Child develops trusting relationships with nurturing adults.
What educators might observe
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Asks for help in completing projects that they are interested in but that are beyond their physical capabilities (e.g., asks caregiver to tape corners of cardboard construction together)
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Carries out actions to please adults at times (e.g., cleans up at clean-up time)
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Expresses feelings about adults (e.g., “I love Auntie because she always plays with me.”)
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Follows educators’ guidelines for appropriate behavior in different environments
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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Identifies self as a member of a group (e.g., refers to our family, our school, our faith, or our culture)
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Begins to show evidence of internalized superiority or internalized oppression based on race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, ability status, family structure, body size, and/or language
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Adjusts behavior to different settings (e.g., family vs. learning environment)
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Compares similarities or differences of others (e.g., height, hair color, or skin tone)
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Seeks out people and objects in the learning environment that affirm their sense of belonging (e.g., educator who shares their home language, family photo, item from home)
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Develops their own theories about what causes differences in ability, gender, and skin color
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May mask fear of differences with avoidance and/or silliness
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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Describes family members and the structure of their family
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Describes self by physical attributes, abilities, and feelings
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Experiments by trying new activities and testing their abilities
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Identifies feelings, likes, and dislikes, and expresses own ideas and opinions; begins to be able to explain why they have them
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Becomes aware of and explores the meaning of their racial, cultural, gender identities; understands that they are a member of various social groups that have names (e.g., White, Black, African American, Dominican, Muslim, boy, transgender, etc.)
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Children begin to internalize gender stereo-types and may begin to conform to society’s gendered expectations for their own behavior and/or express gender biases (e.g., only boys play with blocks or only girls wear dresses)
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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Expresses how another child might feel (e.g., “I think Tanya is sad because she is crying.”)
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Shows concern about fairness within peer group
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Develops awareness that some racial, cultural, gender, and linguistic identities are unfairly valued more than others in society
Child navigates friendships with peers through cooperation and negotiation.
What educators might observe
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Assigns roles in play
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Uses different turn-taking strategies (e.g., bartering, trading, or waiting for a turn)
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Uses simple strategies to solve problems, either individually or in a group
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Negotiates with other children to solve a problem
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States a position with reasons (e.g., “I don’t want to play blocks right now because I want to draw.”)
Child expresses and manages their feelings and impulses.
What educators might observe
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Tries to express strong feelings verbally, but then may resort to physical expression (e.g., breaking toys)
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Acts out and resolves emotions in dramatic play
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Explains the reason behind their emotions
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Uses vocabulary for complex emotions, such as disappointed, frustrated, embarrassed, or thrilled
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Advocates for what they want and what they like
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Identifies some things that help them feel better when they are upset
Child follows the rhythms, rules, and routines of the learning environment.
What educators might observe
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Adapts to changes in daily schedule (e.g., “Today is Wednesday, and we have our art lesson with our visiting artist.”)
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Predicts what comes next in the day, when there is an established and consistent routine (e.g., “After nap we have a snack, then my Mom comes to get me.”)
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Demonstrates understanding of the consequences of own actions on others (e.g., “I gave Anna the toy and so she feels better.”)
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Waits for turn during group activities
