BUTLER TWP — Delivering bad news is never easy, especially when it is about a young child.

With that in mind, toddler and preschool teachers met March 5 at Butler County Community College to learn ground rules for parent-teacher communication.

The session was one of six at the Building Bridges for Children conference sponsored annually by Lifesteps in Butler Township. This year’s co-sponsors were BC3 and Northwest Regional Key. About 70 child care providers attended the session.

“I found the session helpful for advice on how to tell parents things they don’t want to hear, but need to hear,” said Katie Ramirez, a teacher with Lifesteps in Jackson Township.

Although friendly conversation is the norm during many interactions between teachers and parents, a particular skill comes into play when teachers must deliver difficult news to parents.

“Families want to know if their child is developing the skills that will let them learn to read and write,” said Debra Lanzo, a certified instructor for the Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System, who led the session. “Are they going to be ready for school? Are they getting along with others?”

Most important is keeping information confidential, said Lanzo, who also is associate director at Valley Community Services, Mount Pleasant.

Although it’s tempting for parents to ask a teacher questions when they are picking up or dropping off their children or at a chance meeting in the community, that is not the best time for difficult conversations.

Instead, those times are better for parents to hear positive or colorful news about a child. At the same time, small issues might be covered by a note home or in an e-mail.

But for big discussions, teachers and parents are better off meeting privately, away from children or others who don’t need to know. Also adult seating arrangements are important. Lanzo suggests teachers and parents sit at a round table or at the corner of a desk to help communication.

In addition, there are times when teachers are not permitted to share information. For example, when a toddler is bitten by a classmate, a teacher is required to protect the other child’s privacy.

“Keep parents’ point of view in mind,” Lanzo told the teachers. “Remember how a parent will receive the information.”

Teachers also must remember that every child has strengths, she said. Toddlers and preschool children grow and change rapidly, as do their capabilities. What a child can’t accomplish one month, he could master the next.

“In this class, I learned how to communicate worlds better with parents,” said Adrianna Passauer, a new Lifesteps Butler teacher.

A checklist from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning at Penn State University offers these tips for teachers who are planning a parent-teacher conference.

• Begin and end on positive notes to gain a parent’s confidence.

• Give families a copy of written conference notes regarding their child.

• Present work samples that show the child’s progress or that otherwise support discussion.

• Present information in terms of “strengths and needs.”

• Don’t compare one child to another.

• Focus on specific points.

• Report only observed behavior; don’t try to diagnose, but refer to families to other resources.

• Invite families to share their goals for their child and their observations; sometimes families see similar behaviors.

• Plan with parents to meet the child’s needs at school and at home.

• Decide how you’ll follow up, or when you’ll meet again.