Early Math Counts

Before enrollment actually begins, families usually complete a whole bunch of paperwork.  This information is pretty standard; contact information, emergency numbers, health forms, etc.  I think it would be interesting to gather information from families that might help to know them a little better, especially in terms of what they hope for their children while attending your program.

It is really hard to formulate questions so they don’t sound too intrusive: How often do you read to your child? (Yikes, is there a right answer?)  or condescending: Do you read to your child? (Uh, oh.  I don’t but I am going to say I do.)  No matter how you ask them, these types of questions often make parents feel put on the spot.  It is not unusual for parents to fib a little bit: How much TV does your child watch? (He watches four hours a day, but I am going to say one hour because that makes me a better parent.)

If you wanted to find out about family attitudes about early education, how would you ask?  What would you say?  How could you ascertain that some families have “math fear” or have high expectations for their child’s early math education?  I would love to hear how you might formulate these questions and then we could discuss them.