Child develops trusting relationships with nurturing adults.
What educators might observe
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Respectfully engages adult with a different viewpoint and considers adult’s alternative suggestions in conversation (e.g., listens to adult share views about a movie and offers a different viewpoint)
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Volunteers to help educator with tasks (e.g., staple or hand out papers)
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Identifies family, school, and community strengths and supports
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Foster the family’s positive regard for their child by taking a strength-based stance when sharing observations
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When addressing sensitive issues with a child and/or their family, be sure to do so in privacy. Convey respect and compassion.
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Thank the child for coming to you when they have a problem, and affirm your desire to be a resource for them
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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Exhibits understanding of larger concepts related to self and belonging (e.g., safety, respect, kindness, and care for objects, self, and others)
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Identifies gender and racial stereotypes in books and media
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Knows some historical facts about their family, community, and culture
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May disengage from learning if they feel like they do not belong at school
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Suggest out-of-school time connections for children; recommend to families of specific children which classmates or afterschool programs may be good matches, and include this suggestion in mid-year reports and meetings
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Create multiple opportunities each week for children to share personal experience with their classmates (e.g., include sharing about their lives or reading aloud personal narratives at daily morning meeting)
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Provide class-wide opportunities for children to build their own social context
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Write get-well notes to classmates who are ill for many days
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Make “celebrating you” booklets on children’s birthdays in which each child contributes a note or drawing for the birthday child
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Incorporate social justice into your curriculum, providing opportunities for children to engage in inquiry and action around social issues that they care about in their community
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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Reflects on and evaluates their own thinking and learning
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Takes pride in individual accomplishments and respects accomplishment of others (e.g., “Your story was so detailed. I really liked it!”)
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Plans for learning and physical needs ahead of time (e.g., brings their own stress ball to circle time)
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Identifies role models who share some of their interests and marginalized group identities
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Invite students to plan for and participate in a conference with their families
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Engage in casual conversation with the child about what they like to do outside of school
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Provide time, space, and materials for chosen work and some choice within assigned work
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Support and encourage students to participate in identity-based affinity groups
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Notice and address opinions reflecting societal messages that equate material acquisitions with self-worth
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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Uses previous experiences when interpreting another person’s feelings (e.g., notices a child playing alone on the playground and invites them to play)
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Observes and determines reactions of others when responding (e.g., The child remembers that their friend likes to be alone when they are frustrated and waits for them to calm down before approaching)
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Use shared reading to develop perspective-taking, asking, for example, “How would you help this character when they are feeling so worried?”
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Provide opportunities for children to take meaningful action to address social inequity in their community
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Offer children structured contexts in which to identify, practice, and receive empathy
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Play a “jump in” theater game in which two characters act out a conflict and anyone is welcome to “jump in” as a third character to offer empathy to either or both parties if they see a way to help resolve the conflict
Child navigates friendships with peers through cooperation and negotiation.
What educators might observe
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Values group membership and peer acceptance
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Understands that friendships can remain even when disagreements occur
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Balances needs and rights of others and their role in group work
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Contemplates other viewpoints when resolving conflict
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Independently follows the rules of a game to ensure fair play
Ways educators might support the child's development
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When guiding children through conflict resolution, be alert to family and cultural differences in how people handle and navigate conflict
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Foster social connections among family members; ask families about times and kinds of events that would work best for them
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Notice children who may be left out and give them special jobs to do with a friendly peer; provide time to openly discuss feelings related to peer group inclusion and exclusion
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Discuss books about conflict and negotiation, asking children to name the point of conflict, feelings of each protagonist, and effective and ineffective behaviors that each character engaged in
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Offer “counselor,” a role that helps children resolve conflicts, as a classroom job
Child expresses and manages their feelings and impulses.
What educators might observe
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Demonstrates patience with personal circumstances (e.g., When doing math says, “I need to add slowly when working with big numbers so I don’t make a mistake and get frustrated.”)
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Identifies their strengths and challenges
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Reflect with families and colleagues about the way strong feelings are expressed in the communities and cultures of the children in your class
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Encourage the development of children’s self-awareness by suggesting that they write about their personal strengths and challenges
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Let children know which trusted adults are available to be with them when they have strong feelings
Child follows the rhythms, rules, and routines of the learning environment.
What educators might observe
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Understands and follows large concepts or rules regarding safety, kindness, respect, and care within different environments
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Understands the purpose of laws
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Follows rules alone or within a group (e.g., quietly enters or exits building, gym, or library alone or in a group)
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Engage children in reflecting on the origins and intentions of social laws
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Engage children in conversation about social movements to make society more fair
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Invite children to discuss the difference in rules between various cultures, communities, and families
