Education Questions
I'm missing information about my child's previous schools, what do I do?
Contact your child’s current school and ask for copies of all education files and assessments. They should have records from previous schools. If your child’s current school does not have records from previous schools, contact those schools directly. They may ask you to prove that you are your child’s parent with your adoption records. If you are in contact with previous caregivers, ask for information they have about previous schools. They may be able to supply you with report cards and examples of your child’s schoolwork. If possible, go to the school to speak with people who knew your child or to take photos of the school.
I'm missing information about this particular school. What do I do?
Contact your child’s current school and ask for copies of all education files and assessments. They should have records from previous schools. If your child’s current school does not have records from previous schools, contact those schools directly. They may ask you to prove that you are your child’s parent with your adoption records. If you are in contact with previous caregivers, ask for information they have about previous schools. They may be able to supply you with report cards and examples of your child’s schoolwork. If possible, go to the school to speak with people who knew your child or to take photos of the school.
My child has no memories of this school. What do I do?
If your child has no memories of the school, focus on factual information such as dates attended and the names of teachers. You might want to contact the school for more information.
My child has some unpleasant memories of this school. Should they be included?
The school years can be difficult for all children, not only those who have been adopted. Discuss these memories with your child and discuss whether or not to include these memories in the Lifebook.
My child is reluctant to talk about this school. What do I do?
If your child seems reluctant to talk about something, don’t push it. If a memory is painful, your child may need time to process it before sharing it with you. You can always ask your child to write what they remember about this school, rather than talk about it with you. Then they can choose to include as much or as little as they wish.