0–9 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Discovers body parts and explores own body (e.g., observes hands, reaches for toes)
• Explores the face and other body parts of others (e.g., touches caregivers’ mouth, hair, or hands)
• Responds with gestures (waves hands, smiles) or vocalizations (squealing) when name is spoken
• Protests when they do not want to do something (e.g., arches back to avoid sitting in chair)
• Looks at self in mirror

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Visit families in their home; ask them to share the child’s strengths, needs, and preferences with you
• Welcome families to the learning environment
  • Greet families in their home language
  • Let families know they may stay in the learning environment for as long as they like
  • Learn how to pronounce the child’s name accurately
• Engage with the child by making eye contact, and narrating what the child is doing (“I see that you are looking at your hands. Oh look! Your hand is touching your nose.”)
• Show the child they are important by physically nurturing and responding promptly to their needs

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe

• Smiles at self in mirror
• Makes choices about what toys to play with
• Plays with one object more often than others
• Has favorite foods, comfort objects, people, etc

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Hang photographs of children and families at child’s level; talk to children about these pictures, especially when they are missing their caregivers
• Hang a mirror on the wall at eye level; comment lovingly on similarities between the educator’s image and the child’s
• Acknowledge the child’s choices and preferences (“You really liked that applesauce.”)
• Intentionally reflect and affirm marginalized aspects of children’s social identities; for example, use books like I See Me , by Margaret Manuel, to highlight the beauty of Okanagan culture and language

15–24 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe

• Expresses thoughts and feelings by saying “no!”
• Uses name or other family label (e.g., nickname or birth order such as “little sister”) when referring to self
• Shows pride in accomplishments/achievements (e.g., smiles after making hand print)
• Expresses comfort with and preference for foods and songs that are culturally familiar
• Recognizes and calls attention to self, by pointing, when looking in the mirror or at photographs

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Practice cultural humility
  • Take time to critically reflect on your own values, beliefs, experiences, and culture
  • Address power dynamics in your relationships with families
• When culturally appropriate, allow the child opportunity to complete a task on their own before offering help
• Take pleasure in the child’s attempts and successes by verbally expressing delight (“You did it!”)
• Model positive self-talk (“Wow! Look at my strong legs! They help me run so fast!”)

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe

• Understands that they are a separate person
• Refer to themselves as “me” (e.g., “Me big.”)
• Tests limits and strives for independence
• Communicates with phrases such as “I doing this,” “I don’t do this, “I can do this,” or “I did this”
• Identifies objects as belonging to them, such as a lunchbox or a stuffed animal (e.g., “That’s mine!”)
• Makes choices (e.g., what toys to play with or what clothes to wear)
• Communicates their gender identity (e.g.,“I’m a girl!”) and categorizes others by gender

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Use songs and tell stories that are rooted in children’s home languages and cultures
• Provide the child with a variety of materials and experiences to help them discover preference and abilities; add materials based on child’s interests
• When appropriate, provide choices and respect children’s preferences (“Would you like to brush your teeth first or go to the bathroom first?”)
• Proactively deepen your knowledge of children’s families, communities, and cultures so that you can provide culturally responsive care
• I nclude books in the learning environment that promote a positive sense of self
  • My Heart Fills With Happiness , by Monique Gray Smith
  • I Can, Can You? by Marjorie W Pitzer

3-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

What educators might observe

• May talk to self and/or engage in conversations with imaginary playmates
• Describes self by physical attributes and gender
• Uses personal pronouns (I, me) rather than referring to self in third person
• Chooses preferred activities (e.g., painting, doing puzzles)
• Expresses self in different roles during pretend play
• Exerts will and preferences with actions and language
• 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

• 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
• Affirm children’s self-identification and model accurate and appropriate vocabulary around race, ethnicity, and gender
• Encourage children to try new things and talk with them about their impressions
• Observe children’s interests and plan activities to support them
• Create opportunities for the child to make meaningful decisions (e.g., what to name the pet fish)
• Ensure that children’s home languages are visible in the classroom, in the library, and on charts and labels
• Acknowledge children’s accomplishments when they have solved a task or problem on their own
• 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)
• 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
  • Who Are You? by Brook Pessin-Whedbee
  • I’m Jay, Let’s Play , by Beth Reichmuth
  • Julian is a Mermaid , by Jessica Love

4-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

What educators might observe

• Describes family members and the structure of their family
• Describes self by physical attributes, abilities, and feelings
• Experiments by trying new activities and testing their abilities
• Identifies feelings, likes, and dislikes, and expresses own ideas and opinions; begins to be able to explain why they have them
• 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.)
• 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)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Talk to the child’s family to learn about their strengths, knowledge, and experiences
  • Home languages
  • Traditions
  • Friends and family members
  • Caregivers and caregiving practices
  • Educational activities
  • Chores
  • Family outings and trips
  • Occupations
  • Scientific knowledge
• Make the families’ strengths, knowledge, and experiences present in the classroom through materials, curriculum, field trips, and conversation
• Provide paint, markers, crayons, construction paper, and other materials in a range of skin tones that children can utilize in their artwork
• Teach children about some of the different words people use to describe their identities
• Gently intervene when you notice children enforcing rigid gender roles. For example, if you overhear a child saying, “You can’t play with us! Only boys can be firefighters,” you can ask, “Is that true? I don’t think it’s accurate to say that only boys can be firefighters. There are many women firefighters.”

5-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

What educators might observe

• Identifies and expresses own interests, preferences, and abilities
• Confidently expresses likes and dislikes
• Has unrealistic positive overestimations of their own abilities
• Compares or contrasts self to others (e.g., physical characteristics, preferences, abilities, and feelings)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Allow children to hold responsibilities within the classroom
• Provide opportunities for child to attempt new tasks without prompting or reinforcement
• Showcase children’s cultures, interests, and capabilities
  • Create an art gallery of children’s work
  • Use study examples and displays created by children
  • Verbally reinforce children’s thinking process, capabilities, and accomplishments
  • Enc ourage children to demonstrate and share their own uniqueness
• When doing introductions, invite all members of the community to share their gender pronouns along with their names “What words would you like us to use when we talk about you? When people talk about me, I like them to say ‘she/her.’
• Actively celebrate children’s marginalized social identities and validate their observations of injustice; acknowledge and talk about their healthy feelings of confusion, sadness, fear, and anger in individual, small group, and whole group conversation
• Explore feelings, confidence in one’s abilities, and identity using books like
  • Katy and the Big Snow , by Virginia Lee Burton
  • Be Boy Buzz , by bell hooks
  • I Love My Hair! by Natasha Ana Tarpley

6-year-olds – See this age across all domains Early elementary

What educators might observe

• Shows satisfaction and pride in their work (e.g., expresses joy when they are selected to work on a new science project)
• Compares abilities to those of their peers
• Seeks approval of abilities from peers and adults
• Can name some of their group identities and express how they feel about being a member of those groups

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Create time for children to share their work, either before or after a working period; allow children to choose the work they want to share
• Display children’s work with their words of guidance or explanation beside it
• Create structures for children to show their interests and preferences, such as choice time
• Make time for reflective conversations (“How are you doing in our classroom routines? How is reading going?”)
• Avoid asking children to line up or choose partners by gender

7-year-olds – See this age across all domains Early elementary

What educators might observe

• Describes likes, dislikes, needs, wants, strengths, challenges, and personal opinions
• Asks for help from a educator or peer when a task is too difficult to accomplish alone (e.g., “Can you help me with this math problem? I don’t remember how to do it.”)
• Identifies goals for individual progress, accomplishment, or success
• Identifies strategies that help them to be successful as a learner (e.g., “It helps me stay focused if I clear off my desk.”)
• Internalizes societal messages related to gender and body image (e.g., girls may internalize a belief that they aren’t good at math or may express a desire to be thinner)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Engage in reflective writing as a routine and at key points, such as after finishing a project or before a conference with families; ask such questions as “What is hard for you in our classroom?” and “How have you been working to improve?”
• Record children telling stories in their home languages, and share those stories with the community
• Invite family members to come to school to be interviewed by the children
• Use books to support direct conversations about questions related to gender stereotypes, and bullying when they arise
  • King & King , by Linda De Haan
  • One of a Kind Like Me , by Laurin Mayeno
  • Allie ’s Basketball Dream, by Barbara E. Barber
  • The Gender Fairy , by Jo Hirst
  • Princess Hair , by Sharee Miller
  • My Princess Boy , by Cheryl Kilodavis
  • A mazing Grace , by Mary Hoffman

8-year-olds – See this age across all domains Early elementary

What educators might observe

• Reflects on and evaluates their own thinking and learning
• Takes pride in individual accomplishments and respects accomplishment of others (e.g., “Your story was so detailed. I really liked it!”)
• Plans for learning and physical needs ahead of time (e.g., brings their own stress ball to circle time)
• Identifies role models who share some of their interests and marginalized group identities

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Invite students to plan for and participate in a conference with their families
• Engage in casual conversation with the child about what they like to do outside of school
• Provide time, space, and materials for chosen work and some choice within assigned work
• Support and encourage students to participate in identity-based affinity groups
• Notice and address opinions reflecting societal messages that equate material acquisitions with self-worth