Kindergarten Screening Tips for School Counselors

Let’s talk about all things kindergarten screening! If you are an elementary counselor… you probably know what I mean. However, if your in the older age groups, you probably have your own version of screening and scheduling.

Kindergarten Screening is one of my favorite times! I love getting to see the new little faces and introduce them to their first school experience. Connecting with new families is also a passion of mine because I like to personally make sure they are getting their questions answered, feeling comfortable in our school building, and excited for their child’s new beginning.

I can imagine this to be a bit like Freshman Orientation or other grade-levels transitioning into different buildings. So, as we talk today, keep in mind I do elementary… but you can apply these same skills to your grade-level.

Okay let’s get started with four easy tips to greet new families…

1: Always Greet Them with a Smile

Nobody likes a Grumpy Greeter! Have you ever gone into a store, school or bank and no one looked at you, let alone said “Hi”? What’s terribly sad is when you go to the counter at one of these places to ask a question or even purchase something and they still don’t smile, talk to you or only mutter a couple words to answer your question. DON”T BE LIKE THAT!

This is their first experience of school! We want them to love school and love coming to see us. Smile, help open the door, show them where to check in and sit. If you can’t do these things, have someone else assigned to do them.

2: Be Organized for Kindergarten Screening

We start organizing kindergarten screening, months ahead of time. It’s a huge job to get all these kiddos screened and explain the results to parents. First, decide on how many people you need to “run” screening. Start designating jobs. Decide on where you will have it in your building. Reserve tables and chairs. Then, start getting the paperwork together. We start their permanent files from Kindergarten Screening and get all the necessary paperwork from their parents upon arriving.

There are more details to running screening, but once you get the main parts down. Run it through your head. Pretend like you’re the parent, see if there is anything else you’re missing. Do you have enough pens? Do you have the enrollment paperwork and handouts? Where will you privately explain the results? What information will you be sending home with them?

3: Stay on Schedule

Once your families are seated and the child is taken back to screen, take time to monitor and walk through the areas. Does everyone have what they need? Does it look like kids are with the screener testing? I’ve had a couple hold-up’s before when we had a student needing to go to the bathroom. So always be available to assist both families and screeners.

Since parents can have questions, sometimes discussions can get lengthy. However, kindly remind them that you’re in the middle of screening and you would love to set up another time to talk. Staying on schedule is key to not having upset parents in the waiting area. It may seem a little rushed, but just know this is a snapshot, not a complete IQ test. Parents will thank you for your punctuality and remember what a great experience it was. With that being said…

4: Let Them Ask Questions

This is a no-brainer to you, I’m sure! But, find that common ground where they can ask questions. Go ahead and explain the results or give a tour and then always end with… “Do you have any more questions?” or “Can I help with anything else?” Most of the time, you have filled their brains with tons of information that they usually say “No, I think you answered them all.” At that point remind them who you are and they can always call you if they think of something.

The key is to settle their worries, be informative, be a resource, and see how their child is doing! This is what helps build relationships, so later down the road, if you need to call home… it makes it much easier to connect!

Who helps with kindergarten screening?

At this point, you may be wondering how many people I have at my screenings and who helps me “run” it. You may be thinking… “but It’s just me! ” I can assure you that even on the smallest scale, these tips can work because I’ve done them all by myself when I am testing little ones. However, in my district, we do host two screening sessions. One in the Spring and one in the Fall.

For these sessions we have all hands on deck. I have two to three kindergarten teachers screening the students, the nurse doing health checks, the speech pathologist doing speech screeners, a welcoming front desk person and myself! Over the years we have streamlined this process to make it fun, inviting and informative at the same time! It really does end up being a fun couple of weeks!