Child develops trusting relationships with nurturing adults.
What educators might observe
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Interacts with significant adults outside of the family and classroom (e.g., speaks with the bus driver and cook)
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Seeks guidance from family members, educators, and other familiar adults
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Transitions into unfamiliar settings with the assistance of a familiar adult
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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When a child’s home culture or experience differs from the dominant or mainstream culture, they may
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Reject their home culture and adopt the dominant one
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Reject dominant culture and insist on home culture
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Learn to adjust behavior and to become bi-cultural
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W hen a child’s home culture and experience has been affirmed, they may express pride in their racial, linguistic and cultural identity
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When a child’s home culture or experience aligns with dominant or mainstream culture, they may
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Internalize a false sense that they are “normal” or superior
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Prefers a child who speaks their own language or language variation as a friend
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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Identifies and expresses own interests, preferences, and abilities
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Confidently expresses likes and dislikes
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Has unrealistic positive overestimations of their own abilities
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Compares or contrasts self to others (e.g., physical characteristics, preferences, abilities, and feelings)
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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Begins to recognize how own actions affect others
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Listens to viewpoints of others
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Offers support to another child or shows concern when a peer is upset (e.g., “I see you’re sad. Do you want to play with me?”)
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Develops their own theories about social inequities (e.g., why some groups of people tend to have more money and decision-making power than others)
Child navigates friendships with peers through cooperation and negotiation.
What educators might observe
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Shares, take turns, and cooperates in a group
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Listens to others’ ideas and wants; shares own ideas and wants
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Understands that sometimes you are a leader, and sometimes you are a follower
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Plays simple card games that require turn-taking and waiting
Child expresses and manages their feelings and impulses.
What educators might observe
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Often expresses strong feelings in socially and culturally accepted ways
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Identifies emotions and uses words to describe them
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Describes why people may feel differently about the same situation
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Intentionally uses humor (e.g., begins to tell jokes)
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Begins to understand and explain reactions to certain circumstances
Child follows the rhythms, rules, and routines of the learning environment.
What educators might observe
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Changes actions to meet expectations of different settings (e.g., takes off shoes at home but wears shoes at school)
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Applies familiar rules in new but similar situations (e.g., uses a quiet voice inside)
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Adapts to new environment by behaving and displaying emotions in expected ways (e.g., goes to a new friend’s house and is able to be calm, share, and take turns)
