I definitely feel that policies would be useful in many areas, such as diapering, environment, food time, outdoor time, napping, and so many more. But specifically, I feel like the last slide about punishment would be great to have policies for. This makes sure that everyone who works at the center is aware of the guidelines, and what is okay… Read more

A crib with a firm mattress and fitted sheet.

The eat way to make healthy habits fun is to make it a game! Instead of just brushing teeth, we are scrubbing the germs away, instead of kids running away from you as you are trying to put on their shoes to go outside make it a game where we have to put our shoes on as quickly as possible! You can adapt based on age.

I would be sure to highlight a few main things. First, I would mention the emergency cribs in the room that we would place babies in if there was a fire drill. I would also mention what we would do if there were an earthquake (with the cribs on their sides, and matress on top). I would show where the nearest fire extinguasher is, as well as… Read more

My biggest worry about keeping children safe is what would happen in emergencies like lockdowns, fire drills, or natural disasters (like earthquakes here in WA). I know that this is something that is not common, but can definelty still happen at any time. It is something I think about often, and go through in my mind. Luckily we do trainings… Read more

<div>One thing that comes to mind for creating and maintaining a good partnership between caregivers/ parents and childcare providers is to communicate, and about everything! We cannot make inferences for months, and come to a conclusion about a child and what is going on without talking to the parents! Communication is so important for… Read more

One creative way to get children engaged in active, meaningful learning is by asking them open-ended questions instead of just giving them facts. For example, if we’re outside collecting leaves, I might ask, “Why do you think some are red and others are yellow?” or “What happens to leaves when winter comes?” This kind of questioning… Read more

<div>I’ll speak for infants because that is where I am most of the time! What comes to mind for me is that there are certain things that we do on a timeline, like diapering every 2 hours (earlier if BM), and bottles every 3 hours. That kind of creates a daily schedule right there, that repeats every few hours depending on the childs age. It… Read more

<div>I think that there are many components of a good early learning environment that are especially important. First, I think that the environment should be set up in a manner that is developmentally appropriate. So a climbing area for an infant room would not make sense, and no climbing area for toddlers also does not make sense and may not… Read more

There are so many positive ways to approach a parent about the development screening of their child. First, it is important to talk with coworkers who are in the room and familiar with the child to come up with how they want to share information with the parents. It is always great when we can start conversations with families by sharing… Read more

<div>Observing and documenting a child’s development can help early learning providers to see every child’s progress over a period of time, notice any concerns early on, and plan activities for each child to meet their needs and help them in their development! It can also help by providing clear information that they can then share with… Read more