NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs
(National Association for the Education of Young Children)
With Evidence
According to NAEYC's Position statement, the "NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs represents a sustained vision for the early childhood programs that prepare the professionals working in the field...These standards express a national vision of excellence for early childhood professionals. They are deliberately written as statements of core knowledge, understanding, and methods used across multiple settings and in multiple professional roles. The key elements of each standard progress from a theoretical knowledge base to more complex understanding to the application of knowledge in professional practice."
- The National Association for the Education of Young Children
- The National Association for the Education of Young Children
The following information breaks apart the six NAEYC Standards, and each is accompanied by at least two artifacts that demonstrate my competence in all of these areas. Also, an explanation as to why these artifacts are relevant to each standard can be found below the artifacts.
Standard 1: Promoting Child Development and Learning:
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs are grounding in a child development knowledge base. They use their understanding of young children's characteristics and needs and of the multiple interacting influences on children's development and learning to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for each child.
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This artifact fits into Standard 1 for the NAEYC standards because the focus on 1a: Knowing and understanding young children's characteristics and needs. This specific handout was used for a presentation where individual groups discussed the needs of different learnings, and each group had to research, discussion, and present based upon a given disorder. This artifact not only shows that I understand the definition of a disorder, but also common symptoms and ways to include these students in the general education setting.
The two photos pictured above fit into Standard 1 for the NAEYC standards because the focus on 1b: Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on development and learning. These pictures are of a sample of my procedures in my classroom, as well as, my classroom rules. These rules and daily schedule were created during my classroom management course, and I believe that to be successful while managing behaviors, the positives should be the focus. Since my classroom will be shared with my students, it shifts over to being "our" classroom. In our classroom, we are able to take on daily challenges and follow rules. Behaviors play a major part into a child's development and learning, and by keeping young learners on a daily schedule, or at least showing them their activities for the day, while reinforcing our classroom rules, my students will be able to develop and learn in the best environment.
These pictures also fit into Standard 1 for the NAEYC standards because the focus on 1c: Using developmental knowledge to create a healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments. This environment is formed by creating a classroom community, and a classroom community begins to form when there are rules and procedures put into place.
These pictures also fit into Standard 1 for the NAEYC standards because the focus on 1c: Using developmental knowledge to create a healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments. This environment is formed by creating a classroom community, and a classroom community begins to form when there are rules and procedures put into place.
Standard 2: Building Family and Community Relationships:
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that successful early childhood education depends upon partnerships with children's families and communities. They know about, understand, and value the importance and complex characteristics of children's families and communities. They use this understanding to create respectful, reciprocal relationships that support and empower families and to involve all families in their children's development and learning.
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This artifact fits into Standard 2 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on 2b. Supporting and engaging families and communities through respectful, reciprocal relationships, and 2c. Involving families and communities in their children's development and learning. This newsletter is a sample newsletter of what I will be creating in my future classroom. I plan to send home at least a bi-weekly newsletter with information for the parents, along with a daily behavior sheet that explains what is going on daily for the week. This not only supports and engages families at home by providing them with additional information that can be used at home, but it allows the families the opportunities to become more involved in their child's development and learning. It is in these newsletters that families will be able to see upcoming dates for concerts, field trips, and special events that will take place throughout the year.
The above articles fit into Standard 2 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on 2c. Involving families and communities in their children's development and learning. During m first student teaching placement in a Kindergarten setting, I created a unit on Dental Hygiene, utilizing the "I Brushed My Teeth!" Chart that I found online, along with creating a letter to send home to parents explaining how they would be able to becoming involved in this process. Along with the letter and chart, I sent home a strip of stickers as well as a toothbrush for all students to make sure they had the vehicles to complete what was being asked. I had a great turn out and only had three students not return their charts. I was able to have the families become involved in their child's learning process and the students were all excited to bring their charts back in for their reward!
Standard 3: Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families:
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that child observation, documentation, and other forms of assessment are central to the practice of all early childhood professionals. They know about and understand the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment. They know about and use systematic observations, documentation, and other effective assessment strategies in a responsible way, in partnership with families and other professionals, to positively influence the development of every child.
The above artifacts fit into Standard 3 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on 3c. Understanding and practicing responsible assessment to promote positive outcomes for each child is demonstrated by the rubric that I created for the lesson that is shown on the left. This rubric outlined every expectation for the students, which allows students to see what they will be graded upon. By reviewing this rubric with the class, students are able to be in control of their learning, and this can lead to positive outcomes for children in the classroom.
The artifact to the left fits into Standard 3 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on 3a. Understanding the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment is demonstrated by the consistent progress monitoring that takes place throughout DIBELS testing. This picture also fits into Standard 3 because the focus on 3b. Knowing about and using observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and approaches is another aspect of the constant process of DIBELS testing.
In my Kindergarten classroom where I student taught, my students were practicing for assessments, and then completing assessments weekly. It was a rather quick process that allowed for both myself and my cooperating teacher to gear lessons to support areas where students were struggling. For example, one of the areas of difficulty was students figuring out which number comes first, second, or third. The way that I was able to help strengthen this area was by incorporating these types of questions into circle time. DIBELS testing is a great method of progress monitoring so that we, as teachers, can create new goals for students, while observing, documenting, and analyzing areas of students' needs. |
Standard 4: Using Developmentally Effective Approaches to Connect with Children and Families:
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on children's ages, characteristics, and the settings within which teaching and learning occur. They understand and use positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation for their work with young children and families. Students know, understand, and use a wide array of developmentally appropriate approaches, instructional strategies, and tools to connect with children and families and positively influence each child's development and learning.
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The above artifact fits into Standard 4 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on each of the subsets is evident throughout the entire paper. 4a. Understanding positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation of their work with children is grounded in finding the individualized needs of each child in the classroom. 4b. Knowing and understanding effective strategies and told for early education is evident within this artifact since each of the developmental domains are discussed. It is important to utilize small, large, and individualized instruction because students learn differently. It is also important to reach out to all learning styles whether it would be auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. Reaching all of those learning styles falls into 4c. Using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching/learning approaches. Finally, 4d. Reflecting on their own practice to promote positive outcomes for each child takes place throughout the entire paper by relating every experience to observations or personal experiences.
This artifact fits into the category for not only NAEYC Standard 4, but DAP because it focusing on the principle #3 for Developmentally Appropriate Practice. This principle states, "Development and learning proceed at vary rates from child to child, as well as at uneven rates across different areas of a child's individual functioning." This photo is of a behavior system that I created for my current student teaching placement. I have nine students, and they function all across the board. With this behavior system there are different goals for each individual student. For example, I have a non-verbal student and his goal is simply to place checks into the envelope. For the student who's "Money Folder" is pictured, he is working on logging checks into a checkbook register and adding and subtracting the correct amounts to balance his check book.
Standard 5: Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum:
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs use their knowledge of academic disciplines to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for each and every young child. Students understand the importance of developmental domains and academic (or content) disciplines in an early childhood curriculum. They know the essential concepts, inquiry tools, and structure of content areas, including academic subjects, and can identify resources to deepen their understanding. Students use their own knowledge and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curricula that promote comprehensive developmental and learning outcomes for every young child.
The above artifacts fit into Standard 5 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on 5c. Using their own knowledge, appropriate early learning standards, and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curricula for each child is evident with the activities developed for a Social Studies academic day at a local school. During this event students were challenged to see what they knew about the Bill of Rights, and then they had to draw a picture representing different amendments. During this station they were able to put into their own words what the Bill of Rights did for them, and there was a clear visual display at the end.
The above artifacts fit into Standard 5 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on 5c. Using their own knowledge, appropriate early learning standards, and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curricula for each child took place in a life skills classroom where I taught lessons on the weather, colors, and appropriate attire for the day. These students were very low functioning, but very happy and active students. Their effort was tremendous, and I adapted my lessons to meet their needs. I recreated a weather bear to use in the classroom, and I eliminated some options to make decision making easier for my students. I created a lesson that was developmentally appropriate that went along with the curriculum in the classroom.
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The above artifact fits into Standard 5 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on 5b. Knowing and using the central concepts, inquiry tools, and structures of content areas or academic disciplines was shown throughout this movement unit plan. Within this plan students are working on many different curricular areas. There are many times where their own inquiry is necessary because they will collaborating with other students to create a major project that will be graded. These types of projects really key into the central concepts, and they allows students to access inquiry tools that will help students look deeper into content areas.
Standard 6: Becoming a Professional:
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs identify and conduct themselves as members of the early childhood profession. They know and use ethical guidelines and other professional standards related to early childhood practice. They are continuous, collaborative learners who demonstrate knowledgeable, reflective, and critical perspectives on their work, making informed decisions that integrate knowledge from a variety of sources. They are informed advocates for sound educational practices and policies.
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The above artifact fits into Standard 6 for the NAEYC Standards because the focus on 6b. Knowing about and upholding ethical standards and other professional guidelines is what the entire paper is about. This paper is all about the code of ethics for educators and the four principle areas that are covered. I believe that it is crucial for teachers to know and understand what each of these areas entail because we are major faces within the community, and we, as teachers, are major role models for hundreds of students, if not more.
The above artifact is of a mandated reporting certificate. This fits into Standard 6 for the NAEYC Standards due to the focus on 6e. Engaging in informed advocacy for children and the profession. During this training we discussed that as a teacher, I am mandated to report and incidents of child abuse. I also learned about common warning signs and excuses from parents or guardians. There were many different aspects of child abuse discussed, and as an educator it is important for myself and my colleagues to take part in these trainings so we can stay up to date on critical information. Taking part in these types of training not only helps me develop as a professional, but as an informed advocate for children as well as my profession.