Draft reports during the week, not the night before
Ten minutes a day across two weeks is far less painful than a weekend of catch-up — and the examples are fresher.
Free templateChild Development & Programming
Pre-School and Pre-K Progress Report
A two-page progress report for preschool and pre-kindergarten children. Educators rate skills in early literacy, early numeracy, fine motor, gross motor and social & emotional development in January and again in June.
- Format
- Printable PDF · US Letter
- Pages
- 2
- Best for
- Educators · directors
- Updated
- Sept 2026
No sign-up required. Print it and share it with your team — it’s free for any child care program to use.
What’s inside
Five skill areas, rated in January and June
- Child details and legendName, age of child and date complete, beside a legend explaining the na, 1, 2 and 3 ratings.
- Early Literacy and Early NumeracyLetter sounds (with an alphabet to mark), phonetic words, printing and interest in books; counting, numerals and quantities, basic addition and subtraction, and shapes.
- Fine Motor and Gross MotorPencil and scissor skills, printing a first name, buttons and zippers; throwing, catching, hopping and balance.
- Social & Emotional DevelopmentRespect for self and others, independence, expressing feelings, relationships, group participation and following directions.
- Jan and June columns, plus CommentsEach skill is rated twice so families can see growth across the year, with a Comments box at the end.
How to use it
Four steps to put it to work this week
- 1Gather your observationsPull the last 6–8 weeks of journal entries, photos and lesson-plan notes for the child.
- 2Circle a rating for each skillIn the Jan column, circle na, 1, 2 or 3 for the level you have actually seen — not the level you expect. Consistency across educators matters more than generosity.
- 3Add commentsUse the Comments box for a concrete example: “Counted 12 blocks aloud while building a tower” tells a family more than “doing well in math”.
- 4Repeat in JuneFill in the June column on the same sheet, share it with the family and keep a copy in the child’s file.
Tips from operators
What centers that use this well do differently
Learned the hard way across 3,000 child care spaces — and from the directors and educators who join our Lunch & Learns and Learning Labs.
Lead with strengths
When you talk through the report, open each area with something the child does well, then the growth area. Families hear the second point only if they trust the first.
Keep the scale honest
If every child is marked 3 on everything, the report stops meaning anything. It’s fine for most 3-year-olds to be at 1 or 2.
Do it digitally in ChildFriendly Pro
Plan the week in the app — tagged to your framework automatically
Build the same plan in ChildFriendly Pro and every observation you log is tagged to FLIGHT, ELECT, ELF or your own outcomes, added to each child’s portfolio and shared with families in their daily journal.
- Pre-loaded provincial frameworks and outcome tags
- AI learning stories from a photo and two lines of notes
- Portfolios and progress reports that build themselves
FAQ
Questions about the Pre-School and Pre-K Progress Report
Can’t find your answer? Chat with a real person who has run a child care center.
Read more FAQsHow often should a preschool send progress reports?
Twice a year is the norm, and this report is laid out that way, with a January column and a June column. Whatever cadence you choose, tell families in the parent handbook so it is expected.
Is this report aligned with a specific curriculum?
No. It is a general skills checklist covering early literacy, early numeracy, fine and gross motor, and social & emotional development, so it can sit alongside any early learning framework (FLIGHT, ELECT, ELF, ELOF, state pre-K guidelines).
Can I use this for kindergarten readiness conversations?
Yes — the skills listed cover much of what kindergarten teachers look for. The June ratings give the family a clear picture before school entry.
Should families see the rating scale?
Absolutely. The legend is printed at the top of the report; explain it at orientation and again at the conference. ‘na’ only means a skill has not been introduced yet, and 1 or 2 is a normal, expected stage.
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