Child develops trusting relationships with nurturing adults.
What educators might observe
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Separates with assistance from significant adults and transitions to educator
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Asks for educator’s assistance with an activity they want to do (e.g., asks educator to hold their hand as they balance along a curb)
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Brings simple problem to adults attention (e.g., informing them a tricycle has gotten stuck)
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Build relationships with individual children throughout the day (e.g., during small groups, one on one play with child, conversation at meal times, etc.)
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Create predictable separation routines at drop-off
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Meet children’s caregiving needs promptly and empathetically (e.g., when a child has a toileting accident, shows compassion and respect)
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Listen to children and show you value what they are saying by acknowledging them and expanding upon their ideas
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When a child is talking with you, get down at their level, either by sitting in a chair or on the floor; allow the child to talk and explain as much as possible
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Thank child for coming to get you in times of need
Child experiences a sense of belonging in environments that link, extend, and affirm the child’s family and community. Child expresses comfort and joy with human diversity.
What educators might observe
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Uses pretend play to explore, practice, and understand social roles
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May assign roles to other children during dramatic play that reflect their lived experience (e.g., “You be the Mama, and I’ll be the Papa with the baby.”)
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Identifies gender and other similarities and differences between self and others; may draw conclusions based on stereotypes and personal experience
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Notices differences, and may ask why (e.g., “Why is he in a wheelchair?”)
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Children may begin using their home language in certain places and times or with certain people
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Describe gender as how a person feels (“Josie is a boy because Josie feels like a boy on the inside.”)
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Make the child’s home language seen and heard in the learning environment
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Adapt curriculum and materials in the learning environment so that all children are able to participate
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Connect families in their learning environment to one another
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Family breakfast in the classroom or program
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Book groups
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Parenting reflection groups
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Encourage families to engage in play-based learning activities in their home language
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Accept silence or quiet observation as an acceptable way for children to participate, particularly when they are new to the learning environment or if that is consistent with their personality
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Reflect on your own biases and the ways those biases manifest in your interactions with children, colleagues, and families
Child develops a sense of self through noticing and developing their own interests, preferences, and abilities. Child increasingly develops self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.
What educators might observe
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May talk to self and/or engage in conversations with imaginary playmates
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Describes self by physical attributes and gender
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Uses personal pronouns (I, me) rather than referring to self in third person
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Chooses preferred activities (e.g., painting, doing puzzles)
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Expresses self in different roles during pretend play
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Exerts will and preferences with actions and language
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Acts as though they are capable of doing new tasks and activities (e.g., copies use of adult tools, tries to sweep the floor with adult sized broom)
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Assist child in exploring “All about Me” by making collages and books with pictures and captions; include the family, extended family, and community members when possible
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Affirm children’s self-identification and model accurate and appropriate vocabulary around race, ethnicity, and gender
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Encourage children to try new things and talk with them about their impressions
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Observe children’s interests and plan activities to support them
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Create opportunities for the child to make meaningful decisions (e.g., what to name the pet fish)
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Ensure that children’s home languages are visible in the classroom, in the library, and on charts and labels
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Acknowledge children’s accomplishments when they have solved a task or problem on their own
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Encourage all types of play for children of all genders (for example, allow boys to hold the babies and pretend to breastfeed; allow girls to splash in mud puddles)
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Include books in the learning environment that can support your ongoing conversations about gender and gender stereotypes, and affirm a wide variety of gender identities and expression, such as
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Who Are You? by Brook Pessin-Whedbee
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I’m Jay, Let’s Play , by Beth Reichmuth
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Julian is a Mermaid , by Jessica Love
Child forms deep, caring, human connections by imagining what someone else may be thinking or feeling and responding with care. Child recognizes unfairness and understands that unfairness hurts.
What educators might observe
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Tells an adult when another child does something unkind or unfair
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Is more likely to help someone who has previously helped someone else and is less likely to help someone who has been unkind to someone else
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Adopts a variety of roles and feelings during pretend play
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Identifies and responds to the feelings and experiences of the characters in stories
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Validate child’s feelings (“You’re sad. I would feel sad if I lost my teddy bear too.”)
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Read books about feelings and discuss character’s feelings, asking such questions as, “How would you feel if that happened?”
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Demonstrate how to ask for and understand the viewpoints and opinions of others (“Tell me how you feel about that.”)
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Use pretend play to help children develop understanding of others’ feelings (“The hippo’s mommy is going to work. How does baby hippo feel?”)
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Teach children that feelings change; help them reflect on how they felt earlier in the day and how they feel now
Child navigates friendships with peers through cooperation and negotiation.
What educators might observe
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Negotiates with peers (e.g., takes turns, plans play) and communicates disagreement to other children
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Understands the concept of “mine” and “theirs”
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Chases other children and then turns and allows themselves to be chased
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Ensure that there are enough materials for each child to have a reasonable amount
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Observe, record, and reflect on the efforts of emergent multilingual learners to connect with their peers; intentionally create opportunities to extend these connections
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Make adaptations so that all children can be involved in a meaningful way in individual and group activities
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Create puppet shows in which conflicts between children are dramatized; allow children to identify how to solve the conflict
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Use naturally occurring problems as an example to practice problem-solving skills (“Uh-oh, we have only one of those trucks and I see that Juan is mad that Devonte grabbed it from him. What can we do to help Juan not feel mad?”)
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Provide activities that are done in pairs (e.g., “marbles in box” painting, which requires two children to hold and tilt the corners of the box)
Child expresses and manages their feelings and impulses.
What educators might observe
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Expresses strong feelings physically (e.g., kicks, hits, or throws items)
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May feel overwhelmed by emotions such as excitement or disappointment
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Talks to an imaginary friend about their thoughts and feelings
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Assigns certain inanimate objects their own feelings (e.g., the stuffed dog is said to be mad because it can’t have a cookie before bed)
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Talks about their emotions when someone notices they are sad and asks them about it
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Asks “why” questions to show effort at understanding effects of behavior
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Talk to families about how emotions are expressed in their family, community, and culture
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Reflect on personal beliefs regarding the acceptability and unacceptability of specific types of child behavior
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Create a cozy area with books, pillows, soft fabrics, and a variety of objects they can pull or squeeze
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Use self-talk to label own emotions and coping strategies (e.g.,” I am feeling frustrated, so I am taking a deep breath to calm down.”)
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Incorporate books on feelings reflective of the language and cultural background of the children
Child follows the rhythms, rules, and routines of the learning environment.
What educators might observe
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Participates in routine activities such as meal time, snack time, and nap time
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Follows simple rules with few reminders (e.g., handles toys with care, clears plate after lunch, cleans up before moving to another center)
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Begins to follow basic safety guidelines and requirements, such as walking rather than running inside, but may not do so consistently
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Talk with families about their beliefs regarding discipline and how they would like their child to relate to authority figures
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Design the schedule to include a balance of large and small group activities, and active and quiet times
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Design the schedule to minimize the number of transitions in the day and the amount of waiting during transitions; this may involve breaking up the classroom into smaller groups
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Recognize there are individual variations in what forms of acknowledgement are interpreted as positive by children and choose the best fit for each child (e.g., verbal, physical, non-verbal, etc.)
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Provide frequent, clear, and consistent verbal and non-verbal positive feedback
