[Gemma]

A worry for me is that if an emergency arose, I would be scared or unsure of what to do. Additionally, I have concerns about gun violence, predators, and other “real-world” threats.

[Gemma]

Communicate consistently, maintain respect and honesty, work together and collaborate on potential issues, and provide positive feedback on the child, as well.

[Gemma]

I would want open communication, patience, and support for my child. I would be worried about neglect, dishonesty, and safety.

[Gemma]

Activities could include circle time, arts or craft activities, creative/dramatic play, etc. While engaging in these activities, additional ways to get children engaged may consist of asking them questions, making connections/asking them to make connections to their life/family/world (i.e., asking about the food they eat or the people in their family), and taking students’ interests into consideration when planning activities. Additionally, one must be mindful of students’ different abilities or interests and account for these when planning and enacting these activities.

[Gemma]

A good daily schedule incorporates and balances play times, rest times, outdoor play, student-led activities, teacher-led activities, and meals. A schedule should be consistent to provide a sense of security, however, understanding a certain degree of flexibility is vital, too.

[Gemma]

Plan ahead, speak in private, use objective words, bring documentation

[Gemma]

Observation and documentation of a child’s development helps one understand and track the child’s development and plan activities that will be appropriate for where each child individually is at.

[Gemma]

In my opinion, screen time should be extremely limited in childcare settings. While screen time at home is, of course, at a parent’s discretion, in a childcare setting, screen time should be nonexistent in the younger groups and should be limited to infrequent short videos that have educational value for older groups. Children may interact with media through audiobooks or music, but visual media and screen time should be limited.

[Gemma]

Early learning providers can create a serve and return environment by interacting with and responding to each child positively, engaging with their interests and sharing their focus, following the child’s cues or gestures, and creating an environment with engaging cues and diverse activities for the child to interact with to create opportunities for shared interest and engagement.

[Gemma]

I would respectfully and non-judgementally express my observation of her tardiness and explain that, while flukes or accidents occur and we completely understand an occasional tardy pickup and love to have her child around/of course would take care of her child in those cases, these recurrences are becoming frequent and I’m a little concerned. Then, I’d explain how coming to pick-up can negatively impact the child (make the child feel unsafe, forgotten, etc.) and impact the staff/business (requiring staff to stay late, potentially violating contracts or legal or licensing requirements, etc.). I would make sure to validate her as a parent, expressing that we both want what’s best for the child, and ask if there’s a specific reason for the recurring lateness (getting off of work late, traffic, an errand, etc.) Depending on if there was a reason, and what the reason was, I would express compassion and understanding for the reason and I’d work with her to navigate a solution that works for her, the child, and the caretaker (me/us/the center). This could look like brainstorming how we could help her get here on time or looking into an additional/backup caretaker that could pick the child up if necessary.

[Gemma]

WAC 110-30 states that “an individual or entity that provides child care and early learning services for a group of children, birth through 12 years, must be licensed.” The WACs aren’t surprising for me, as I think they do a great job of laying a framework intended to keep children safe and ensure standardized, ethical, responsible, and diverse classrooms. That said, I think that it’s important, as an individual in the field, to be familiar with the WACs and consistently revisit them to ensure that your care is upholding these standards.