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Welcome to this month's issue of the Better Kid Care E-Newsletter - A newsletter for those caring for children.
Notable Quote: “You can observe a lot by just looking around” – Yogi Berra
Wear an apron with pockets - Aprons provide pockets to hold pen, paper, camera, etc. which allows tools for immediate use in capturing key moments that hold learning and meaning. Carpenter aprons have many pockets.
Use large name tag/labels to write notes on - You can stick them right onto a child's folder or paper with recorded observations.
Prepare a letter for families on the importance of taking notes. Parents will have a better understanding of what and why we are always jotting down notes, taking pictures, etc.
Place small-medium clip boards throughout your environment with paper and pen. You will have paper and writing surface at your fingertips anywhere you need it. Provide clipboards for the children, too!
Purchase a small tape recorder (or new digital audio recorders!). Tape recorders are a wonderful means of capturing long conversations and children love to hear their voice.
Consider using cameras - With parental consent forms in place, photograph and video samples can hold a treasure box full of observation, especially when reviewed at a later time by the adult and by the children.
Where do you find the best ideas on caring for children? From child care providers, of course! Do you have a great tip or good thing? Send us your best tips in writing and your tip may end up in our newsletter! If your tip is chosen for the newsletter, you will receive a little something from the Better Kid Care Program. Mail tips with your return address, place of work, and the number and ages of those you care for to:
Better Kid Care Program
c/o Christine Belinda
Tips from Child Care Providers
253 Easterly Parkway
State College, PA 16801
E-mail to: crb16@psu.edu
by Christine Belinda
Many jobs require tools to do the job well: Architects use blueprints, gardeners use shovels, and writers use pen, paper, and computers. For parents and early educators, a valuable tool to use is observation. With observation, we gain a better understanding of children in many aspects; behavior, developmental abilities, temperament, learning styles, needs, interests, strengths, relationships, and much more.
Observation becomes the catalyst for helping us plan and adjust our programs to best support and guide the children we work with. But where should we start? What are useful ways to observe? How do we use observation as a tool? What do we need to know to observe?
Before we begin our observations, we need to consider the parents/family. Parents are our most important partner in working with children. Parents should be informed of any observation or assessment occurring in our program. Parents also should be considered our best source to gain knowledge about their child.
Gather information from parents, such as what the child has been doing lately, interests, strengths, concerns, special needs, or any information that will help us in getting to know their child. If using cameras, obtain consent forms. Also consider, information parents want to discover about their child. Parents should be reassured all our information will be respectful and confidential.
Before we begin observing, we need to discover what to observe, how to observe, and how to use what we have observed. We may want to gather information on development, behavior, skills, environments, relationships and so forth. There is a wealth of information to discover! Make a plan to choose what to observe, based on the child, family, and the program. What we observe should reflect what is developmentally appropriate for the child.
There are many ways to measure and observe specific information about children. There are standardized inventories, checklists, running records and assessments, which often require training and instruction for use. There are also informal observation methods, such as taking notes, collecting work, and teacher made checklists. This article will focus on informal types of observation.
As early educators, it is important to research what forms of assessment and observation best support our practices and the children we care for. Once we have gathered observations, we can take a closer look at our information, with the goal of supporting the child, family, and our program.
To observe means to record what we see and hear, as well as to learn from what we see and hear. The following are useful ways to observe and gather information:
Take notes - Note taking is a format for recording behavior, actions, language, learning styles, etc. All notes should be free of opinion, yet contain specific information to better understand the child: What is the child doing? Where? With what materials? Who is near or interacting? What did child say? provider observing children and taking notes
Take notes often and at varying times of the day. It is very important to not bring any predetermined ideas or personal opinions into the observation. Use sticky notes, clip boards with paper or large sticker labels, and have folders or notebooks to record each child's information.
Create developmental checklist - Create the checklist according to age, milestones, ability, choice play areas, or any other predetermined activity or behavior. Here are some example items for a checklist: Does two- to three-piece puzzle, attempts to write or make marks, looks at books, asks for help, and so forth.
Use the checklist on an ongoing basis, rather than one time only. Develop a form that works best for you to quickly check off as well as add notes. Be sure to date the incidents and possibly record their frequency.
Film - Use photographs and video samples to reveal children's works in progress, children's relationships, and meaningful experiences. (Consent forms are needed.) Photographs are an excellent source to show sequences, patterns, and changes.
Film also works well for items difficult to save, such as block buildings, interactions, and two - and three-dimensional art and construction.
Storytelling or Narratives - Write children's stories, conversations, and play discussions. Do so over periods of time. This provides insight into what children are thinking, how they are thinking, as well as how their thoughts progress and change over time.
Collect Children's Work - Collect samples of children's work such as drawings, paintings, writings or dictated children's questions, conversations, and ideas. Also save three-dimensional works (buildings, sculptures, etc.), and photographs. Many educators are developing portfolios for each child, where a variety work samples, teacher's notes, etc., can be saved over a period of time.
Children can be involved in choosing items saved as well as be involved in making the portfolio out of large, sturdy materials or folders. Portfolios provide quality information to share with families.
Reflections and Review - Careful study and reflection allows us to take an in-depth look at all the information gathered to better understand the child, the program, and appreciate and adapt ideas to meet needs.
It is at this time we need to ask the questions of how to best support each child from what we have learned:
- What did we learn?
- Does it change our ideas?
- Do we need to do anything differently?
- Are there any patterns?
- Do we need to change the environment?
- Do we need to refer to other professionals/programs?
Observation provides a wealth of feedback to parents, children, and to early educators. From observations, we will be able to highlight skills, knowledge, as well as show growth over time, show progress towards goals, prevent problem behaviors, and support passions and interests. We gain a better sense of each child's uniqueness.
If we are attentive to children actions, experiences, words, and work, we can develop supportive, wonderful learning experiences and environments. Be sure to stop, look, listen, and record vital everyday experiences with children.
Better Kid Care resources are available for child care providers by contacting your local Penn State Cooperative Extension office.
Enjoy the following highlights from one of the many Better Kid Care Distance Education Lessons. Participate in Distance Education training in the convenience of your home.
Do you have children who have problems playing together? Is the following scenario a familiar one for you?
Free play just isn't going well. The children are not playing well together. Someone knocks over someone's blocks; someone is pushing someone in the housekeeping corner. You wonder if the problem has to do with how the children are using the activity areas.
An observation method called time sampling can help you find out which activity areas are being used and how many children are using them. Through time sampling, you might discover that few children are playing in the story corner and with the water table, and while some children do play in the housekeeping area, most of the children are playing in the block area.
Using the information learned from time sampling, you could decide to rotate some books and toys into your story and water play area to draw more children to these areas. You could enlarge you block area by slightly reducing the space for the other areas to make more room for all the children. Or limit the amount of children who can play in the block area at one time. All of these approaches will change where the children play during free play. After your changes, you might want to do more time sampling to see how it is working.
Observation is a valuable tool for solving your child care problems. Learning to be a good observer can help you find real solutions that create a successful child care for each and every child.
Find out more about observing children to watch development, for behavior problems, to solve play problems, and to help them get along with others by participating in the distance education lesson Improving and Using Your Observation Skills. Click on the link to read this lesson in its entirety.
To view a complete listing of all distance education lessons and additional information and resources, visit the Better Kid Care Distance Education page.
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSIONWhen Buying Toys: Shopping for toys during the holidays can be exciting and fun, but it can also be frustrating. There can be thousands of toys to choose from in one store, and it's important to choose the right toy for the right age child. Toys that are meant for older children can be dangerous for younger children.
"Flame retardant/Flame resistant" on fabric products and "Washable/Hygienic materials" on stuffed toys and dolls.
For more information, call CPSC's toll-free hotline 800-638-2772 or visit online at: www.cpsc.gov . (Search "toy safety")
The Penn State Better Kid Care Program has developed a new and exciting season of interesting, helpful satellite topics for 2005-2006. Join with many other caregivers in experiencing live satellite training workshops, offered through the Penn State Better Kid Care Program, in Pennsylvania and across the United States . To participate in these workshops, visit the Satellite Workshop link.
Reading aloud with children is a wonderful activity. Children of all ages love to be read to. Support the love of reading for children in your care by trying the following books:
Look Book, by Tana Hoban, published by Greenwillow, ISBN 0688149715. Hoban creates layers of glimpses and guesses as to what she has photographed. This book prompts thought provoking fun!
Just Look, by Tana Hoban, published by Greenwillow, ISBN 0688140408. Hoban photographs images in a way to spark a guessing game. She provides a small hole to peer through the photograph on the next page, encouraging children to look at things in different ways.
Look! Look! Look!, by Tana Hoban, published by Greenwillow, ISBN 0688072402. Another in depth peek at images which are presented in layers and pieces. Read along and discover the unusual shapes of things.
Spirals, Curves, Fan Shapes, and Lines, published by Greenwillow, ISBN 0688112293.
Shadows and Reflections, published by Greenwillow, ISBN 0688070892
Where is It? Published by Greenwillow, ISBN 0027440702
What is That? Published by Greenwillow, ISBN 068812920X
Dots, Spots, Speckles, and String, Published by Greenwillow, ISBN0688068626
Contact your local children's library or your local Penn State Cooperative Extension office to find out about more books on making friends and child care. Reading with children creates lifelong readers. Enjoy your time reading with children!
Do you have questions about caring for other people's children, such as:
Call the Better Kid Care Mentoring Line at 800-859-8340 or e-mail your questions to betterkidcare@psu.edu for information about child care and children's issues.
The New Staff Orientation curriculum is now available to child care centers in Pennsylvania. This curriculum is specifically designed for new staff members in child care centers. Included are a thirty-page workbook and thirty units on seven videotapes. The easy-to-understand information is reinforced with activities and assignments. Units are designed to be used during naptime or other small blocks of time as staff/child ratios permit. Meets the Keystone STARS Performance Standards.
Meets the Keystone STARS Core Series Training Requirements - This three part series shows how to establish, run and maintain a successful child care business and presents important information about understanding and supporting the developmental needs of each child.
- Part 1 - Family Child Care...It's a Business
- Part 2 - Understanding and Supporting
Children's Physical and Cognitive Development- Part 3 - Understanding and Supporting
Children's Language and Social/Emotional Development
Receive the videos and workbooks in the mail. Complete the entire series and return assignments to the Better Kid Care office for review to earn six Department of Public Welfare training hours.
To order: 1-800-452-9108 or betterkidcare@psu.edu
Do you provide care for children in your home? The kit, which is free for Pennsylvania residents, includes booklets with activities, child care ideas, information about distance education training, a children's development chart, and much more. Complete our on-line registration form or call 800-452-9108 to order.
The monthly issue of Family Time / Work Time contains short articles and tips for busy working parents. Parents Count has information for parents on children's issues that are featured in training workshops for child care providers. Both publications are available online to print and share with your friends, family, and other childcare providers. Select issues are also available in Spanish.
PA Pathways Professional Development for Child Caregivers has information, training, and educational opportunities for child care providers across Pennsylvania. Visit PA Pathways or call toll-free 800-492-5107.
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Upcoming January E-Newsletter:
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We would love to hear from you! We want the Better Kid Care E-Newsletter to be informative, useful, and inspiring to you! Please contact the Better Kid Care Program with your ideas. Is there something you want to see more or less of? What information is most important to you? What topics are you interested in? How is the newsletter helpful to you? E-mail your ideas to crb16@psu.edu or call 814-865-7894.