LOS DIRECTORES SECRETOS TEMPLARIOS Y SS

100% (26/26) of the parents and whānau who responded to the Initial Survey knew where their child’s/children’s paper-based portfolio was located at the ECE setting. Parents and whānau accessing of the paper-based portfolios varied, from daily to only when something new is added.

Table 5.6 How often parents and whānau accessed the paper-based portfolios (data from Initial Survey, checklist)

How often parents and whānau accessed the paper-based portfolios

Number of parents and whānau who did this (n=26) Monthly 14 Weekly 4 Daily 1 Every 2-3 months 1 Every 6 months 1

The remainder of the parents and whānau accessed their child’s/children’s paper-based portfolios only:

 Every now and then (2)

 When out of town family were visiting (1)  When something new was added (1)

 Less than monthly as it was not updated very often (1)

The value of being able to share the portfolio with out of town family was highlighted by Ariana who noted “We have no family in [the city], so when we know the family is coming for the weekend we take the books home to show the grandparents” (July, 2013).

When asked how often they would take the paper-based portfolio home parents and whānau response again varied, ranging from weekly to never taking the portfolio home.

105

Table 5.7 How often the paper-based portfolio was taken home (data from Initial Survey, checklist)

How often the portfolio went home How many parents and whānau took it home

this often (n=26) Monthly 11 Weekly 2 Every 2-3 months 2 6 monthly 2 Never 2 Fortnightly 1

The balance of the families took the paper-based portfolios home only when:  Their child showed great interest in it (1)

 When out of town family came to visit (2)  When it was updated (1)

 Less than monthly as it did not get updated very often (1)

The final respondent kept the paper-based portfolio at home and only returned it to the setting when there was something new to be added.

The parents and whānau who did take the paper-based portfolio home had different purposes for doing so. Parents and whānau used the paper-based portfolio in a variety of ways when it came home. Through the portfolios parents and whānau were able to share in what was happening at the ECE setting. They were able to be part of their children’s learning, observe the child’s progress and share it with family and friends.

Table 5.8 Purpose in taking paper-based portfolio home (data from Initial Survey, coded responses)

Purpose in taking the portfolio home Number of parents and whānau who had this

purpose (n=26)

To share with the child 14

To share with family 12

To see child’s progress 6

To see what is happening at the setting 4

As a learning tool 4

Samantha captured many of these notions when she wrote:

Our child will talk to each of the pages for us. It is a useful sharing and learning tool to help celebrate his [sic] achievements, inform us of his developments and helpful links back to Te Whāriki. We also share this with his grandparents and we take it on our travels to share with whānau. As parents, gives us an

106 insight into the daily routines that are established at the centre which our child participates in. We love seeing pictures of him, especially as they capture moments that we could not be part of due to work – precious! (Samantha, parent, Initial Survey, July, 2013).

The benefits of parent engagement in children’s learning can be seen when Megan remarked “We sit down and look at it with our child and discuss it together. Us two [sic] parents discuss the child’s development and the things we can do inspired by it” (July, 2013). Supporting this Charlie said “I take note of her [sic] development stages and try to do the same activities at home to help with her development” (July, 2013).

When the paper-based portfolio was taken home it was often shared with others. Those identified were immediate family, wider family, friends, own child and partner.

Table 5.9 Who paper-based portfolio was shared with at home (data from Initial Survey, coded responses)

Who the portfolio was shared with Number of parents and whānau who did this

(n=26)

Wider family (Grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings)

22

Friends 8

Partner 4

Own child 2

Significantly the portfolio was often shared with children’s grandparents with 14 of the respondents noting the importance of this. However this sharing generally occurred only when the grandparents came to visit. Maria mentioned that they share the portfolio with “Grandparents if they are here and surrogate grandparents” however she also noted that “One went to England on holiday to show the family there” (parent, Initial Survey, July, 2013).

A number of respondents noted that they would read the Learning Stories contained in the portfolios to their children (12/26). Angela said “We usually read it together with [child’s name] and she tells us about what has been happening at preschool” (parent, Initial Survey, July, 2013). For some families the reading of the stories was part of a routine “We read the new entries at story

107 time before bed” (Christine, parent, Initial Survey, July, 2013). It will be interesting to see if this continues with the introduction of the ePortfolios.