Practice identifying emotions and regulation strategies when children are calm. Practice regulation in areas where children can go to regulate. Put words to the feelings children are experiencing. Focus on safety and getting our brains back on before trying to solve problems.

Lean on my coworkers and talk through issues. Lean on my support system. Practice self care, take a bath, go bowling, read a book, take a nap, get a special treat at the store, have a good cry. Talk to my own therapist or mental health specialist.

Be an active listener. Engage when you see children struggling and help guide them through interactions or give them attention one on one. Find something to connect with the child on everyday. Make sure that children’s needs are met. Give words for the big feelings they have and help find strategies that help them to regulate.

I call my mom and chat when I’m having a stressful day. I try to see friends or just get out of the house somewhere more fun at least once a week. When I come home from work I get smothered in love from my dogs and then I take a hot shower and change into comfy clothes which signals my brain that the day is done and I can relax.

Be an active listener. Give one on one time when you can and when noticing children needing some space from the group. Be engaging to the children. Return their serves. Be attentive to their needs and see that they are met. Take space before taking a tone when frustrated, know when to tap out.

I think the guideline policies of your center are literally always useful in any situation.

A two month infant should have a single level crib, bassinet, or playpen with a snug mattress so the infant can’t fall in the sides and suffocate. Any bedding underneath should be only used for that child and a two month infant should be on their back with no bedding on top of them.

Have a yoga session that children can join in when they finish snack. Sing songs that have dances that accompany them. Get active during outside time, play hide and seek and tag variations with the children. Play pretend with the children and encourage them to move in different ways like if they are dinosaurs or bears.

Healthy habits can be fun when we sing songs about them, turn them into games, add fun colors or characters like having a paw patrol toothbrush, make them sensory experiences like different textures in our food, get the kids engaged, have them teach the teachers how to do it.

Safety procedures in my room to highlight would be:

We have door alarms that beep everytime a door to the classroom is opened

Our three step cleaning process of all surfaces and tables done multiple times a day

Our laundry room where we clean fabric toys and bedding

All cabinets are bolted to the wall or the floor

We bleach toys every night

Make a call to cps, inform my director of concerns so they are aware of what’s happening.

In my work right now the biggest safety worry is peers that have very big reactions and hurt others. I also worry about illness especially as anti-vaccine families are on the rise and being recently out of a pandemic.

I have taken many health and safety classes and mandated reporter trainings so I am interested in learning any new information…

Read more

Stay positive, always throw in something great their child is doing that you’ve noticed, build connections with parents that aren’t just about their kids to further strengthen relationships, Schedule meetings when important issues come up, listen to everything the parents have to say.

I would want my child to be safe. I want my child to be given positive attention so they can develop. I want my child to be redirected to positive activities so they can learn from their mistakes and follow a positive example. I would fear that they are unsafe, not being supervised, or not being encouraged to grow.

To get children engaged in meaningful learning you start with engaging activities set up in a way that is accessible and welcoming to children. Activities in small groups that are fun and active like painting or creating something, free play activities that are easy to locate and get out and set up with clear play areas. When children are…

Read more

Plan around the required items first like set meal times and nap times and outdoor times, after that fill in the gaps with circle time/small group activities and free play. Using big transitions like outside to inside or the end of a meal as signals for the more organized activities to help with transitions like as soon as we come inside we…

Read more

All the components of a good early learning center are important and work together like a puzzle to make a room safe, secure, welcoming, and engaging. I think that a quiet corner is very important for children to have access to so that they can learn to take space and regulate their emotions, I am also a fan of the big carpet where multiple…

Read more

Have supporting documents to show what you mean as well as the guidelines of where the child should be for their age. Practice with a peer so you are prepared and know what to say. Always come from a place of love and concern for a child, both you and the parents want what is best for the child. Explain that just because children are…

Read more

Observing and documenting a child’s development helps early learning providers to get to know and understand the child’s strengths, struggles, and developmental level. Documenting also helps us to remember things that with observation alone could be forgotten about. I know that I’ve had days where a parent comes in to pick up their child and…

Read more

Screens are rotting everyone’s brains (not just children) and making our society as a whole less adaptable, less sympathetic, and more prone to boredom. I have seen many children who are just plopped in front of a tablet and those children are almost always testing below their peers that have no or limited screen time. I-pad parents are…

Read more

Being aware of the children around you and what they are doing can create a serve and return environment in the classroom. when you notice children interested in things, get involved.

I would remind the parent of what time the center closes and then try to figure out what we as a center can do to make her more successful and help everyone’s day go by smoothly. If this was truly a regular thing then I would get help from my other resources like my center director as it’s a bit above my pay grade right now but also I am…

Read more

1) The main thing that I discovered through the WACs was the specific time frames for requirements. I knew documents needed to be kept for a period of time and now I know how long, I know how frequently inspections need to occur and how long those documents should be kept for, the timing of trainings etc.. Otherwise the information presented…

Read more