Early Childhood Education 1 (2023-)

Identify the types of training and careers in the early childhood education industry.

Students will identify Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP).

Students will support social and emotional development and implement positive guidance

Explore the positive guidance techniques for preschoolers.

Incorporate observation techniques and guidelines while studying children and developing strategies to meet their needs.

Identify signs of child abuse.

Identify the components of a lesson plan.

Identify the advantages of obtaining the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential

Identify the advantages of furthering your education.

Identify the career options in the early childhood field. Ex: Child life specialist, child care center worker, elementary teacher/specialist, Headstart teacher/director, education coach, entrepreneur etc…

Review the domains of development (social, emotional, physical, and cognitive)

Identify developmentally appropriate (DAP) activities for young children.

Explore the types learning strategies for children.

Students will develop a warm, positive, supportive and responsive relationship with each child

Students will guide children to function effectively in the group and to acquire social skills

Standard 1

All children’s behavior is a form of communication. Review common reasons for children’s behaviors. (Child Development)

Discuss reasons and guidelines for setting expectations. Review natural consequences in Child Development.

Discuss guidelines for using positive guidance techniques

Examine the purposes of observing children

Standard 1

Standard 1

Requirements for obtaining the Child Development Associate Credential (CDA)

Advantages for obtaining the CDA

Define developmentally appropriate practices (DAP)

NAEYC- National Association for the Education of Young Children

3 Core Considerations of DAP (see: naeyc.org)

Nine Principles of child development and learning(see: naeyc.org)

Child-directed or Child-initiated- a child decides what to do, the idea and the materials to use, the adult supports learning by following their lead

Teacher directed- a teacher decides what to do and how to do it (i.e. circle time, teaching a new game, teacher directed steps, routines, etc.)

Open-ended questions- asking questions that require more than a yes or no answer, this is the ideal. Use the 5 W’s (who, what, where, when, why and how) to begin a question so children can answer with more description.

Close-ended questions- questions that require only a “yes” or “no” response. These limit or end conversations, discussions and learning. Not an effective method unless it is followed by an open-ended question.

Appreciate each child

Guide children in expressing their feelings

Establish partnerships with families

Encourage successful social interactions

Build prosocial skills

Help children resolve conflict

Define positive guidance, discipline, and punishment

Positive Guidance: consistent ways of supporting children to identify express and regulate emotions, communicate needs with others, develop deep and trusting relationships.

Discipline: to teach a behavior by instruction and exercise in accordance with rules of conduct.

Punishment: A penalty inflicted for wrongdoing, a crime or offense. Physical or verbal attacks. Might teach obedience to authority (out of fear), but not self-control, which enhances self-respect. May restrain a child temporarily, but it does not teach self-discipline. Demeans the child and negatively affects the relationship

Distinguish between punishment and discipline/guidance techniques

Self-discipline is the overall goal of guidance and discipline. The ability for the child or person to direct their own behavior and not to be directed upon

To be heard, understood, or validated

Common behavior for the child’s development

Natural curiosity

They do not know any better

To get attention

To get power

For revenge

Feeling inadequate or incapable

The need to feel that they belong

Setting expectations with children means setting a guideline for behavior.

State your expectations clearly and firmly, discuss limits in advance, use consequences as a form of discipline when expectations are not met, give the child explanations for your expectations and then listen to what they have to say about it.

Respond to aggressive behavior in nonaggressive ways. i.e.: When responding to a 2-year-old having a temper tantrum, if the caregiver remains calm and nonaggressive, then the situation becomes deescalated and can be resolved quicker. If the child is going to harm themselves or someone else remove them from the situation

Adjust the environment so that items that might be a potential problem are placed out of sight

Positive statements

Redirection

Reverse attention

Positive reinforcement

Limited choices

Time Away/Cool down area

Observation - Watching children with the clear goal of studying or understanding.

Understand the child and their experience in the classroom.

Learn how to respond and interact with children.

Identify how best to challenge and support the children.

Develop realistic curriculum and goals.

Provider shall ensure that no child is subjected to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse while in care

Utah law requires any person who has reason to believe that a child has been subjected to abuse, neglect, or dependency to immediately to notify the nearest office of Child and Family Services, a peace officer, or a law enforcement agency.

Any person who witnesses or suspects that a child has been subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation shall immediately notify Child Protective Services or law enforcement

Inform parents, children and those who interact with the children of the center’s behavioral expectations and how any misbehavior will be handled

Individuals who interact with the children shall guide children’s behavior by using positive reinforcement, redirection and by setting clear limits that promote children’s ability to become selfdisciplined Caregivers shall use gentle, passive restraint with children only when it is needed to stop children from injuring themselves or others, or from destroying property

Interactions with the children shall not include: restraining a child’s movement by binding, tying, or any other form of restraint that exceeds gentle, passive restraint

Lesson Plan- A description of the activity that includes goals and procedure

Objective- The overall goals that children may learn, know and/or do.

Standard- concise written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education. Age 3-5: https://www.schools.utah.gov/file/2f5c23cd-43cc-4ab1-b5d7-ef1f918362e9 Age 0-3: https://jobs.utah.gov/occ/provider/early_childhood.pdf

Procedure- Step by step instructions for implementing the activity

Supplies- materials needed to complete the activity

Rationale- explains how the activity benefits the child

Reflection/evaluation- a review of the activity including: any changes, children’s learning, teacher’s learning.

Impact of childhood experiences now and on the future

120 hours of professional education

480 hours of work experience

CDA professional portfolio

CDA observation with a Professional Development specialist (PD specialist)

CDA exam

Advance your career

Meet job requirements

Higher wage opportunities may be available

Methods that promote each child’s optimal development and learning through a strengths-based, play-based approach to joyful, engaged learning.

Developmentally appropriate practice is designed to meet children “where they are, both as individuals and as part of a group”

Commonality in children’s development and learning

Individuality reflecting each child’s unique characteristics

Context in which development and learning occur

Development is affected by biological and environmental factors

All domains of development are important and support others

Play is essential and promotes learning

Variations in culture, experience, and individuals must be considered

Children are active learners from birth, creating meaning from their experiences

The environment can increase children’s motivation to learn

Children learn in an integrated fashion that cuts across academic areas

Children need to be challenged just beyond their level of mastery

Technology and media can be valuable when used responsibly.

Use observations to understand each child

Create experiences that support their sense of belonging

Value the child’s temperament

Support children in taking pride in their own individual and cultural identity

Promote a child’s sense of self and help them flourish

Teach children “feeling” words (happy, sad, excited, disappointed, etc.) and associate the name with a way they feel so they can articulate the feeling instead of acting out

Give permission to have all feelings, even negative and allow children to not feel ashamed

Give time, space and the means to work through their feelings; model calmness when discussing and dealing with feelings

Active listening: Adult listens thoughtfully and carefully to a child does not offer solutions, does not criticize.

Family is a group of people, not necessarily biologically related that share emotional bonds, common values, goals, responsibilities and contribute significantly to each other’s well-being

Develop a cooperative and collaborative relationship with families where you both make the interest of the child your focus

A partnership with families contributes to school success and provides a stable presence for the child

Ways to create partnerships:

Develop a positive relationship with each child

Caregiver sets the example and expectations for how children relate to others by:

Teach, support and facilitate prosocial skills (compassion, empathy, sympathy, positive interactions, respect and support)

Help children put feelings into words

Read books that allow you to discuss characters, feelings and actions

Help children interpret facial expressions in media and in others

Teach and model effective ways to resolve conflicts independently

Help children see that a conflict is a shared problem that can be solved by seeing, listening to and understanding both points of view and finding a solution that everyone can agree upon

The end goal is for children to learn how to resolve conflicts on their own

Discipline should be firm, fair and friendly.

Clearly stating what the child IS expected to do instead of TELLING THEM WHAT NOT TO DO. i.e.: “Walk in the house” vs. “Don’t run in the house.”

When giving directions, get down on the child’s eye level to talk with them

To encourage a child to complete a task, tell them what needs to be done in short and simple steps (2 or 3 max) and then go and help them get started

Substituting unacceptable or dangerous behavior for acceptable behavior by helping the child to pay attention to or focus on something else that is equally or more appealing

Children up to two years old can easily be distracted to change their behavior like playing with a toy instead of the electrical outlet

Some behaviors just need to be redirected to an appropriate place such as having a child jump on a trampoline instead of on the bed

Attention is a powerful reinforcement to guide children in a positive or negative direction

Ignore the negative behavior when possible and reinforce the positive behavior

Great motivator and modifies behavior

Acknowledge positive behaviors and effort

Ex: sticker chart, reward system, praise etc.

Give children opportunities to make choices within the caregiver’s limits

Limit the number of options provided and be careful of the choices you give by making sure that you can really stand by it

When children can make their own choices, even if it is within your limits, they not only get practice in making decisions, but they feel in control of the situation and are more willing to do what was asked

An area or time away where a child can calm down

Serve and return- the two-way warm, responsive interaction between the child and the caregiver.

Concrete, sensory, & pretend experiences

Roles of the teacher in play

Mildred Parten’s Six Stages of Play

Individually/culturally appropriate

Support children’s strengths and abilities(capability, potential or capacity)

Development in learning occur at varying rates from child to child and uneven rates across different areas for each child

Children learn through active exploration and are complex thinkers

Active vs. passive learning

A sense of belonging requires both psychological and physical safety

Connections with home and community help children to feel psychologically safe

Encourage each child’s sense of agency

Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner

Social Development Theory, Lev Vygotsky (Zone of Proximal Development)

Effective uses of technology and media by children are active, hands on, engaging and impowering.

Expands children’s access to knowledge and skills

Should not replace real hands on experiences

Temperament: how children approach, react to, and relate to the world around them

Identity: Roles, behaviors and attributes that we assign ourselves

Self-esteem: Perception of your own self-worth and value

Personal power: Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset

Optimism: the belief that good things will happen to you and negative events are temporary setbacks to overcome

Resiliency: Ability to withstand, recover from, and adjust to set backs or change

Reflectively recognizes and accepts the child’s thoughts and feelings. Repeat back to the child what they are feeling and saying.

Include pictures of families in the center

Encourage family participation in the center

Communicate with families by providing regular information concerning center business or happenings

Hold parent-teacher conferences to discuss the child and center

Maintain confidentiality of any information families share

Talking and listening to the child respectively

Being sensitive to children’s feelings

Validating children’s efforts, accomplishments, and progress not intellect

Let them know you care about, appreciate, and value them unconditionally

Help children understand social rules, playing cooperatively, and contributing to a learning community

When communicating with children, staff and families state positive information before negative information

Play partner- participates in the play

Play facilitator- makes suggestions, asks questions, & supports social interactions in the play

Follow the child’s lead

Unoccupied- Children are relatively still and their play appears scattered. Allows children to practice manipulating materials, mastering their self-control and learning about the world.

Solitary- Children entertain themselves without any other social involvement. They can explore freely, master new personal skills like motor or cognitive skills, and prepare themselves to play with others

Onlooker- Children who sit back and engagingly watch other children playing, but do not join in. Children learn about the social rules of play and relationships; they explore different ways of playing or using materials and they learn about the world.

Parallel- Children play next to each other but are not really interacting together. It’s like a warm up exercise—children work side by side on the same activity, practicing skills and learning new methods to engage together.

Associative- children begin to be more interested in the other players. They can start to use their newfound social skills to engage with other children or adults during an activity or exploration.

Cooperative- Children play cooperatively, adopt group goals, establish rules for play. Cooperation is an advanced skill that children need support to learn.

Active learning- being actively involved and engaged in the learning by doing, seeing and thinking; it is handson and active

Passive learning- sitting and listening without interaction with others, the instructor or manipulative objects (ex. puppet show)