By connecting with the child during the moment of distress and communicating comfort, then validating emotions, listening, and reflecting what we hear. By following these steps we’re being a supportive figure for the child who is listening clearly to what they have to say, and by reflecting back what we are hearing it becomes more clear to… Read more

Talk to coworkers about what you are experiencing, or go to your friends to decompress. Practice self-care regularly to help avoid compassion fatigue. Make sure that you are taking care of yourself while you are engaging in the difficult and occasionally draining work.

For responsive exchanges you want to make sure you’re following the “serve and return” model, and not missing out on any serves from the children in your care. You want to be responsive and show that you are listening when they share/say things. It’s good to maintain eye contact (when appropriate) and get on their level so that they know… Read more

Deep breathing and mindfulness are helpful in the moment of stress. Outside of the acute moment of stress, listening to music and dancing, spending time outside in nature, spending time amongst friends, and reading are all things I do to regulate and help minimize my stress responses.

Meet the kids where they are at and interact directly with them. Play and engage with them regularly in a kind and empathetic way. Try not to miss any serves, and make sure that you are returning them appropriately.

Yes, in situations like emergencies, or accidents, or when there is illness. Written guidance policies are a key component of a safely and properly run child care facility.

A crib, bassinet, or other approved apparatus with a firm, flat mattress that leaves no gaps between the walls and the mattress, and only a fitted sheet.

By singing songs, and having little dance parties. By getting engaged yourself and playing with the children to show them that it’s okay, and to model active behavior. By making sure to encourage rather than discourage appropriate movement and having plenty of outside time (when the weather permits).

You can make healthy habits fun by singing songs about the habits as you’re doing them, by gamifying the habits when it’s appropriate to do so, and by engaging in the habits together with the child.

As they enter the building I would show off the safety gates in the doorways, and the lock on the front door to prevent unauthorized individuals from wandering into the building. Then I would show them to the classroom and point out how everything is stored and labeled with child safety in mind. I would finally point out where we keep… Read more

Like what many others have said I would first get into contact with my supervisor to ensure that there aren’t any additional filings I need to make for company policy, then I would contact CPS or other appropriate departments who need to be made aware of the suspected child abuse or neglect.

My biggest worry about keeping children safe as others have already mentioned is gun violence and abuse from other adults, as well as bullying from the other children. There are a lot of things that can go wrong when caring for a child and I worry about any of those things going wrong, whether it by through something that is my fault, or… Read more

My advice for creating and maintaining relationships with families, is to ensure that there is consistent and positive communication. Don’t just contact them when things are rough but have an intentional relationship that is already built with them. Approach them with kindness and empathy, and remain engaged and show a willingness to defer to… Read more

I think the three most important things I would want are:1. For my child to be paid attention to and given adequate care and support.2. For the provider to be knowledgeable about early childhood development, and have the skills to appropriately support and teach my child.3. I would want them to be caring and empathetic, to show a willingness… Read more

Good ways of engaging children in meaningful, active learning is by follow the child’s interest, allowing them to steer and guide where you delve into more complicated ideas and concepts, and where you might keep things more surface level. It is important to ask deep and meaningful questions about the nature of the world and how they are… Read more

For creating and maintaining a good routine and daily schedule it is critical to balance activity and rest. It is also important to prioritize child-led time while still incorporating provider-led time. Visuals can be a helpful tool for children, to help them get more familiar with the routine and daily schedule. It’s better to keep time blocks… Read more

A space that is safe and nurturing, as well as attractive and engaging are key. As well I think it is critical to have a quiet zone for children who might be feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated and need to decompress in a quiet safe space.

It is good to first have an already strong relationship of communication with the parents, if you already have some rapport than sharing the potentially difficult and sensitive information will likely go over better. It would also be good to script out what you are going to share and say with a co-teacher who is aware of the situation already.… Read more

It helps the teacher be better in tune with their students and makes it so that they are able to adapt and change their curriculum as needed to meet the needs of their students. It also makes it so that the teacher is better able to respond to abnormal behavior from the children (by making a record of what is abnormal for the child), and helps… Read more

For children who are in childcare I think it is better to avoid screen time as much as possible, especially since it has been shown to have negative effects on a child’s development. Maybe with older children there might be some contexts in which it might be appropriate to have some screen time occasionally, but I think those would have to… Read more

Early learning providers can create a “serve and return” environment in their classroom by being present and engaged at all time with the children. Ensuring that they are following the lead of the children, and allowing them to guide and shape how each day progresses. It is important to be reactive and ensure that you are focused and intent… Read more

I totally agree with this response, starting out by trying to understand what is happening with Mrs. Hopkins, and trying to meet her where she is at while still emphasizing the importance of having a consistent and timely pickup time is key here. We want to be understanding while still being firm, as being consistently 20 minutes late is not… Read more

WAC 110-300-030 is the WAC about nondiscrimination. In the WAC it lays out the requirement of every early learning program to have a written nondiscrimination policy that helps to facilitate the implementation of nondiscriminatory policies and practices in all early learning programs in the state. The biggest message that the WAC gives… Read more

I discovered that WACs provide a comprehensive guide for Early Childhood Education. I can’t say that I was particularly surprised by any of the WACs as they seem to be fairly straightforward and detailed on what they cover. I definitely see the WACs playing a big role in my day-to-day practice of caring for children, because of the… Read more