Classroom Tools and Ideas

At ABCD Head Start and Early Head Start, we support our staff members to be the best teachers and care givers they can be by offering them education, training, and mentoring opportunities. We also give them a complete curriculum and guidance and discipline guidelines, which have been drawn from our more than four decades as national experts in the field of early childhood development. Our classroom tools and resources are built on the following foundation:

 

Screening for Development, Sensory, and Behavioral Concerns:

 

Within 45 days of entering the program, each child undergoes culturally sensitive, age appropriate screening procedures to identify concerns regarding developmental, sensory, behavioral, motor, language, social, cognitive, perceptual, and emotional skills.

 

Child Development and Education Approach for All Children:

 

In order to help children gain the skills and confidence necessary to succeed in school and life, teachers are instructed to apply an approach to child development and education that is:

 

• Developmentally and linguistically appropriate, recognizing that children have individual rates of development, as well as individual interests, temperaments, languages, cultural backgrounds, and learning styles.

 

• Inclusive of children with disabilities and consistent with their Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individual Education Plan (IEP).

 

• Able to provide an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity, and family composition.

 

• Able to provide a balanced daily program of child-initiated and adult-directed activities, including individual and small group activities.

 

• Able to allow and enable children to independently use toilet facilities when it is developmentally appropriate, and when toilet training efforts are supported by parents.

 

Because parents are important partners in their children’s education and development, teachers must help parents to become active participants by:

 

• Inviting them to become integrally involved in the development of the program's curriculum and approach to child development and education.

 

• Providing opportunities to increase their child observation skills and to share assessments with staff that will help plan the learning experiences.

 

• Encouraging them to participate in staff-parent conferences and home visits to discuss their child's development and education.

 

Standards for Guiding and Managing Young Children’s Behavior:

 

Head Start and Early Head Start believe all children deserve to a healthy and positive learning environment. The standards we employ are in keeping with the belief that the mental wellness of all children is critical in the development of all areas of learning. Positive discipline and redirection is crucial when dealing with any inappropriate and/or unsafe behavior. Teachers are instructed in the best ways to create and maintain this kind of nurturing environment in their classroom.

 

Early Head Start

A federally funded community-based program for pregnant women and low-income families with infants and toddlers, Early Head Start enhances the development of very young children and promotes the healthy functioning of families with the following approach:

 

Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos:

 

With a particular focus on routines and experience, the curriculum developed for the Early Head Start program helps teachers to create the foundation for successful learning through the use of materials and experiences, and a responsive environment and relationships; establish daily routines to meet children’s physical and social/emotional needs; create experiences that reinforce learning and development, such as playing with toys and going outdoors; use strategies for helping children to develop self-regulation; make use of ongoing assessments to follow each child’s progress; and establish partnerships with each child’s family.

 

Head Start

 

A family development program, Head Start is committed to supporting low-income preschool aged children with school readiness, self-sufficiency, and success in life with the following approach:

 

Creative Curriculum for Preschool Programs

 

Based on sound developmental theory and evidence-based research, the curriculum developed for the Head Start program helps teachers work with preschool aged children in the most effective way possible. Guidelines are provided for establishing a positive learning environment with ten indoor interest areas and a space for outdoor play; defining the important knowledge for preschool aged children to learn in the areas of literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, and technology; establishing how a teacher’s role combines observing children, guiding their learning and assessing their progress; and creating a partnership with families to partner for children’s learning and respond to challenging situations.  

 

Guidance and Disciplines for Infants and Toddlers in Head Start and Early Head Start:

 

ABCD Head Start and Early Head Start require teachers to develop and use child guidance policies in a consistent, reasonable, and appropriate way. The guidance should be based on an understanding of the infant and toddler’s individual needs, their age, and development.

 

Teachers have to assess their own attitudes and behavior, the program environment, the daily activity schedule, and the routines they expect infants and toddlers to follow. All teachers need to have a working knowledge of child growth and development. Children need to be safe and secure in an age-appropriate and stimulating environment. 

 

Teachers must have a plan to the use classroom and outdoor environments to help children learn sharing and cooperation skills. They must adapt activities and transitions to be as responsive to children as possible, and they must question whether or not their own expectations of the children in their care are realistic and developmentally appropriate.

 

Routine child guidance practices should include (but are not limited to) the following:

 

• Having a sound understanding of the principles of child growth and development.
• Preparing a stimulating and educational environment with a varied curriculum and plenty of age-appropriate play materials.
• Creating consistent routines and planning ways to have smooth transitions.
• Modeling appropriate behaviors and positive attitudes.
• Understanding how individual children respond to different cues, and understanding that no single technique will work for all situations.
• Being clear and consistent about behavior expectations.
• Resolving issues as they occur.
• Recognizing children’s feelings when discussing their behavior.
• Addressing the behavior, not the child.
• Redirecting the child.
• Creating an individualized care plan for a child that identifies the child’s challenging behaviors and includes ideas for how the teacher and the child’s parents can work to resolve them.
• Knowing a child’s temperament and what is needed to help him or her cope.

 

Early Head Start treats children and families with respect and does not use punitive measures.  Children may not be punished or humiliated for soiling, wetting, or toileting problems. Toileting and diaper changing are actually seen as teachable moments that can be used to promote children’s language and self-help skills. Food will never be force fed or used as a punishment or reward. Children may never be physically threatened, spanked, neglected, verbally abused, humiliated, interrogated, or harmed for any reason.

 

Resources and Links: 

 

The following Web sites are excellent sources of information for classroom teachers:

 

NAEYC: http://naeyc.org

 

Head Start: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc

 

Department of Early Education and Care: http://www.eec.state.ma.us

 

Teaching Strategies: http://www.teachingstrategies.com

 

Zero to Three: http://www.zerotothree.org

 

Preschool Education: http://www.education.com/grade/preschool/

 

American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org/