Making a Decision: Who is Teaching My Child? A Five Part Series on Choosing a Preschool

Research indicates preschool education has many benefits for children.  In addition to exposure to curriculum including literacy experiences, mathematical concepts, and science activities, a high quality preschool gives children the opportunity to learn how to socialize, to share and to contribute to society.  Making a sound decision about early childhood education is a crucial for a successful start on your child’s lifelong educational journey and there are many aspects to evaluate:  teachers, curriculum, philosophies, safety, family partnerships, and environment.  So, how do you make the right choice?

In this part we will discuss what should be the deciding factor:  Teachers!  The adults who interact with your child on a daily basis are key to a positive experience for your child!  A warm hug to ease separation anxiety or, conversely, a stern raised eyebrow inappropriately can affect how children perceive themselves and also affect their trust in others.   Whether you are considering family care, a nanny, or a center-based program, the people who care for and educate your child are of the utmost importance.  Visit the prospective school and observe the teachers’ interactions with children.   You should see:

q  Teachers in engaged two-way conversations with children

q  Teachers interacting at the children’s eye level

q  Teachers who are warm, patient and friendly

q  Teachers using gentle voices and an encouraging manner

q  Teachers and children with lots of smiles and happy faces

q  A classroom filled with happy sounds

q  Teachers who are organized and prepared

q  Teachers giving children the opportunity to choose activities.

q  Low Turnover

Watch to see if the teacher is actively listening, rather than pre-occupied or distracted with other events in the room, or being dismissive to a child.  During active listening you should see the teacher smile, nod, or acknowledge with her body posture she is interested in what the child has to say.  Active listening builds a child’s confidence and self worth.  Compare the spoken and unspoken interactions you see to those you would see in conversation between two adults who respect each other, and you should see similarities in body language, interest and intensity. 

Did you know the national average of turnover in child care staff is 30%!!!  At Kangaroo Kids we are so fortunate to have an outstanding staff who year after year have demonstrated their commitment to children and families!  We proudly boast that every lead teacher has been with Kangaroo Kids 7 or more years!  Therefore our turnover rate among our lead teachers is Zero.

According to Child Research.net a key to providing quality programs is retention of child care staff, the average annual turnover rate for child care is 30% in the United States.  Consequently, there have been a large number of studies conducted to wrestle with the issues of turnover. 

“Among the research examining the quality of early childhood programs, rate of job turnover for child care staff seems to be a strong indicator of program quality (Cassidy, Lower, Kintner-Duffy, Hegde, & Shim, 2011; Mims, Scott-little, Lower, Cassidy, & Hestenes, 2008). Raikes (1993), for example, explained that frequent turnover among early childhood teachers prevented children from developing a secure attachment with teachers. In addition, teachers' high turnover negatively affected children's social, emotional, and language development (Korjenevitch & Dunifon, 2010). Not only the relationship between teachers and children, but the relationship between teachers and parents also suffered from high turnover (Cassidy et al., 2011).

  

Teachers should be organized and well prepared.  Children should have an opportunity to choose activities.  A well-prepared and organized teacher provides a role model of organizational skills for children.  Choosing their own activities enhances children’s decision-making skills and sends the message that they and their choices are worthy!  Making good decisions is a lifelong skill you want children to develop as early as possible so it carries them through their teenage years where their decision-making skills will constantly be tested.  

Good teachers are energetic.  They enjoy the process of teaching and engaging with children.   They look for teachable moments, whether it is a butterfly going by, a leaf falling, or a chance to teach positive social interactions. 

Watch for upcoming articles on safety, environment, curriculum, and parent involvement.

Encouraging Creativity

Why is getting messy and creating those lovely works of art that you can't quite give a name to important?  One of the strengths of our country has always been being creative and resourceful.  As we move more and more towards testing and product based projects and worksheet education in young children's programs we are creating rote learners instead of creative thinkers.  If you doubted the value of process based hands on learning and the value of getting messy read this post.  It is a great article by Cindy Rzasa Bess, Ph.D. a Professional Speaker/Trainer, Developmental Psychologist, Education Consultant in her November Newsletter 

Art Smart from the Start

Back when I was a little girl, I always believed that giving my parents a hand made gift was the ultimate expression of love.  I made kiddie-loomed pot holders and clay animals; original paintings worthy of a popsicle stick frame; and, even the ever popular orange juice can converted into a pencil holder.  When we were going through my dad’s things after his passing I was stunned to find a drawer containing fifteen OJ can pencil holders!  He kept everyone!  Apparently my belief about the ultimate expression of love went both ways!  It was a very touching moment for me, to say the least!

Encouraging and supporting the flow of personal creative self-expression in a young child is one of the greatest gifts an adult can give him or her. Providing the chance for a preschooler to dabble in the arts and try new experiences is priceless and precious.  Unleashing his or her inner creativity, which ultimately follows its own path to self-expression, is a precious present.  Acknowledging that he or she is a wonderful and creative individual, capable of making great things that beautify the world is a meaningful message.

Hands-on learning through individual creativity should be highly prized in the education process.  Refraining from demanding conformity from these young hearts and minds is only fair at this tender age.  Imagination should be given a chance to grow, blossom, and flourish before the shackles of compliance are clapped shut.  It is okay for bears to be pink or green; and its fine for bunnies to have five ears.  It is alright for the wheels on the bus to be square; it makes for an interesting ride. Children have a whole lifetime to conform to societal expectations and to eventually admit that bears are black, brown and white.  Why force them to give up their innocent, inventive, and innovative perspective in favor of the old boring one adults share?  Teachers who are in touch with their own inner child know this truth, and do not squelch individual creative self-expression, but instead honor it and give it space to thrive.

Children learn best through doing.  They are by nature curious little beings.  They love to try new things and explore and experience the world, and their place in it. Jean Piaget said that young children construct their own knowledge by interacting with their environment.  They learn by doing solving problems and experiencing their options.  There are so many places in the Early Childhood Classroom where they can explore and experience their creative and inventive self:  The music center, the dramatic play area, the science center and the art center.  Even the block area and the fine motor small building toys allow for the child to create new structures and discover their ability to change the world through their action.  There is nothing greater than seeing the smile of accomplishment as it crosses a child’s face.  They know they have done something valuable and often show you their work with pride, with the accompanying announcement of “I did it!”

How can Artistic Self-expression be included in the ECE classroom?

· Incorporate Visual arts - drawing, painting, sculpting (play dough), making textiles (weaving), creating collages

· Encourage Language Arts - Discuss rhyming and create a group poem, write stories as a class, write a book of tales as a group and add it to the book nook

· Enjoy Performing Arts – Theater (putting on a puppet show, re-enacting a fairy tale);

       Singing (to the group or leading the group in song);

       Dance (music and movement)

Why offer Art?

Creative Art enables:  Self-expression

                                                   Communication of ideas -- without words

                                                   The discovery of one’s self

                                                   Exploration of the physical world and its properties

                                                   Learning to follow directions

                                                   Acquiring new skills, mastering and redefining them

                                                   Thinking “Out of the Box”

                                                   Cooperation and collaboration

                                                   Demonstration of persistence and tenacity

   Expansion of vocabulary

   Extension of experience

But most important of all it says to a child, you do not need someone else to provide toys and produce special things for you, for you are capable of making them yourself to use, play with and enjoy!

Process versus Product Art

Believe it or not there is a place for both in the early childhood classroom.   However the rule of thumb should be Process Art always available, Product Art occasionally incorporated.  Children can benefit from having an activity that requires active listening and following directions.  Examples can be replicated every one in a long while. But, these projects should be done rarely and be used as a means for assessment. Although parents like to see the standard choo-choo train made from colorful pre-cut paper shapes, or the duck made of glued yellow feathers come home, it is not the best way to teach a child about art and the true creative experience.  Real art comes from within.  Children should be encouraged to be the artists that they are within their own being.  Art should not be a method for assessment. Refrain from doing “product art” too often, after all they have a whole life time to bend to society’s will.  This is the time for active, unencumbered fun, and self-expression.

Whenever you work with a child, encourage imagination and creativity wherever you can. Refrain from asking young children to conform to a preconceived idea of who they should be, what they should be doing and encourage freedom of expression in language, in art and in play (Of course, within limits.)  When a child is allowed to produce original work there is a greater process going on.  They are able to define their own area of interest and way of interacting with the materials.  They are able to define and develop their own plan of action and are able to solve problems in unique ways as they happen.

When children are encouraged to be creative in their pursuits they:

· Learn to work through events                     

· Recreate things they know or situations they have encountered

· Make sense of the bigger world                 

· Grasp the importance and value of symbols through representation

· Enhance their self-esteem                           

· Increase motor skill development and refinement

· Become more independent                         

· Develop new cognitive skills and learn new concepts

· Feel more competent                                   

· Develop stronger social skills

· Understand qualities or properties of materials (sticky glue, runny paint, etc.)

Also, when they are encouraged to try new things and create something that comes from their own brain, we are encouraging innovation and invention in later development.  When they are forced to conform to predetermined and preconceived patterns, their own creativity is squelched.

However, children can make their own space ships and cars from simple classroom materials, and these can be constant reminders that they can make significant contributions to their own world.  By making children aware of their potential as creators and producers, we empower them to break free of the consumer role that the business community would gladly have them fill.

Please be respectful of a child’s art work and realize the value it holds for him or her.  There is nothing sadder than to see a child deflate as a teacher writes directly on his or her picture.  If you as an adult really NEED to note it is a picture of a house and of Mommy, do so on a post it note that can be peeled off, rather than on the child’s actual art work.  Just because you are bigger than him or her, doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to “graffiti” his or her work.  Showing respect for a child’s efforts is vital and also considerate. Encourage, acknowledge, and offer the chance to be creative, constructive and productive.

Please also realize that there are many children who are dissuaded from painting and using messy materials in the home.  If they don’t have time in the early childhood setting to discover the different textures and tactile experiences that come with messy art, a whole part of the self-to-be might never come to fruition.  Doing is the key to learning.  Being with the materials is the key to understanding them in relation to the self.

Hopefully when the beautiful masterpieces come home, they are given a prized place for display and are not relegated to the 3” deep with artwork refrigerator museum.   Nothing sends a stronger message to a young child than to see his or her parents frame a piece of artwork and display it prominently in the home.

Kangaroo Kids Teachers Attend State Conference

Kangaroo Kids Child Care and Learning Center teachers attended a statewide conference on Early Childhood Education to learn the latest curriculum, research based knowledge on child development and classroom management tools.  The return back to school with new ideas and techniques to enhance children’s learning opportunities. 

The focus of this year’s conference was on STEM, preparing children for the future. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This educational focus has become a top priority across all sectors of our society. In January 2010, President Obama released $250 million to support the “Educate to Innovate” Campaign to support STEM education. Educators, in public-private partnerships with corporations, foundations and collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top Fund were asked to prioritize programs that offer rigorous courses and to help prepare students for careers in STEM fields.

NAEYC is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children.  There are nearly 100,000 members worldwide. They advocate for children and provide educational programs throughout the country. The upcoming year’s theme is “Celebrating Our Youngest Learners.”  The National Association for the Education of Young Children conducts an accreditation program where only very high quality programs can earn their torch of excellence.  Kangaroo Kids is one of the few accredited centers in the area and according to NAEYC, “high quality programs provide a safe and nurturing environment while promoting the development of young children.”

For more information about Kangaroo Kids or workshops they conduct call 908-231-7800 or visit their website at www.kangarookidschildcare.com

What makes a good school?

5 Things to Look for When Choosing a School for your child:

1. Staff is key!  Look for attentive and caring teachers.  You should see lots of smiles and warm, patient interactions.  Ask about the longevity of teachers as consistency provides a secure base for children.

2. Is the facility safe?   Are outlets covered, is there a procedure for security at drop off and pick up times, is the playground fenced, are the teachers backgrounds checked and are teachers’ first aid and CPR certified?

3. Is the school clean?  You may see toys around the room and that is a good sign so children have many opportunities for learning in different environments and with different materials.  What you want to look for are the floors clean, is there a procedure in play for toys that have been in children’s mouths, is the facility cleaned on a regular basis?

4. Ask about the curriculum.  Are lesson plans posted, do teachers assess children, are there a good supply of materials available to children.  Look for hands on activities as opposed to only paper and pencil activities.  Children learn best through real life experiences.

5. Trust your instinct!  You should hear happy sounds, respectful communications, and warm interactions regardless of the room you visit!  

You can email staff@kangarookidschildcare.com for a complete checklist of what to look for when visiting a school. 

5 Things to Look for When Choosing a School for your Child

1. Staff is key!  Look for attentive and caring teachers.  You should see lots of smiles and warm, patient interactions.  Ask about the longevity of teachers as consistency provides a secure base for children.

2. Is the facility safe?   Are outlets appropriately covered, is there a procedure for security at drop off and pick up times, is the playground fenced, are the teachers backgrounds checked, and are teacher’s first aid and CPR certified?

3. Is the school clean?  You may see toys around the room and that is a good sign that children have many opportunities for learning in different environments and with different materials.  What you want to look for: are the floors clean, is there a system in place for toys that have been in children’s mouths, is the facility cleaned on a regular basis?

4. Ask about the curriculum.  Are lesson plans posted, do teachers assess children, are there a good supply of materials available to children?

5. Trust your instinct!  You should hear happy sounds, respectful communications, and warm interactions regardless of the room you visit! 

You can email staff@kangarookidschildcare.com for a complete checklist of what to look for when visiting a school.  

Children Learn Through Play

Did You Know…

·         When children identify and recognize shapes they are practicing simple geometry, an important early math skill!

·         When children squeeze playdough they are developing the fine motor skills they will need for writing!

·         When you read nursery rhymes to your child you are helping him or her with their ability to sound out words!

·         When children play with blocks they are learning engineering skills!

·         When children play with water they are learning science concepts like being able to identify which objects sink and which float as well as make experimenting with making predictions!

Back to School Tips

The best environment for children is where parents & educators communicate & work in a collaborative partnership.  Schools should welcome parents as partners.  Parents should connect with schools and teachers by communicating early, volunteering to help, and saying thank you!

Here are some tips for a smooth start to the school year! 

1.   Connect with teachers early!  Volunteer to help!
2. Help your child set up systems.  Where and when do children do their homework, how should they set out materials and clothes for the next day?
3. Stay involved!  Attend Back to School, go to the music and sport events, meet other parents

Learning through Play

Did you know…  Play is one of the most important ways children learn?

In the popular Exchange book, Play: A Beginnings Workshop Book, Betty Jones, in her article "The Play's the Thing: Styles of Playfulness", notes the many ways children learn through play...

• to make appropriate choices among many possibilities.
• to use their imagination, to improvise, to think flexibly, and explore new options.
• to be aware of their own real interests, without being distracted by other possibilities: to say "yes" and to say "no."
• to solve problems, both with materials and with people.
• to cooperate with other children in the creation of mutually satisfying projects.
• to work through their feelings in creative, non-destructive ways.
• to pay attention to a project until it's done.
• to use something — a dramatic action, a word, a toy, a set of blocks, a collection of marks on paper — to represent something else — a real experience, a powerful feeling. Practice in these sorts of representation is essential in the process of becoming literate, which is another form of representation.
• to see themselves as competent and interesting people, with useful skills and good ideas.

Holding Back Your Child?

Kindergarten registration has begun! In most school districts, children must be 5 years old by October 1, 2012 to enroll in Kindergarten. Many parents are faced with the dilemma of determining when his or her child should begin school. Today, parents are becoming more aggressive in determining what is in the best interest of their child.

A new phenomena, however, is taking place among many families. According to Preschool Director Mary Innocenzi, parents are opting to keep their young child out of public school an extra year, even if their child’s age falls within the guidelines for school entry. Why? Parents say “I’d rather keep her in preschool an extra year, so she can have an extra year to mature. What’s the rush?” “I don’t feel my son is as mature as the other children. I feel it’s better to keep him out an extra year. Also, he will have more of an opportunity to do well in sports—he won’t be the smallest kid in his class.” “If I keep my child out of school an extra year, he’ll have a decided educational advantage over the others in his class.”

And so it goes…

In the past there were always a few parents who would opt to “hold back” their child, for various reasons. Today, however, many parents feel that they are giving their child a head start by keeping their child out of school an extra year.

It is a difficult decision and some of the social concerns, physical concerns regarding sports, and academic challenges do not often show up until the higher grades. Many parents make the decision solely based on academics. But it is also important to consider social skills, confidence, organization skills, and physical size, as well as family preference. These are important considerations, especially when the new trend to hold children back makes some August and September birthday children almost 2 years younger than their peers. One of the reasons I feel this decision is so important is that the stakes are much higher at 17 years of age, when you want your child to be a leader, not a follower.

If you have any questions where we can help, feel free to stop by the office at Kangaroo Kids to discuss your options and some creative solutions.

25 Tips To Encourage Literacy In Young Children

1. Babble back to your infants
2. Encourage conversation
3. Teach site words – McDonalds, Lucky Charms, Barney
4. Speak another language
5. Encourage drawing and inventive spelling
6. Script what children say about their drawings – write their story, make it into a book
7. Fall in love with language, rhymes, songs and role model reading
8. Label your child’s environment
9. Make shopping lists with your child
10. Cook and read recipes together
11. Look for letters on the Menu when you go out to eat
12. Cut pictures out of magazines that begin with a letter you are studying.
13. Make an alphabet book
14. Read a book and then ask children questions to test their comprehension
15. Glue letters from an alphabet cereal on a piece of paper.
16. Put alphabet cereal on a plate and help child make their name out of the cereal.
17. Keep magnetic letters on the refrigerator
18. Make up silly songs starting with the letter you are studying.
19. Talk to your child
20. Sing with your child
21. Read to your child everyday
22. Limit television watching and watch appropriate shows
23. Visit libraries and bookstores
24. Select a quality child care
25. Read to children and ask them to predict what will happen next.

Avoid the 3 S's!

Read the food labels and avoid products with high levels of the three-S's according to WebMD:
• Sugar
• Saturated fat (and trans fat)
• Sodium

Money and Young Children

When you’re raising children, one of the most important things you, as a parent, can teach your children is how to handle their money. Children should be taught at a young age that they can't always get what they want, when they want it. This automatically means that you can, and must, say "no" to children every now and then. This is also a good opportunity to teach children that life involves making choices and dealing with money is one of many areas in life where we need to evaluate our options and make a choice.

Get a piggy bank for your preschooler and teach him or her about the different sizes and values of coins. As early as possible, let your child save and spend his own money (perhaps at the dollar store) for certain things that he or she wants to purchase.

Any allowance given to a young child should be small, so he or she will ‘run out’ of spending money and consequently learn how to budget. When you go shopping at the grocery store, give your child a small amount of money for example, $5.00, to buy a certain item and tell her she can keep the change. This will teach her how to get the ‘best deal’ for the item she was assigned to purchase.

One good way to get children to save is to say you will match whatever they save (out of their allowance) if they keep it in the bank for 6 months, 1 to 5 years, etc. Whatever they spend is gone and not matched. This way they will watch their savings grow!

When your child grows older, his needs will change. He may start to nag you for additional money so he can get something that everyone else has! Don't always give in to your child's request without asking for something in return. You may want to give your child some extra chores to earn additional money so he learns that it won’t just be handed out. As a parent, you are obliged to provide the roof over their heads and their meals, but it is also your job to prepare your child for the responsibilities of an adult.

Personally, I also feel there should be certain non-paid tasks that are your child’s responsibility as a contributing member of the family unit. This can start as early as age 2, when your child can help do little tasks like putting her socks in the drawer. It may take a little more time, but you are teaching your child a valuable lesson in helping the family and, in the process, your child will be proud of his or her accomplishments.

Once your child is old enough to understand, sit down and show him or her some of your monthly expenses. Many people keep their financial affairs from their children, but when you share this information with them, they know what to expect in the future.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Here is a fun Thanksgiving Project you can try at home! Get some child safe paint and a few paint brushes and paint each of your child’s fingers a different fall color! Paint his or her palm brown! Have your child press his or her handprint on a piece of paper to create a very special turkey!

Make Gathering Leaves A Learning Opportunity

A nature stroll to collect leaves can end with a math, science or literacy lesson! Have your children collect leaves then discuss how the transformation of leaves occur from green to the many beautiful colors of autumn as a science lesson. If you need a little help explaining photosynthesis and the entire leaf changing process visit this website http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html.

For your math lesson count, compare, and match the various sizes, shapes, and colors of the leaves! You can create your very Leaf Books by pasting the leaves into a few pieces of folded construction paper or by placing a leaf under the page and rubbing a crayon over the leaf to create a leaf rubbing book.

Children learn best through song so you can also sing a favorite fall song.

Here is a simple one to try:
Sung to: "Farmer in the Dell"

The leaves are falling down
The leaves are falling down
Red, yellow, green, and brown
The leaves are falling down

Amazing how a beautiful leaf can create so many learning opportunities!

Painting – Be creative! Instead of just using a paint brush, let your child paint with different instruments such as rollers, matchbox cars, q-tips, or even their fingers!

You can even use those old apples to do stamp painting by cutting the apples in half and dipping them in paint.

If messy projects aren’t your favorite just give your child a new paint brush and a bucket of water and let them do their water art on the sidewalk!

You never know, you might be encouraging the next Picasso!

Playdough Fun

Sensory play is play that involves the use of one or more of the five senses, touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing. Children learn best when they can experience the world through all their senses. All week at Kangaroo Kids Summer Camp we are doing Messy But Meaningful projects!

Play dough is a good old standby, even for the toddlers! Mix the ingredients below and get out the cookie cutters and a rolling pin and let your child explore. Make a pretend birthday cake or form shapes and letters with the dough!

Play dough
1. 3 cups flour
2. 1 cup salt
3. 3 Tablespoons oil
4. 1 cup of water

You are involving your child’s sense of touch by allowing them to feel the soft flour and gooey mixture, their sense of smell by adding a little cinnamon to your playdough, their sense of site by all the creations and tools they use to make their playdough projects or mixing in different colors, their hearing by the discussion you have while creating the mixture and at times even their sense of taste as you redirect them from experiencing the taste of playdough.

Rover will like this Sensory Fun!

Here is an activity that will give you a sense of accomplishment while your child is having a fun sensory experience. Get a big bucket of water and the doggie shampoo and wash the dog together! You can teach your child about the fascinating chemistry of how the bubbles form (if you need a little help visithttp://chemistry.about.com/od/bubbles/a/bubblescience.htm ), or give your child a lesson in kindness to people and pets to reinforce social skills during the bathing!

Messy But Meaningful

Remember “Silly Putty” and “Slime?” If you enjoyed playing with either of these as a child here is a homemade version called "Goop" that you can make with your child. You may be encouraging a future scientist!

Goop
1. Two cups white glue
2. One cup liquid laundry starch

Mix together to an even consistency and have fun! Store Goop in the refrigerator.

Here is another recipe for a similar substance to Goop called "GAK". For those inquiring minds, see http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000039> for an explanation of the scientific principles involved in creating "GAK".

This week is “Messy But Meaningful at Kangaroo Kids,” so watch for lots of sensory activities you can do at home for some good educational fun!

Messy But Meaningful

If your child comes home from preschool looking picture perfect everyday, it is time to delve into the kinds of activities the class is doing during the day! Young children learn with all their senses and should have a variety of opportunities for exploration.

There will be times when children may get a little paint on their clothes or play dough under their fingernails, but in the process they are increasing their knowledge as well as developing their sense of creativity.

Children learn by mixing paints to create their individual artistic treasures, by splashing and playing in water to discover which objects sink or float, and by mixing the ingredients of their own special play dough to see how various substances integrate and how the combination changes the properties of the ingredients.

Next week’s theme at Kangaroo Kids Summer Camp is “Messy But Meaningful.” Log in all week to Kangaroo Kids Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kangaroo-Kids-Child-Care-and-Learning-Center/301126633639 to learn a little more about these wonderful projects, many of which you can do at home!

Preschool Curriculum

Curriculum

What is important in a Preschool Curriculum?  At Kangaroo Kids Child Care & Learning Center we believe that if children enjoy the process of learning it has lifelong benefits!  The preschool age is such an important window of opportunity in the learning process so make sure your child is in a program that values education and presents the material in a developmentally appropriate manner. 

1. Curriculum should be stimulating, creative and developmentally appropriate so children are challenged but not frustrated.
2. Curriculum should be individualized.  Children have different learning styles and the program should be designed to meet the needs of each individual.
3. There should be a variety of hands on experiences.  Children learn by doing.
4. Development of the total child should be taken into account.  All the domains of learning should be covered in the curriculum:  intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development.
5. What constitutes Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum (DAP)?
• Age appropriate activities
• Hands on learning
• Many opportunities for sensory experiences
• Child-directed activities where children have choice.
6. You should see evidence of planning, including a written educational philosophy, curriculum, and lesson plans.
7.  You should see evidence of multicultural aspects to the curriculum.
8. Outdoor play is crucial for a child’s development and there should be time spent outside every day.
9. There should be an assessment system in place where portfolios are kept on each child documenting their learning and developmental milestones. 
10. Artwork should allow children to express individual flair as opposed to a cookie cutter project where each one is identical.
11. You should see children enjoying the process of learning.