Slide 1

The Infant/Toddler Teachers ERS Toolbox

Providing teachers with the tools they need to implement the Environment Rating Scales Welcome participants & Introductions

Why this PD was developed (wanted something that allowed for more interaction of assessors and classroom teachers). Developed from surveys sent to teachers at STARS sites who had experience with ERS visits1Objectives Review the role of the early childhood teacher in creating high quality experiences for infants and toddlers.

Gain understanding of how the Environment Rating Scales (ERS) can be used to support program planning and growth.

Review objectives2

Thelma Harms

Richard Clifford

Debby CryerAbout the AuthorsThelma Harms earned her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education from the University of California at Berkley and was a Head Teacher at their demonstration preschool for 15 years. Dr. Harms is Director of Curriculum Development at the FPG Child Development Institute and Research Professor Emerita in the School of Education, UNC-CH. Dr. Harms is recognized internationally for her work in assessing the quality of educational and care settings. She has also developed a variety of curriculum materials and staff training resources. Dr. Harms has provided extensive in-service training and consultation in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Dr. Clifford has written extensively on child and family policy issues, with a particular emphasis on the role of government in the provision and financing of services. In addition, he has conducted research assessing early learning environments and identifying developmentally appropriate practices in early care and education. Dr. Clifford is past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Dr. Clifford is currently co-director of the First School Initiative at the FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Cryer has developed early care and education curriculum materials and assessment instruments for over 15 years. She is lead author for the Active Learning Series books published by Addison-Wesley. Dr. Cryer has extensive experience assessing early childhood programs in varied settings. Most recently, she has studied the relationship between the cost and quality of child care and is currently studying the effects of continuity of care on infants and toddlers.

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About the AuthorsUniversity of North Carolina

The authors of the ERS Scales are affiliated with the University of North Carolina (obviously their experience with very bad weather is usually very different from ours here in Pennsylvania!)

The authors are educator themselves and worked with children and advocates regularly when the scales were created. They continue to use real-world feedback to fine-tune the tools. The ERS is based on developmentally appropriate practices for all children.

Introduce PA Position Statements weather, ITERS used up to 36 months

4About the AssessorsThe PA Key ERS Team has 16 Assessors. The Assessors have, on average, more than 18 years of ECE experience.

5About the Assessors We want to see programs do well on the ERS. We want ECE teachers to like where they work and feel supported.

Like you, we want good things for all children.

Emphasize that we are not there to try to catch teachers doing things wrong. We want the ERS assessment to be a way to give them feedback about opportunities for them, the program to continue to grow. 6

A Teachers Role

Ask participants to share their thoughts What is the teachers role? List responses

Accept all answers without comment this is a chance for teachers to self-identify. Hand-out Preparing Children for their Future article. Discuss very briefly.

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Environment Rating Scales & Best Practice Working Together

Introductory slide to next section. 8Look at what actually happens in the classroom.

Change and adapt as we learn more.Notes for Clarification! (www.ersi.info)

Emphasize developmentally appropriate practice teachers and kids working together to explore and experience.ERS & Best Practice

Can point out that if any of the participants have attended other ERS PD, this information may sound familiar.

Point out that in the hand-outs they will find new Notes for Clarification from the authors The notes illustrate how the authors have continued to refine the ITERS (as well as the other ERS tools) as our profession has developed. Point out the new web address for most up to date information.

Emphasize 3rd bullet this can be especially challenging for classrooms with a range of ages.

9 Developmentally Appropriate Practice = Best PracticeTo make good decisions, teachers consider what they know:(1) about child development and learning, (2) about each child as an individual, and(3) about the social and cultural contexts in which each child lives.

http://www.naeyc.org/DAPWhat does Developmentally Appropriate Practice really mean? How does it work in a real classroom, with real kids, and real teachers. Ask the participants to share their thoughts / examples.

10Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) . . practice that promotes young childrens optimal learning and development.

Regardless of the curriculum, the make-up of the group, the type of program best practice is based on creating things that are appropriate for the developmentally level of your kids. What skills and interests do the kids have? Where do they need you to help them build their skills and try new experiences?

ACTIVITY: Divide participants into small groups (about 4-5 in a group if numbers allow). Give each group a Classroom packet, these will include a Your Enrollment photo page, an item page from the ITERS-R book, a list of materials, and a score sheet page for their assigned item. Move to Slide 1211

The Piggly WiggliesACTIVITY: Divide participants into small groups (about 4-5 in a group if numbers allow). Give each group a Classroom packet, these will include a Your Enrollment photo page, an item page from the ITERS-R book, a list of materials, and a score sheet page for their assigned item. Tell the groups that the photo page they have is their current classroom enrollment. They will need to look at the materials they have on their list and determine a score for their groups assigned ITERS-R Item.

Whole-group practice: Using Item 14 (Using Books) as the example item and the group in this slide as your sample enrollment, do a practice demonstration of the activity as a group.

The Pigglys are your sample enrollment for this activity explain to the participants that you are going to be scoring (with their input) the Books item with these children in mind. Ask the groups to check in their classroom packet for the Books item page (from the ITERS-R) and a photo sheet with books/materials titled DEMONSTRATION.

Using the Piggly Wigglies and the demo sheet, work as a whole group to score Item 14. Talk about how the ages of the children and the enrollment number impacts the item. Point out to the group that the higher quality indicators werent just about the QUANTITY of books, but also expected a variety. The groups should be sure to keep that in mind as they score their item.

Now ask the groups to work on their assigned ITERS-R item using the information in their classroom packet. (photos of children, list of materials, item page).

Allow the groups to work for about 5-8 minutes and then have them share their results and explain their scores (what issues, what they needed to consider).

If you feel any of the groups can handle the switch, swap one or more of the children in their original group with a child from your wait-list group of children. If you think this could be too confusing, you could do this as a whole group following the reporting back.

12What youve told us about the ERSYou are unsure about what/how many materials and when they should be accessible and what the Assessor is looking for

Assessors are unfriendly

You want more feedback before, during, and after the assessment

You want longer/multi-day assessments

This slide highlights the most common comments from the survey sent out to teachers. 13I Spy . . .

with my little eye.During an ERS visit, the assessor will also be carefully observing. There are a number of quality elements in the ITERS that the Assessor will have to observe (with her little eye!) in order to consider the activity or interaction in scoring. 14It was Observed!

The indicators that the Assessor must observe show up throughout the ITERS scale items and at different levels of quality. Quite a few are in the Excellent level (the 7s) and there are some at the earlier levels.

Have the participants pull out their Must Be Observed hand-out. If you are able, play the reading to babies & toddlers video (hyperlinked to the photo of the woman reading turn the volume OFF, you dont want/need the narration on the video). If you cant play the video, use the photos on the slide as examples:

Item 5, Display for children teachers talk about the display (photo of male teacher pointing to something) 15Much of the day . . .

Review the definition of much of the day. Remind participants that when we talk about program hours for the ERS, we are talking about the whole day when they open to when they close EVEN if they have elements that only operate part-day and some kids attend part-time. 16Much of the Day Much of the day: In most items, much of the day is associated with the childrens access to materials typically used indoors. It means most of the time that any child maybe awake and able to play. If children are prevented from using materials for long periods by overly long routines when the children have to wait with nothing to do, being kept in groups that they are not engaged in, or being kept in areas where access is not possible, then credit cannot be given for much of the day

Refer to Notes for Clarification, repeat that the new notes supplement what is in the ITERS-R book17

WWW.ERSI.INFO

PAKEYS.orgRemind participants that they will need to be aware of a variety of resources and check regularly for updates. 18Choosing Materials Enough is enough . . . Or is it? 19A wide variety of BooksHow about this one?Or this?Is this a picture of an animal?This one?

Choosing books for infants and toddlers can be somewhat challenging. Many of the board books and soft books (cloth and vinyl) use cartoon images. Remind participants that the Notes for Clarification in the ITERS scale book (Item 14, 5.2) and the All About the ITERS book are useful tools if they want to look through their collection of books for the children.20Creepers and Crawlers and Walkers Oh My!

A common challenge for Infant rooms is groups of children that range widely in developmental levels (from the teeny tiny lap baby to the curious active young toddler). Even though there may be just a few months difference in their ages, the difference in their needs is tremendous and much more dramatic than a 4 year old and a 5 year old. What do you need to think about when planning for a group that includes young infants, older infants, and even young toddlers?

Where do I go? ACTIVITY:

Post chart paper around the training space labeling varied sections as activity areas found in a typical infant/toddler classroom. Distribute photos of toys to the groups (or to individuals). Ask participants to post their picture where they feel it belongs.

Using signs, assign an Spot to different areas of the space (Cozy space, Open floor space, Shelves, Dramatic play, etc.) Stack the deck so that some of the Spots are in conflict (ex: put Drama next to cozy). Once everyone gets where they believe they belong, look at the pictures. Ask volunteers to share if they feel like they got to the right place could it belong somewhere else? if the only protected spot for non-mobile babies is the Cozy area and thats also where the book display is for the toddlers, what are the possible issues.

So we know we need to think about how we arrange the different spaces in the classroom, now . . . What do we put in those spaces?

Much of the day speaks to how long children are able to make choices about what the do, but high quality also considers the number and variety of materials accessible / made accessible (for non-mobiles). Participants also need to be cognizant of the quantity and variety of the materials that are accessible. Emphasize that this is not THE magic list that programs should duplicate.

Point out the overlap and the differences. Ask participants what are other considerations when selecting materials. Specific details about number and variety of materials are included in the ITERS-R.

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Shes TOUCHING me!Working with a group that includes everyone from non-mobile infants to walkers will also impact the way you use your available space(s).

Sooo cute, right? Any suggestions on what probably happened only seconds after these photos were taken? (If no responses offer that it is quite likely that the babies were knocked over and crying and the toddlers were happily headed off to a new adventure)

Do the littlest ones have spaces where they can explore and interact without the concern of being stepped on, climbed over, or fallen on?Do the crawlers and walkers have open space to move and play? Are toys and materials stored in a way that supports each developmental level?

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Get outside!What do outdoor experiences look like for infants and toddlers?We typically think of outdoor time as gross motor play time and we should. Kids need opportunities to practice and test out those skills and outdoor play is often a great time for social interactions. Talk about not wanting to stop at that point though when thinking about time outside especially in the nice weather. Are there other ways to think about outdoor time?

What can you do to take advantage of the nice weather and the unique aspects of the outdoor environment, but still meet the very individualized needs of infants and toddlers?

Invite the participants to make suggestions, share ideas.23your classroom doesnt stop at the door . . .

Ask the group for their ideas on how to expand the idea of outdoor play24Television, Video, Computers with Infants and Toddlers

25No screen time for under 2. Review new note for older toddlersReal experiences lead to real interactionsAmong the many reasons why television & computers are not considered appropriate for very young children is that they take away from the interactions that are so critical to development . . . especially language development.

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Pardon me, what did you say?

Young children communicate with those around them (adults and other children) long before they begin to use language. Ask the participants for their thoughts on what these children are communicating. Click on the photo of the uppy uppy girl to play the talking twins video.

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Looking at Routines as Interactions and not chores

Diaper changing, washing faces, wiping noses, washing hands, changing clothing, warming bottles, spooning baby food caring for infants and toddlers can seem like an endless list of personal care routines. The routines might not always be the most fun, but they do offer an unique opportunity for interactions (one that we tend to lose with older children who dont need our assistance as much)28We want to be a quiet observer

Talk about why the Assessors do not can NOT interact with the teachers or the children. We try to maintain a pleasant neutral expression, but sometimes we slip up. 29Some things you would tell one another about the ERS:To get ready for the observation, it is best to just follow the routine daily, dont short cut. This way you & your children will be more comfortable.

. . . practice what you are supposed to do on a daily basis . . .Take the ERS training.Above are quotes from the teacher survey. Revisit that the assessment is not meant to be a gotcha event, but an tool for feedback and growth. Just like we dont want to evaluate (test) kids on things they dont know and havent practiced, we dont want to spring things on teachers. 30

Our Favorite AssessorsThe REAL authors of best practice are the children we share our days with. Celebrating their growth and joining in their explorations will help in making developmentally appropriate choices and will make the time you spend together more important and more FUN!31