ECERS WALK THROUGH for Teachers & Assistants

Site: ______Date: ______

Teacher: ______Assistant ______

Directions: Use this document to help determine areas needing additions or adjustments to meet ECERS standards.

CENTER OBSERVATION COMMENTS AREA ACTIVITY GREETINGS/ Greets each child by name, hug or says hello; includes students who are DEPARTURES tardy (Uses warm greeting) Needs to be well organized (children’s things are ready) Needs to be pleasant – children not rushed during departure Avoids long waiting without activity during departure

OUTDOOR PLAY Takes portable equipment outside everyday (balls,etc.) Takes a container with a few dramatic play items outside Takes a container with block items outside everyday Adds portable equipment to use inside on bad weather days Interacts with children during outdoor play COZY CENTER Defines space clearly Sets up this space near a quiet area Contains soft toys and pillows Provides quiet activities Offers a few books (include small photo album) Includes writing materials BLOCKS Needs to be big enough for 3 or more students to build sizeable structures independently Defines space clearly Adapted from ECERS Page 2 Needs to be out of traffic (children do not walk through blocks to go to another center) Needs to be used for building structures Needs one other type of block: homemade blocks or large hollow blocks Examples of homemade blocks: food boxes or plastic containers, etc. Labels the shelf by outlining the shape of the blocks Provides at least 90 blocks accessible for children Adds containers with accessories (i.e.- people: culture and disabilities, animals, vehicles and traffic signs) Labels the containers and shelves with the accessories SAND & WATER Needs to be opened daily (inside or outside). Sand can be substituted with other materials Water table needs to be opened daily (inside and outside) Contains a sufficient amount of water Contains a sufficient amount of sand Adds a variety of intentional activities to use with sand and water (evidence: lesson plans) Provides a container with a variety of toys under the water table Provides a container with a variety of toys under the sand table Sanitizes the water table and accessories daily MUSIC/ Adds props for dancing along with homemade instruments LISTENING Adds instruments that are accessible (includes different cultures) Plays only soft music if it is played most of the day Adds different types of music (classical, popular, cultural, and songs from different languages) Provides opportunities for free choice and teacher led music activities Needs to train students to use technology equipment independently Needs technology accessories to be well organized DRAMATIC PLAY Needs to provide a large space for play

Adapted from ECERS Page 3 Provides props for two themes: 1 housekeeping, 2 work, 3 leisure, 4 fantasy Needs to be clearly defined Adds dolls from different cultures: ___ boys ___ girls Adds labels inside of the refrigerator and on containers for food Adds labels inside sink, cupboard and stove for dishes and pans/pots by outlining the shapes of the items Adds labeled containers for spoons, forks and knives Adds props (include diversity –cultures & disabilities) Rotates props to match the theme in the center on a regular basis Offers writing materials including paper and a variety of writing utensils Adds books and pictures Provides dress-up clothes for girls and boys that are organized (include shoes, hats, multi-cultural clothes, etc) Organizes clothes neatly on a rack or individual hooks SCIENCE Needs materials and activities from 3 categories: 1. collection of natural objects, 2. living things, 3. nature / science books, games or toys or 4. nature / science activities Needs space on the table for students to experiment Needs materials to be well organized on a shelf with labeled containers Adds writing material including blank paper and a variety of writing utensils) Provides books that relate to science concepts Offers nature/science activities that require input by teacher at least every 2 weeks (Ex. experiments, field trips – around the school and away) Adds pictures to extend children’s hands-on experiences. See page 33 in ECERS book. Read notes for clarification Needs to be well-defined

Adapted from ECERS Page 4 MANIPULATIVES Provides all types: ___ small building toys, ___manipulatives ___ / MATH puzzles. See page 27 in ECERS book. Read notes for clarification Needs materials to be well organized and labeled on the shelves Needs puzzles to be well organized on shelf (use wooden puzzle rack if available) Offers materials that are on different levels of difficulty for low and high performing students Adds materials and teacher-made games for counting, number recognition, shape recognition, and identifying different sizes Provides materials for measuring (This can be in the science center.) Adds books that relate to math/number concepts Adds writing material including blank paper and a variety of writing utensils Offers daily activities to promote math/number learning (Ex. setting table, using timers to take turns, counting while climbing steps) Rotates materials to maintain interest - lesson plans (Ex. Bears are replaced with birds for counting, use different objects to weigh) Adds math/number activities that require input by teacher at least every 2 weeks (Ex. Making a chart, graph, counting and recording) MEALS Posts food allergies Interacts with the children during meals Encourages children to talk about events and to each other Provides pleasant social atmosphere during meals Requires teachers and children to wash their hands before each meal Adds transition activities so students do not wait more than 3 minutes in line to wash their hands and use the bathroom Sanitizes tables before and after meals Gives children opportunity to help during meals (set table, serve themselves, etc). BOOK Needs to be well-defined and close to quiet centers

Adapted from ECERS Page 5 Organizes books and magazines (removes any inappropriate reading content) Provides a variety of books: ____fantasy & factual information, ____stories ____ people ______animals Offers books to reflect disabilities Adds books to reflect gender in non-stereotyping roles and ages Includes books to reflect different cultures Adds language props and materials (flannel stories, pictures card games, interactive charts, poems, etc) that are accessible to children. Provides writing materials including paper and a variety of writing utensils Needs to read informally to students during center time or quiet time Needs to rotate books to maintain interest (evidence: lesson plans) Provides books related to current unit or classroom activities

SAFETY Needs to be in ratio (1 adult to 9 children) at all times Places chemicals and items labels “Keep Out of Reach of Children” in locked storage Removes toxic materials from the classroom Removes broken toys and furniture from the classroom Positions themselves in the classroom in order to monitor all students by sight at all times of the day Circulates on the playground, interacting with students Covers electrical outlets including those on surge protectors

ART Needs to be well-defined Displays student work at their eye level Highlights individual expression in student’s art displays

Adapted from ECERS Page 6 Ensures art work is current Offers art materials from all categories: drawing materials, paints, 3-dimensional materials, collage materials and tools Adds larger paper on paint easel along with a variety of colors of paint (Paint on easel is not dry or hard.) Offers paint at the easel every day Adds tools: safe scissors, hole punches, tape dispensers, etc. Makes available at least 4 kinds of collage materials Provides drawing materials: different colors of construction paper, crayons, nontoxic felt pens, thick pencils, markers, etc Includes 3-dimensional materials: play dough or clay, wood gluing, or carpentry Displays 3-dimensional art (Products need to have height, depth and width.)

LANGUAGE Engages students in conversations about logical relationships that stimulate reasoning Introduces concepts/skills during center time Asks open-ended questions, especially during center time Encourages children to talk through or explain their reasoning related to their play (not always related to discipline) Uses precise and higher level vocabulary when interacting with students Provides “wait time” that allows the child to think about their response CENTERS / Needs to provide and environment that is easy to visually supervise by TRANSITIONS teachers from all angles of the classroom Ensures displays in the classroom are predominantly children’s current work not commercially produced displays Keeps centers shelves and tables free of clutter and teacher materials Places materials in centers before students arrive

Adapted from ECERS Page 7 Replace children’s artwork when removed Provides at least a total of 35 books throughout centers HANDWASHING Rubs hands vigorously with soap and water for 15 seconds

Washes all surfaces of the hands

Follows procedures to wash hands upon arrival into the classroom

Follows procedures to wash hands when re-entering the classroom after being outside Follows procedures to wash hands before and after meals

Follows procedures to wash hands after dealing with bodily fluids or making significant skin contact Follows procedures to wash hands after touching contaminated surfaces, such as trash cans Follows procedures to wash hands after sneezing, coughing and wiping noses Follows procedures to wash hands after handling animals

Follows procedures to wash hands after toileting

Ensures children wash hands before and after water play /messy play

SANITARY Sanitizes sink and facet with bleach solution if the same sink is used for CONDITIONS washing hands after toileting and food related routines or to wash toys/equipment Ensures children complete toileting procedures properly (ie. Wipe properly, wash hands, avoid inappropriate behaviors) SANITIZING Sanitizes tables before and after meals/snack TABLES Ensures students are away from areas being sprayed with bleach solution Needs to use different paper towels for each table Cleans the tables with a soapy water solution

Adapted from ECERS Page 8 Needs to clean the tables with a sanitizing solution and allow it to dry for a minimum of 10 seconds (recommended drying time is 2 minutes) CLASSROOM Interacts with children in a pleasant and helpful manner MANAGEMENT Provides support to children in solving their conflicts and problems if needed Needs to use non-punitive discipline methods (give attention to positive behavior, redirecting children, etc).

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: The areas listed on this form should be evident in your classroom everyday while children are in session. A high quality program is required by the state and should be a common practice of all teachers. The director will review and monitor the areas that need to be improved by the teacher and assistant. A copy of the ECERS book should be available for each teacher to review on a regular basis. Teachers need to read pages, 20-22, 24-26 and 35-51 in order to implement all of the other components of ECERS.

PS. Directors, please review this sheet with your “Before and After School” teachers where More at Four students are enrolled. Posted schedules for the “Before and After School” classroom need to reflect a substantial portion for a full day. The teachers need to incorporate an extra 2 hours for centers (all centers need to be open and students should be able to clean up centers after use), time for nap and outside time.

Adapted from ECERS