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A childcare director has many responsibilities, not only to the parents and children in their program, but also to the employees that work for them. One of those responsibilities is to assess or evaluate employees. These assessments or evaluations can provide a great opportunity to find strengths and weaknesses in the employees, as well as within the program itself. The results can then be used to help build on the program in a positive way. Although some people or centers may think evaluations are stressful and unnecessary, they can ultimately be a valuable tool for most programs. Below are some questions and answers regarding evaluations for childcare professionals.  Question: How do you suggest we implement changes after we have completed an evaluation on a positive note? Can you provide examples of evaluation forms for childcare professionals? Answer: Ending your evaluations on a positive note is a great goal to keep in mind. In general, the plan of action piece comes at the end of the conversation so it does pose quite a challenge. I would recommend stating the plan of action or correction and then asking the staff member what you or your center can do to support them in making those changes or reaching those goals. A director should be realistically supportive in working with their staff to meet their goals or implement necessary changes. Another option may be to recommend a mentor teacher or further source of support and information. In addition to this, create a realistic timeline to check in with the staff member and see how these changes are going. As for evaluation form examples, evaluations differ so much from each center and even type of staff member, thus I would recommend that if you are not currently using one that benefits you, perhaps you can create your own in a Word Document. Another resource may be a paid curriculum site such as TeachersPayTeachers or similar. Question: How do you complete staff evaluations when you are short staffed? Answer: That is a great question and a common concern for many directors. Since each center is unique I can’t speak to specifics for your situation but I would be happy to give some suggestions to try to help.
I strongly urge you to continue doing evaluations and not to perceive them as a burden as they are extremely important tools for goal setting and improvement. Question: My staff do not like to be evaluated and get rather upset. How do I help them feel more comfortable during evaluations? Answer: It is important to understand that evaluations are stressful for teachers. They don’t enjoy being observed and often are worried about the outcome. It is your job to help alleviate this. In addition to this they put a great deal of preparation into the evaluated activities and really want to perform well. I suggest that you get authentic feedback from them regarding what would make them feel more comfortable and capable during evaluations. These concerns are also addressed throughout the training we offer, A Director’s Guide to Evaluations. If you are interested in registering for this one hour course, please use this link: https://www.cdastars.com/store/p598/Directors-Guide Question: I am the new director for a center and want to begin evaluating the environment as well as staff. What would be a good starting point and method for this? Answer: It sounds like you are on a fantastic path to making your staff feel comfortable with evaluations and protocol in your center. There are multiple things that need to be considered when implementing new evaluation systems and I think the best place to begin is in taking inventory of your staff’s needs and your center’s goals. Try providing a survey to your staff about their needs, habits, education, training, and more. You will be surprised at how much you learn based upon that simple survey! In addition to this you need to examine what your center’s goals are and what type of program you are providing to families. If your center is a Montessori-based center then your evaluations of both environment and staff must focus on Montessori elements. If your center caters to military families and their unique needs then that is where the evaluations should focus. Your center may also be part of a network of centers that provides evaluation resources and methods that must be followed. After you know the direction in which you are going with evaluation goals then you can start to develop a method that works best for you and your staff. For more information on A Director's Guide to Evaluations, register for our one hour course: https://www.cdastars.com/store/p598/Directors-Guide Have information to share? Please use the comments section below...
 Sign language can be a very useful tool to incorporate into your classroom. Teaching young children simple sign for words such as "more" and "please" is a great way to start exposing them to a form of communication that helps them to express what they want, especially when they have not yet developed their words. Below are some questions and answers that may help you integrate sign language into your everyday activities. Question: Can you provide more resources for basic signs with pictures and some common songs or videos? Answer: There are many options for picture books and posters and other resources regarding ASL. Here are some of my favorites:
Question: What are some other resources that have slower signing and more explanations so that I can practice and understand more? Answer: Here is a link to one of our resource websites that includes the videos from the training: You can access the videos in the future to keep up with your Sign Language practice. The videos were designed to go at a very slow pace for beginners to follow and pause and rewind if needed. You can also make the videos full screen by clicking the full screen icon on the bottom right corner of the video window. This is an option within the training course as well. Sign language is usually learned by actively mimicking and repeating the motions as they are seen. As it is a visual language it is more appropriate to show the signs and give participants the opportunity to repeat them. You may find some success with finding YouTube videos that explain the hand and finger placement a bit further. I haven’t been able to find any quality videos from trusted sources in my search for resources. You may also prefer a sign language book instead of videos.  Question: Can I use cards to teach sign language to toddlers? Answer: There are many sign language curriculum products that are sold online and in many stores. I have not personally used any so I cannot recommend them, but a Google search yields a lot of results. In my experience, children learn sign language better and faster when seeing a person actually use sign language. If a teacher can do the signs for them it is infinitely easier to understand than a card with an abstract picture of hands. You see, sign language is about more than just what the hands do and just showing a picture of a movement leaves so much out of the equation. Actual human contact with sign language is always preferred, even if it is a video from a baby sign language curriculum company. For more information on Basic Sign Language in the Classroom, register for our ten hour course package: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p489/Basic_Sign_Language_in_the_Classroom.html For more information on Basic Signs for Babies and Toddlers, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p236/Basic_Signs_for_Babies_and_Toddlers.html Have information to share? Please use the comments section below...
 Tummy time provides a great opportunity for infants to develop and exercise their large motor skills. Although some infants do not like being put on their tummies, it is important to have this time available, even if in small increments throughout the day. Below are some common questions and answers that may help you as a childcare professional with tummy time. Question: How do I help an infant that cries every time she is put down on her tummy? Answer: Not all babies naturally like tummy time. As you may already know, tummy time is important because the skills learned while on the tummy are essential for later development. Most of the big milestones in the first year of life involve the prone position in one form or another (such as lifting and turning the head, rolling, pushing the chest off the ground, getting up to hands and knees, scooting, crawling). Tummy time also gives the back of baby’s head a break in an effort to prevent flat spots from forming. Tummy time also contributes to the strength and skills needed in the upper body and hands for school-age tasks such as handwriting. By about 3 months of age, babies should get at least 90 minutes a day of tummy time. Research has shown that, at four months of age, babies who spend at least 80 minutes per day playing on their tummy while awake are able to more successfully reach motor milestones. Here are some ideas to help get tummy time started:
Question: We understand the importance of tummy time in our center so the infants in our care spend lots of time on their tummies, but how do we help parents understand the importance of tummy time? Answer: That’s wonderful that you are mindful of making sure that infants get plenty of tummy time while they are in your care. The best approach with parents is to just leave resources out in the parent sign in area that support tummy time and then leave it to them to make their own choices. You might include an article in the parent newsletter too, about the importance of tummy time. If you use positive communication about tummy time when talking about baby’s day, that will help the parent see it as a positive experience also. For example, on the child’s daily report you could make a note that says “Alex smiled at me while doing tummy time today. He is getting so strong and is starting to lift up on his arms a bit. He even reached for a toy!” Question: At what age can we introduce tummy time to an infant? Answer: The key to tummy time is to do it in a safe and pleasing way for the infant no matter what age. The training course also has multiple suggestions for supporting tummy time in many different ways. Here is a link to purchase the training if you are not already enrolled: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p589/Developing_Minds_and_Bodies_Tummy_Time_for_Infants_%E2%80%8B.html Question: What would be the best sensory toys for tummy time? Answer: You can use a variety of sensory toys for tummy time, from sensory bottles to black and white contrast cards. Here are links to some of our favorites: 1. http://www.lessons4learners.com/fall-leaves-sensory-bag.html 2. http://www.lessons4learners.com/babys-first-sensory-board.html 3. http://www.lessons4learners.com/water-play-for-infants.html Pinterest is also a wonderful resource for finding new ideas as well. For more information on Developing Minds and Bodies: Tummy Time for Infants, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p589/Developing_Minds_and_Bodies_Tummy_Time_for_Infants_%E2%80%8B.html
Have information to share? Please use the comments section below... As children get older they often have more literary choices. A classroom can be a great place for children to explore their literary interests. As a childcare professional, you should be aware of what books and book themes work best in your classroom for the children in your care. Below are some questions and answers that may help you decide which books would be appropriate for the children in your classroom.  Question: Are Harry Potter books appropriate for younger children or are the concepts too complex? Answer: The concepts in the Harry Potter books are intended for school-age audiences and school-age refers to ages 5-12. Depending upon the intended use of the Harry Potter books there are options for all ages. Obviously, a kindergarten child wouldn’t be ready to read the Harry Potter series, but some may enjoy hearing it read aloud. Likewise, you can adapt the reading for slightly older children by using passages from the text. Overall, it is important to know the group of children that you work with and plan accordingly. As with all things in teaching and child care you must make adaptations and adjustments for many reasons. Question: How do I get my kids interested in Harry Potter books? Answer: A great way to get students interested in Harry Potter is to use it during your daily read-aloud time in your classroom. This can be helpful especially if your students are younger and/or not quite ready to read it on their own just yet. If you do work with upper level school age students, you can use Harry Potter in a book club or small group reading. I recommend reviewing the accompanying lesson plans in the training to connect the story to other subjects and in your classroom to enhance learning. You can also look for ideas on Pinterest, if none of those are appropriate for your classroom. Question: How do you keep 4 and 5 year olds interested in Harry Potter? Answer: You will want to decide if the Harry Potter books are appropriate for your specific students. Some children that are 4 or 5 years old have the attention span to handle 10 to 15 minutes of read aloud time. Others do not. You may want to break the story up into more sections than just the chapters that are already there. Also, using props, voices, and varying your tone may help keep them engaged. Question: What percentage of children have difficulty telling the difference between reality and fantasy? Answer: The percentage of children that cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality depends on developmental level. The Hobbit and JRR Tolkien books are obviously not intended for young children but can work as a read aloud for them. In that case I would say the percentage is fairly high however they should be encouraged to use critical thinking skills to sort through any confusion. Caregivers and educators have a responsibility to assist with this as well. If we are referring to the older school-age children that the training refers to then we begin to see a smaller percentage of children who cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Overall, it depends on many factors and changes with each group. I taught fourth grade and nearly all of my students knew the difference between fantasy and reality. Even if we were not studying literary genres specific to either category they were still well aware of the difference. Question: Would it be okay to read Roald Dahl books to pre-kindergartners? Answer: You will need to decide if the books are appropriate for your students or not, as you know them better than almost anyone! Some Pre-K students will absolutely LOVE them for read aloud time, and others may not have the attention span to handle longer chapters and books without pictures just yet. Question: Would it be okay to read Goosebumps books to pre-kindergartners? Answer: I would not recommend Goosebumps books for most preschool children, however, it is up to the individual teacher whether or not to include them in their program. There are multiple benefits of scary literature for older children, however, it is important to judge your group on their individual characteristics. Question: What books would you recommend for children under 12 months old? The important thing to consider when choosing what to read to children under 12 months of age is how you read to them and how often. You can really read any books that you’d like, though I recommend picture books and sturdy board books for younger children. It is important to expose children to books and build a relationship with a caring adult through that reading time. If children this young seem disinterested in the actual book, that is perfectly normal. Allow them the flexibility to move on with their activities and come back to the book later if they show interest. We also have a training course that is specific to picture books in the classroom. Here is a link in case you’re interested: https://www.cdastars.com/store/p649/Picture-Books Here are some resources for book lists as well: Question: How do I respond to children who admire or say they like the “bad guy” in a book? For example, one of the children really likes Voldemort from Harry Potter. Answer: It is completely normal for kids to like the villain in a story. They don’t do this because they would rather choose the bad over the good. Or because they want to provoke you. It’s just that they are not fully aware that hurting people is bad. They just know that what the villains are doing is somehow similar to the strong emotions that continue to build up inside of them. When they watch the villains fight, they are somehow glad that what they feel inside can actually be expressed just the way the villains are doing it in the movies or in the story. Children are often clueless as to what actions really mean. They have very little understanding that actions can either be good or bad. What they are aware of, are the strong emotions inside of them that they can’t seem to control. It is actually pretty normal for all ages to be fascinated by supervillains. From a psychological perspective, views vary on why we are so interested in superhuman bad guys. There is an interesting article here on the subject: https://www.wired.com/2012/07/why-do-supervillains-fascinate-us/ In regard to the little one that says they like Voldemort best, I would be supportive of them expressing themselves as long as it is in a positive way. Encourage them to share what they like about Voldemort, and don’t criticize their favor of the character. For more information on Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in the Classroom, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p229/Chicka_Chicka_Boom_Boom_in_the_Classroom.html For more information on Exploring the Magic of Harry Potter, register for our two hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p597/Magic-of-Harry-Potter For more information on Fantastic Mr. Dahl, register for our two hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p600/FantasticMrDahl For more information on Guide to Goosebumps, register for our two hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p601/Guide-to-Goosebumps For more information on Shelebrate with Shel Silverstein, register for our two hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p392/Shelebrate_with_Shel_Silverstein.html For more information on Teaching with Tolkien, register for our one hour course: http://www.cdastars.com/store/p230/Teaching_with_Tolkien.html For more information on The Wonderful Author of Oz, register for our one hour course: https://www.cdastars.com/store/p602/Wonderful-Author-of-Oz Have information to share? 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Successful Solutions Training in Child Development
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