The three aims of keeping children’s education records are:
- to communicate with the parents about their child’s development;
- to support the early detection of difficulties, if applicable, in accordance with the government strategy of Agir tôt et de manière concertée; and
- to facilitate the various transitions, including that to school.
The
Educational Childcare Act and the
Educational Childcare Regulation set forth the obligations of each category of educational childcare service provider.
Reminder of the obligations
This
document explains the obligations regarding children’s education records. The main points to remember are as follows:
An education record must be kept for every child attending an educational childcare establishment, except for children who have been attending for less than 60 days. The record may be kept in paper or digital format.
Content
Identification page:
- Child’s name and date of birth, name of the parent or guardian, date on which the provision of childcare services began
Periodic portraits of the child’s development:
- Assessment of the four developmental domains (physical and motor, cognitive, language, social and emotional)
- Prepared in May and November
- Dated and signed by the person who prepared them
If the child was given special support for one or more of the developmental domains (with or without a diagnosis):
- Documents or information taken into account when preparing the periodic portraits
Transmission to the parents
- The periodic portraits are sent to the parents by no later than June 15 and December 15 of each year.
- The educational childcare establishment must keep proof of transmission (and of the date of transmission).
- The educational childcare establishment must meet with any parents who request a meeting.
Keeping copies
- The educational childcare establishment must keep a copy of a child’s education record and of proofs of transmission for a period of one year following the child’s departure.
Transmission to a third party
- Any transmission of a child’s education record to a third party (health professional, another educational childcare establishment, or a school) MUST BE DONE by the parent or with the parent’s permission.
Useful references
The following documents were developed to support the keeping of children’s education records. While the use of all these tools is optional, they are designed to meet different needs related to the aims of keeping children’s education records.
-
Explanatory leaflet for parents
This leaflet for parents explains what the child’s education record consists of and its aims.
-
Model Child’s Education Record
Each service provider can choose the model he or she wishes to use, provided that it complies with the provisions of the
Act et du
Regulation.
The Ministère de la Famille offers a model that can be printed or completed digitally. This model contains one page identifying the child, a periodic portrait of the child for the months of May and November, and a section relating to the special support given to the child, as the case may be.
Lastly, the model contains one page (whose use is again optional) that the educator may complete if he or she observes that a child.
-
Guide to Keeping Children’s Education Records
This guide describes the different steps involved in assessing the status of a child’s development, from observation to transmitting his or her education record, and including note-taking, analysis, and drafting. It is intended to offer ideas while ensuring that the practices in force are followed.
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