Open Discussion Forum

Hello everyone! If your setting offers an annual (or more regular) program-wide survey for currently enrolled families, when do you offer it each year? 

We've been offering a comprehensive (but concise! limited to twenty questions or fewer) survey for the past four years, and we've always done so in the summer. The rationale has been that families have a full year of experience to reflect on. Then we can digest, reflect, and then act on the feedback to make changes large and small for the upcoming school year. One concern is that families who may be graduating from the program won't see the results of the feedback in their own experiences in the program. 

We have a number of other venues for parent/family feedback throughout the year -- for example, family conferences three times per year -- but I'm wondering about program-wide family surveys?

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Stephen Karmol
Executive Director
Wild Lilac CDC
Portland OR
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We tend to do family surveys tied in with our fall and spring conferences.  That way parents have a chance to fill them out while they are waiting.  Lately, though, we have switched to SurveyMonkey, and we have had many more responses!

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Allison VanLoon
Director
Acorn Academy
Ham Lake MN
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-20-2019 01:29 PM
From: Stephen Karmol
Subject: Timing/Outreach for Program-Wide Family Surveys?

Hello everyone! If your setting offers an annual (or more regular) program-wide survey for currently enrolled families, when do you offer it each year?

We've been offering a comprehensive (but concise! limited to twenty questions or fewer) survey for the past four years, and we've always done so in the summer. The rationale has been that families have a full year of experience to reflect on. Then we can digest, reflect, and then act on the feedback to make changes large and small for the upcoming school year. One concern is that families who may be graduating from the program won't see the results of the feedback in their own experiences in the program.

We have a number of other venues for parent/family feedback throughout the year -- for example, family conferences three times per year -- but I'm wondering about program-wide family surveys?

------------------------------
Stephen Karmol
Executive Director
Wild Lilac CDC
Portland OR
------------------------------

Original Message------

We tend to do family surveys tied in with our fall and spring conferences.  That way parents have a chance to fill them out while they are waiting.  Lately, though, we have switched to SurveyMonkey, and we have had many more responses!

------------------------------
Allison VanLoon
Director
Acorn Academy
Ham Lake MN
------------------------------

We do family surveys mid-year in January and at the end of the year in May.

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Sherrie Rose Mayle
Director/Teacher
Campbell Parents' Participation Preschool
Campbell, CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-20-2019 01:29 PM
From: Stephen Karmol
Subject: Timing/Outreach for Program-Wide Family Surveys?

Hello everyone! If your setting offers an annual (or more regular) program-wide survey for currently enrolled families, when do you offer it each year?

We've been offering a comprehensive (but concise! limited to twenty questions or fewer) survey for the past four years, and we've always done so in the summer. The rationale has been that families have a full year of experience to reflect on. Then we can digest, reflect, and then act on the feedback to make changes large and small for the upcoming school year. One concern is that families who may be graduating from the program won't see the results of the feedback in their own experiences in the program.

We have a number of other venues for parent/family feedback throughout the year -- for example, family conferences three times per year -- but I'm wondering about program-wide family surveys?

------------------------------
Stephen Karmol
Executive Director
Wild Lilac CDC
Portland OR
------------------------------