Name the emotion that you see them experiencing, reassure them that feelings are great! We all need to feel them to release energy. Ask them if they want to take a deep breath with me or count my toes with me (redirect). When all is said and done take a loud deep breath and say aloud “wow, we dealt with some big feelings there! I’m proud of us.”

Acknowledge to myself that that is what I’m experiencing, and talk about it with my counselor to establish ways to navigate the situation and mitigate stress.

I like to relieve stress by taking a walk when able, but also by talking to myself aloud to encourage myself to take a deep breath if necessary.

Build in time to check in with each child every day to give them 1:1 connection. If a child is struggling socially maybe pair them up with a peer they feel secure with.

A single level crib or a pack a play with a firm mattress and snug fit sheet.

Absolutely! You can add fun by using music or movements to make the activities enjoyable

I would highlight all of the safety equipment and their locations, i.e the fire extinguishers, first aid kids, and any signage for emergency plans. I would also go through the emergency preparedness plan with them 1:1

Immediately contact CPS and or law enforcement

My biggest worry about keeping children safe if an emergency or injury happening while children are in my care. As well as becoming aware of an abusive situation and making sure that I “do enough and the right thing” to keep that child safe and ensure that their situation becomes more safe.

My advice would be to listen with an open mind and a steady heart.

As a parent 3 things I would want most from my provider would be: warmth, routine, and knowledge. Three fears that I would have would be a lack of safety, understanding and flexibility from them.

When engaging with a child in an activity you can do two things to add to their development: ask questions and give information. Ask them questions about the activity, do they like it? what do they feel or sense while doing the activity? etc. And give them information about what they are doing, adding to their existing knowledge about…

Read more

Establish and keep a general schedule for each day, within each time block have a list of resources and activities to choose from that fit that activity. Track which activities are used, when, and how often to ensure variety while also tracking engagement and enjoyment of the children.

Components in an early learning environment that I find particularly important are a variety of activities that also offer different levels of independence and styles of play. Musical activities can be done alone, or with others, while art work is probably best with the close supervision of an adult. Allowing a child to pick their…

Read more

Some good ways to approach sharing your observations with a parent are to discuss your observations with a co-worker prior to approaching a parent to practice how you will present the information. Share the recorded observations and use supporting evidence from the guidelines you used as resources. Allow the parent time to process and respond…

Read more

Observation and recording a child’s development allows a provider to track and share a child’s growth as well as guide the child through learning activities to help them develop.

This wasn’t my first time exploring the WAC’s, but it was helpful to put the WAC’s into my own words to understand how they will be implemented in my daycare.