It Always Starts with YOU! Teacher Self-Reflection and Support

In order to support children, it is important that you take care of yourself. In these uncertain times, it is natural to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Consider activities that help you feel calm and implement them within the classroom routine on a more frequent basis.

    • Yoga
    • Art
    • Music
    • Increase time outside
    • Meditation or breathing activities

It’s All About Relationships

Make sure you find new ways to develop, maintain, and deepen relationships with families

Design a Supportive Environment

Expectations for Behavior

  • Provide intentional instruction on the posted previously established and new behavior expectations and examples.
    • In large and small group activities
    • With individual children as needed
    • Demonstrate, take new photos of children for posting
  • Provide positive descriptive acknowledgement to children on meeting expectations.
    • Comment frequently on appropriate child behavior linking the behavior to the posted expectations.
    • If you need to remind a child about the expectation, remember to follow-up with PDA.
  • Update the examples for the expectations based on the new ways of being together – Behavior Expectations Matrix (DOC)

Schedules & Routines

  • Consider there will be new or unfamiliar routines for young children especially related to safety as well as state, and CDC guidelines.
    • Teach/re-teach the sequence of activities and routines with the visual schedule and add in new routines (hand washing, toy washing, drop off routines).
    • Consider making posted visuals of new routines that might be happening throughout the day.
    • Schedule cards can be used to teach new routines. Consider having these cards on a key ring to help support the transition from family to classroom
    • Send home classroom schedule for families to review with children (visual schedule).
  • Create scripted stories for the classroom and for families to review any altered routines (drop off/pick up, playground time, lunchtime, other groups activities that may have changed) – I Can Be Safe and Healthy by Washing My Hands! (PDF)

Transitions

Large/Small Group Activities

  • Have children help you set-up areas with defined numbers of children
  • The use of a check-in board may help keep smaller group sizes
  • Rethink large group activities: read stories with smaller groups, sing songs outside

Physical Environment

  • Visual cues will be even more important as we help children keep a safe distance from other children
    • Think about simple tools to mark space such as painters masking tape, hula hoops, yarn, cardboard boxes (that can be used between children or children can sit in their own mini-box)
    • Keep looking for new “hot spots” (where there is conflict or children are too close) and “cool spots” (areas that work well for the children).
  • Do as much outdoors as you can.
  • Have a quiet space for children outside as well as inside

Scanning for Success

  • Plan for PDA. Makes lists of behaviors you want to see and review the list often
  • Use as much PDA as you can when children are following one of the newer guidelines such as maintaining physical distance or wearing a mask.
  • Recognize small successes.
  • Alter the typical expectations for attention and behavior.
    • Provide multiple prompts, cues and re-directs followed by PDA and PDA Plus.

We Need to Teach

Friendship Skills

Emotional Literacy

Managing Strong Emotions

Problem-Solving/Conflict Resolution

Individualized Support

  • Examine all of the tiers with this individual child in mind –
  • Anticipate that children may misread social cues or exhibit previously unrecognized behavior. Children may come to the center with new challenging behaviors that weren’t there before – Strategies for Responding to Infant and Toddlers’ Challenging Behavior
  • Provide guidance and support to children who feel anxious in the classroom through the changes.
    • Make sure there is a primary person assigned to the child and a secondary as well
    • Be consistent and focus on emotional deposits and scanning for success (commenting with PDA)
    • Separation anxiety and other forms of anxiety could become present (fearfulness/withdrawal from activities).
      • Consider a personal a visual schedule (accessible to the child) to increase predictability
      • Review the visual schedule frequently throughout the day, including expectations for drop off routines and transitions
      • Allow and encourage transition objects and rituals
      • Create collages/family books with pictures of each child’s family members. Have collages/family books easily accessible for children to reference throughout the day.
      • Validate emotions – offer ideas of something they could do to feel better (Ex: draw a picture for mom, look at their family picture book, hold their transition object, etc.).
  • Anticipate possible – But What Do I Do When He Hits? (PDF)
    • Regression of self-regulation or impulse control
    • Lower frustration threshold
    • More frequent tantrums
    • Power struggles and need for autonomy
  • For those trained in Positive Behavior Support, collect Behavior Observation Reports and use the Routine-Based Support Guide to develop a plan – Applying the ABCs of Challenging Behavior (PDF)

Trauma-Informed Care