[Gina]

1. I discovered that there was way more WACs (or laws/legislation) in place for early childhood learning than I thought! Like way more.

2. WAC 110-300-0005 surprised me a ton! Its interesting how they have definitions for possibly any situation or personal thing that may arise! Such as gender identities, sexual orientations, etc

3. I can absolutely see how this would help! It did a great job on explaining what to do in certain situations, like shaken baby syndrome, head traumas, and my responsibility in early learning.

[ruthi mathis]

The WACs cover a broad range from physical space to food preparation. They address the day to day needs of children. I need to know them so that I keep children safe as well as active and learnin.g

[Man Chuan Hung]

1. What did you discover about the WACs while completing the activity

It is definitely quite a lot of pages and rules to read through. However, it is also great that it is written in so detail that if we have any questions in certain areas, we can easily go back to look for references. In general, WAC is to provide the children in our care with a healthy, safe environment. It helps provide a standard to the preschool environment.

2. Were you surprised by any of the WACs?

Actually, when I read through the emergency preparation, I found out fire and evacuation drill is to be practiced once every calendar month. We tend to focus on daily teaching and overlook that safety is our priority.

3. Can you see how the WACs will influence your day-to-day practice in caring for children? Why and why not?

After reading through WACs, it definitely affects our daily cleaning, organizing, classroom design, and paperwork routine. We are paying more attention to children’s safety, and health. However, our love and patience for our preschool children will be the same.

[Kim Arman]

1. What did you discover about the WACs while completing the activity?

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2. The WAC is exhaustive and well organized. Once you understand how the headers align with content, it is easy to find what you need.
3. Were you surprised by any of the WACs?

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4. I was surprised by the amount of educational requirements in place for even an in-home childcare setting.
5. Can you see how the WACs will influence your day-to-day practice in caring for children? Why or why not?

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6. There are some items that align with basic common knowledge when working with children, but other items like cleaning procedures can be more involved than common cleaning. Also, the level of documentation needed when caring for children makes it more organized.

[Avery Hanneman]

1. I discovered that WAC’s are super in depth despite being pretty short documents to read. I was expecting a ton of writing just for one WAC and was expecting it to be super confusing and hard to understand.

2. I wasn’t really surprised by any of the WAC’s as they all have their rightful place in a childcare setting

3. I think WAC’s could be super useful in day to day work. I could see them being useful if you had a question about something and a center director was not available to answer it, you could look to the WAC’s and see if it has any advice for how to handle a a situation.

[Hafso Egal]

While completing the activity and delving into the Washington Administrative Codes (WACs) for early learning, I discovered the comprehensive and specific guidelines that govern our field. I was somewhat surprised by the level of detail and rigor in these regulations, particularly regarding health and safety protocols, staff qualifications, and curriculum standards. It’s clear that adhering to the WACs is essential, as they provide a framework for ensuring the well-being and educational development of the children we care for. These regulations will undoubtedly influence my day-to-day practice by serving as a reliable reference for maintaining a safe and enriching environment, guiding curriculum planning, and ensuring that our program consistently meets the highest standards of professionalism and quality in early childhood education.

[Kyla]

1. What did you discover about the WACs while completing the activity? I discovered that learning providers have to complete ten hours of annual in-service training after twelve months of cumulative employment. And that “In-service training requirements of this chapter may be met by completing college courses that align with the Washington state core competencies.”
2. Were you surprised by any of the WACs? I was surprised at the amount of records the facility need to retain. especially “Furniture, sleep, and play equipment forms and specifications”
3. Can you see how the WACs will influence your day-to-day practice in caring for children? Why or why not? Yes, because WAC gives us structure on how were supposed to handle things within the Child Care profession.

[Gabrielle Ogilvie]

I understand that the WACs provide guidelines and regulations to ensure the safety, well-being, and quality of care for children. It’s important for early learning professionals to be aware of and follow these guidelines in their day-to-day practice to provide the best possible care for children. I was not necessarily surprised by them as they seem reasonable for a quality and effectiveness of child care and their well being.

[Lia Simkins]

1. There are a lot of WACs for Washington and they are very detailed.

2. WAC 110-300-0065 states that you must send home information/activities to help with readiness for school, I didn’t know that this was required but I think it is very important top help families and children prepare for the transition to school.

3. Yes EWACs should influence day to day because they are guidelines that need to be followed for the safety, well-being, and development of children in care.

[Durva Patil]

While completing the activity, I was able to grasp the wide variety of guidelines that the WACs provide for child care professionals. Something that surprised me about this is the level of detail that WACs provide because I previously thought they were all going to be vague and informal to cover a wider range. I can see how these WACs will make me a better child care professional for young children. This way I know the expectations and limitations of my job.

[Romina Foroudi]

I was surprised to find that pets are allowed in the classroom!

[Maria]

– Descubri que son bastante detallados.

– Me sorprendio que como son tan detallados siempre que necesite consultar voy a encontrar la respuesta a mi inquietud.

-Los WAC explican claramente los procesos y procedimientos para ser aplicados en las aulas

[Maria]

– I discovered that they are quite detailed.

– I was surprised that since they are so detailed, whenever I need to consult, I will find the answer to my concern.

-The WACs clearly explain the processes and procedures to be applied in the classrooms

[Cynthia]

I’m actually really surprised how the WACs have all this in depth important information. It has really caught my eye on all the important information we have to know about. This has really helped me and encouraged me to become and try to be a better professional for me and the children I help out.

[Chloe]

I was a little awed at the level of detail in the WACs. 110-300-0148, for example, is about gardens in outdoor learning spaces and includes requirements about the kinds of soils and fertilizers that can be used.

I see the WAC’s influence in the most rigid parts of my day as a teacher at a Licensed Child Care center- dictating the rules around things like dishwashing, laundry, and cleaning.