Leah Zabari
Yesterday I was in a toddler classroom when two children slowly walked by me. One of the toddlers went up to the other and gently took hold of his friend’s hand. They proceeded to walk around the room together holding hands and interacting. It was such a sweet moment that was only captured by me, the observer. It’s not often I get to see those subtle and sweet peer relationships and it truly made me smile the rest of the day.
The Program Quality Assessment (PQA) Team is available to support you in the Internal Assessment Process (IAP) by completing an on-site assessment in your program. In addition to the Environment Rating Scales® (ERS) and Classroom Observation Scoring System® (CLASS®) this opportunity is available for all Program Observation Instruments (POIs) listed in the Keystone STARS Standards.
By Pam Schaffner
What do the words punishment, discipline, and redirection mean to you? Do you think they are interchangeable; do they mean the same thing? Do they have different meanings? Are they all appropriate ways to manage the behavior of young children?
By Leah Zabari
Imagine you are reading a story to a group of toddlers. They are all engaged in the story you are reading except for one child who is rolling around on the floor behind the group. How do you react? Do you…
Natalie Grebe
A key component of a program’s sustained quality that may not receive consistent attention is the director’s observations of classrooms. It is best practice for directors to observe classrooms and review their findings with teachers. Most directors will say the biggest reason for not being able to do this as well as they would like is time. While room observations may be scheduled, the constant interruptions of staff shortages, ill children, broken equipment, and parents’ needs make this difficult to complete. Some teachers may feel uncomfortable with their director in the classroom for an extended period of time or get more nervous at the thought of being “watched.” By implementing a few ideas and staying consistent, both directors and teachers can benefit from these observations.
By Regina Wright
I may be confessing my age, but let’s let our imaginations wander. Think about the time in your life when you were a child. What made your free time fun time? When I imagine, I think about long summer days and how I spent endless hours jumping rope. I had so much fun. Just one simple object, and of course friends, made my summers the best summers ever.
By Angel Avery-Wright
The learning of math/numbers should begin very early in life. Math for infants and toddlers should be introduced informally and naturally as opportunities come up. There are many toys for young children that relate to math.
Beth Simon
Why are real world conversations important to children? Children learn best when adults don’t talk to them about abstract concepts. Numbers and letters are part of the “abstract” world. Do we need numbers and letters? YES, absolutely! But children will learn about those things in due course. Children learn best when adults use concrete concepts that they can relate to in the world around them.
The assessment team in PA is often asked if they have any tips to make meeting quality standards easier. Since they have experience visiting many programs in their professional careers, they have seen many programs employ strategies to make things easier, more efficient, and more effective. Implementing quality can be stressful or time consuming, but always worth it. So, this Q-T Corner moment aims at helping you along the way.
Leah Zabari
During the spring and summer months, I enjoy hiking, camping, and paddling on the lake. Last summer, I decided I was going to start visiting as many of the state parks in Pennsylvania as I could, explore hidden gems of our state, and start enjoying the outdoors even more than before. Each weekend I dedicated myself to finding new places to hike and if I wasn’t hiking, I was sitting under a tree with a book (yes, an actual book) or at the lake daydreaming while watching sail boats go by. I always feel better in my soul when I am outside breathing in the fresh air, feeling the warm sun on my face, and wandering through the woods. However, when the weather turns cold, my feelings of doing anything outdoors changes. I find myself feeling envious of hibernating bears during this time of year! This year, though, I made it a goal to brave the cold weather and continue my outdoor adventures.