Learner Daniel
LearnerForum Replies Created
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I’ve observed that ample space for creative work like drawing, painting, and crafts has benefited the students I work with, with many becoming quite absorbed in these activities.
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This discussion should be approached sensitively and with ample preparation. A provider should be able to point to the specific evidence and observations they or others have made that could indicate a developmental delay, and to confidently supply the resources that would be necessary for further assessment and support. Providing this evidence also gives parents a starting point for their own observations, if they have not observed the behavior that the provider has.
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Observing and documenting a child’s development is the basis for individualized, developmentally-appropriate care. Each child will reach developmental milestones at a different time compared to other children, in addition to having a different temperament, background, and set of interests. Observation helps providers collect and organize all these factors and make decisions about interacting with a given child so as to best support their further development.
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Not all screen time is created equal. Screens are a window into the wider interconnected world of culture and knowledge that can spark engagement and curiosity. But media designed for children often encourages a passive “viewing” state rather than engagement that might encourage creativity or play. When screen media is used as a distraction or pacifier for children, it denies them the opportunity to acknowledge and work through distress or boredom. I’m not sure where video games fit into this.
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Providers in an early learning environment can foster “serve and return” first by careful observation of the children in their care, and especially watching for cues that children are interested in initiating contact over some object or activity in the environment. It helps to have an environment furnished with a diverse array of materials that can spark interest in different children, but they key is really the observation and openness to the initiation of interaction.
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This conversation would need to start with showing compassion and understanding rather than impatience. Assuming that the parent has an understandable reason for being late, even though it is not an acceptable outcome, could build trust. This conversation could build into problem solving the issue that is causing the lateness or searching for alternative ways to complete pickup on time. The perspective of the child could also be brought in with care–Mrs. Hopkins likely knows the impact of her lateness on her child, but objectively reporting it from the perspective of the child as observed by the provider might help give the discussion more impact.
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1. WAC 110-300-0160 discusses diversity in early learning. WACs 110-300-0080 and 110-300-0085 discuss collaboration and communication with families.2. The WACs communicate that diversity and communication with families is paramount. 110-300-0160 states that providers must intervene when biased behavior is displayed by children or by adults. WAC 110-300-0085 requires that providers work with families to identify developmental goals.
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1. I discovered the WACs are extremely detailed and a bit forbidding to read through quickly. It would take a lot of time to be deeply familiar with them.2. None of the WACs really surprised me. It was interesting to see the legal definitions of lead teacher, assistant teacher, aide, volunteer, etc.3. It seems like the WACs would most influence day-to-day practice in a school regarding compliance for who is present in the room with children at a given time and who must supervise those staff. In my experience, this can sometimes get complicated.
