At our Reflective Practice group last week, we talked about our vision for the future.
The first assessment in Early Achievers is only a starting place. Where do you hope to go in the next 5-10 years of elevating your practice to optimize school readiness for children?
Before the Seahawks winning season, the coach met with each player to visualize with them about their potential and where they hoped to go.
Below are samples of the Vision Boards created by participants in the Reflective Practice group that night.
Here is an interpretation of the vision of Early Achievers to give you motivation about your own vision.
The 5-10 Year Plan
CLASSAll classrooms have quality interactions, elevated to the highest scoring on the CLASS Assessment.
All classrooms have a positive, respectful climate, highly sensitive teachers who see each child individually.
Children feel safe to take risks, feel their emotions, explore and take leadership. They are comforted when needed and empowered to try new things.
There are clear expectations and effective follow through. More focus is given to positive behavior than negative behavior. Teachers anticipate potential behavior issues and are proactive in making adjustments.
The program is well organized with little waiting time for the children. The children are able to be independent, make choices and think for themselves. The activities and materials are inviting and interesting to the children in the classroom.
Children are encouraged to develop problem solving and reasoning skills as the teachers ask open ended questions, encourage brainstorming, comparing, predicting and other thinking skills. The children have opportunities to plan and carry out ideas. The teachers help them evaluate and summarize after activities. Concepts in the classroom relate to the children’s real life world.
Children are exposed to rich language, back and forth, ongoing conversations and opportunities to express themselves and explain their thinking.
ERSAll classrooms have quality environments, elevated to the highest scoring on the ERS Assessment
The indoor space is safe, clean, and spacious and designed for the children and the adults who use it, including those with disabilities. Furnishings are child sized for children and comfortable furniture for adults is available. Children are able to reach and use materials without assistance.
There are plentiful soft places and materials for the children to use for relaxation and comfort in a variety of places in the room.
All areas where the children play are easily supervised and arranged for successful movement by both adults and children – uncrowded, well organized traffic flow.
There are items displayed in the room that are appropriate for the children and include photos of the children, families, real life activities and items, meaningful diversity, and children’s artwork. The displays are located where children can see them easily and are updated regularly.
There are options for children to occasionally play alone or with one friend and not have to always be in a large group.
Children and families are greeted individually upon arrival and relevant information is shared daily.
Meals, naptime, diapering/toileting and all other health and safety practices are elevated to the highest level always.
Children of all ages are exposed to rich language and encouraged to talk.
Books are available to children all day. The variety of books includes fiction and non-fiction and reflects the diversity of a child’s world. Children use books alone, are read to individually and in small groups.
Children have daily opportunities to develop fine motor skills with many kinds of materials: building, art, manipulatives, puzzles.
Children are able to choose materials to create individual art. Choices include drawing materials, paints, sculpture, and collage as appropriate for their age.
Musical experiences that are meaningful are available in group times and free play/work times. Many kinds of music and musical materials are available.
A variety of types of blocks are accessible near a solid, protected surface. People, animals and transportation materials are available with the blocks.
There are many opportunities for dramatic play. The materials reflect the diversity of a child’s world and include opportunities to play out both male and female roles. In addition to home play with dolls, kitchens and dress up clothes, other dramatic play scenarios are available.
Children are exposed to written numbers, counting, measuring, comparing and shapes in a variety of materials and activities.
The classroom brings nature and the natural world inside for the children to experience. There are living things to care for, natural objects and books/materials in addition to real life experiences with science and nature.
Sand and water play are available regularly for children both indoors and outdoors.
The environment reflects the diversity of our community in books, pictures, and materials. Learning to celebrate our diversity and undo racism is intentional.
If TV or computers are used, the time is limited, interactive and appropriate for the children.
The children have daily opportunities to be active outdoors, or in very inclement weather, indoors. There are a variety of materials to challenge each child’s developing motor skills safely.
Teachers are constantly providing supervision of the children, but use that supervision as a time to interact with them and enrich their learning.
Conversations between adults and children are frequent, positive and ongoing.
Attention to positive behavior decreases negative behavior. When negative behavior occurs, teachers respond appropriately for the child’s age and development. Strategies to increase positive behavior, such as duplicate materials, are in place. If a child is physically or emotionally hurt, all participants in the incident have the opportunity to discuss how they feel.
The children interact positively with each other. There are child to child conversations and opportunities to work together.
The schedule of the day is familiar to the children, but also flexible enough to change as needed. Though planning ahead, materials and activities are ready to go so children are engaged without waiting or wandering.
Much of the day is spent in free play/work time. Teachers interact regularly with the children to have conversations, ask open ended questions, and to make the most of teachable moments.
Group times are limited and done in small groups when possible.
Quality StandardsChildren are screened within 90 days of enrollment for red flags about disabilities/delays. These screenings are shared with families.
Children are exposed to a rich language environment with high quality interactions
Children’s individual strengths and needs are assessed on an ongoing basis using informal observations and formal assessment. That data is shared with families, used for individualizing and informing teaching and planning.
The assessments used with the children align with WaKIDS and teachers are trained to assess children.
Activities, materials and approaches are individualize for each child
Teachers review observation and assessment data regularly for planning and program improvement
Teachers collaborate with elementary school teachers and data is collected as children move on to school to analyze readiness and effectiveness of approaches I added this one – it is not in EA
There is a curriculum philosophy and all staff can identify the program’s curriculum philosophy and are trained on that philosophy
The curriculum aligns with the WA State Early Learning and Development Guidelines. Lead staff are trained on the WA ELDGs.
Teaching staff receive ongoing mentoring to set goals and elevate practice
Staff have dedicated time for planning individually and as a team
Staff take time to participate in reflective practice with peers on a monthly basis
Programs assess their approaches based on the Strengthening Families model. From that assessment, programs create and carry out an action plan.
Programs offer a parent support and education program
Programs share information about community resources in home languages.
Programs have written transition plans for changes in settings – different classroom, new program, Kindergarten.
Staff partner with parents to address each child’s unique experience, strengths and needs.
Professional Development
All staff PD transcripts have been verified by Centralia College
Staff increase their ECE credentials until all classrooms have BA level teachers or higher
All staff PD transcripts have been verified by Centralia College
Staff increase their ECE credentials until all classrooms have BA level teachers or higher
Salaries align with other industries that have similar requirements and responsibilities. I added this one – it is not in EA
