picks her up in the evenings.

"I like that I get to sit down and spend this time to review what she's doing," Goodrow said.

To schedule a conference, parents can speak to their child's classroom teacher or use the signup sheets available in their child's classroom.