Learner chelle0143
LearnerForum Replies Created
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I think having areas where children can go to be independently doing things is especially important. They can safely decide to participate in an area, and do so without help. A good example is art or science centers or areas. Many times, children need supervision (in the preschool environment) for art activities because there is a project or end goal for the time. Having a space where children can make their own art, or even just draw their own pictures is a great activity for independence, creativity, fine motor skills, decision making, and trial and error. The same goes for science centers such as sensory tables, or even just hand-held sensory toys. Having sensory activities that children can freely participate in, or that are an “always okay to go get” option can really help kids who have sensory and stimming needs. For example, children who cannot sit well during circle time could use a quiet fidget toy or a sensory tool such as a squish toy, a spiky ball, a chewing toy, or other materials. These do not cause distraction to other children in the environment, but will help those that need more sensory input to sit quietly without causing disruption to the learning of others.
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Firstly, documenting observations of a child’s behaviors and progress in various areas is helpful. Written record (or video record) to review is helpful to create objective observations rather than starting statements with opinions or words like “I feel like your child might need…”, which is not helpful. Scripting the conversation with a co-worker first is also a good idea. And, discussing with your lead teacher, or center director before approaching a parent so as to not overstep in a roll will benefit the child and the center’s long-term relationship with the family as well.
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Observing a child with intention rather than simply for safety in the environment is useful because it can help providers determine if the child is having meaningful experiences related to the domains of development that will help them continue on with their development in the social, emotional, intellectual and physical areas. Documenting the information observed, such as if a child struggles with the fine motor skills required to color, will help providers determine if they can help the child progress so that he or she has more success with their peers when it is time to paint, or learn to write their names. Simply noticing a struggle on a day may not be indicative of the child needing scaffolding to help them learn; recording, noting how many times a student has fine motor struggles. This, and other means of observing will give a more clear picture of if the student just needs a reminder, or if they are lacking the motor skills and emotional development to maintain focus and continue trying rather than getting frustrated when the task is challenging.
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I do not think screen time should be used in childcare at all, aside from sick children waiting to be picked up by parents, or to show a picture or video (under 5 minutes) for something educational such as seeing a picture of an animal that cannot be found in materials or books. While short programs are probably not harmful after 2 years of age, I don’t think they’re beneficial either, even if labeled “educational”. Likewise, I don’t think parents should be paying money for childcare for their children to be on screens all day, or for a majority of the day.
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Care providers can create a “serve and return” environment by noticing the children’s interests and supporting them with positive facial expressions, or directing the focus toward the interest, and playing with them. Providers should also remain as consistent as possible in meeting the child’s needs (return) so that the child sees the patterns of getting needs met and builds healthy relationships with caregivers. Playing with children while naming items of interest, and taking turns with the child are also valuable tools to create “serve and return” environments for these young kids.
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The WAC 110-300-0030 talks about non-discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, and more. The WACs mostly give the law regarding non-discrimination, and state that a center must have a non-discrimination policy listed. The WACs and information for this course also talk about including diverse students, and ways to do so such as the slide about singing the “Good morning” song in different languages to include bilingual students. This WAC, listing the non-discrimination policy, also gives centers guidelines for admission to the program in that they cannot only accept students of a certain belief, sexual orientation, family structure, etc.Including books about different types of families, or about a variety of races and ethnicities for students to look at, and for teachers to read during book time, can also be a helpful representation of diversity to challenge stereotypes.
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While reading the WACs, I discovered that they were way more in-depth about the fine points of childcare in the state than I expected. For example I didn’t realize that licensing was required for children all the way up to 12 years of age. For WAC 110-300, I was surprised to learn that the four-hour rule for licensing for preschools was a maximum for the day. If over four hours for preschool students, the program must have a license. This was surprising because I had never realized that before, and also do not know if my child’s preschool meets this same qualification because it is a private school. I was also surprised that programs in people’s homes must also be licensed. I do see how these WACs will impact my work with children, because many of the ones I read and found were not what I was expecting for it to include. On the other hand, there were others that I do not think will apply to me for now, because I am not in charge of employment or licensing of the center at which I work. In the future though, this may be helpful knowledge so that I can participate in hiring people.
