We Know Quality

I'm still thinking a lot about Valora Washington's keynote at the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children's Conference back on October 20, 2016. Yes, that was a while ago, but she said one thing that I have been mulling over ever since that day

"We do know what quality is!" She said we have this tacit knowledge that is difficult to articulate what we know. 

Well, I keep thinking about that. We do know what quality is, and what it isn't. And Valora implored us to call out bad practice and advocate for quality. 

So what is quality practice and in early childhood settings? What does it look like? Here's what I have observed, practiced and learned in my years of teaching and advocating for our youngest learners. 



Space: I see a room that has well-defined spaces where children can readily access materials to engage in play and activities. There is a place to pretend, dress up, read books, draw and paint and create, explore with sand and water, build with blocks and manipulatives, do some music and movement, and puzzles and games. There is a place to be alone, and a place for one or two kids to work together. Somewhere in the room, each child should have a place for his or her own things. Art on the wall should be kid-made, hopefully reflective of everyone in the room. There are visuals for expectations and routines in the classroom, such as a picture of how many kids can play in an area at a time, or the sequence for washing hands or putting on outdoor gear. Classrooms should be designed to include children of all backgrounds and abilities. 



Schedule: The rhythm of the day has time for child choice, group activities, outdoor play, down time, snacks/eating, rest, and small group. The largest chunks of the day should be child-directed play. The schedule should be posted visually for the kids so that they know what is going to happen and they can predict their day. The schedule should be reviewed daily with the children, either as a whole group or individually, so that kids can be prepared if something changes. In my classroom, one of our jobs was the "secretary." That child used a pointer to "read" the visual schedule. Then, we asked, "Is today a regular day or a different day?" If something had changed, I asked the secretary to point to it on the schedule and then I would explain the change. Changes might be a field trip, a special activity, like cooking something or a party, or a special guest coming in to the classroom that day. The key was to make sure the kids knew what to expect. 





Interactions: Adults should be on children's level as much as physically possible, sitting on the floor at meeting, down when talking to children. Early Education is not great for your back, you have to learn to bend at the knees because you are down at three feet most of the day. Conversations should be positive and easy and caring. You should see a lot of smiling and laughter. Children should be allowed to sit in laps and get hugs when they need them. Adults should be involved in play, as well as taking time to step back and watch what the kids are doing on their own so they can figure out how to challenge and scaffold the learning that the children are demonstrating in their exploring. Conversations with kids should be about their interests and they should have several back and forth exchanges, rather than just quick question and answer or giving directions. Adults should give kids feedback for their creativity, good ideas, following expectations, helping each other, being friendly and solving problems. Kids should be hearing regularly what they are doing well. If they need to be redirected, they get directions that are phrased in saying what they should do (i.e. remember to walk in the classroom, use your words to ask, use gentle touches), instead of what not to do (i.e. don't run. don't hit). 

Materials: Kids should have access to all sorts of options and the materials available should be organized so that kids can get to them and understand how to put them away. For example, drawing materials should be on a shelf with picture labels and bins for supplies. There should be enough materials for children to play and share (think of how much fun it is to build with blocks, but what happens when there is not enough to build what you want). Materials should encourage child independence, such as the paint cups with the tops that just fit the chubby brushes in order to be somewhat spill-proof and long sleeved smocks. Teachers should also be thinking about all learners when choosing materials, making sure that everyone, regardless of ability, can meaningfully use materials. For example, making sure there are loop scissors (that bounce back) for children with fine motor challenges (or most three and under set), and slant boards (which can be a thick three ring binder) for positioning in writing. Children should also see themselves in the classroom materials. Posters, books, dolls, and pretend play materials should reflect kids with diverse backgrounds and abilities. 

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Activities: There should be a variety of low medium and high energy choices in a classroom. Kids should be able to choose to quietly draw, or play with others on a project, building with blocks or manipulatives (like Legos or Magnetiles), or be able to listen to music and dance, or move using their big muscles--inside!! The majority of a preschool day should be spent in independent choice time. Kids should have access to pretend play, blocks, toy vehicles, toy people, dolls, movement, science experiments, games, puzzles, building materials, coloring and art supplies, books, writing materials, and puppets. Materials should be switched out and changed with enough frequency to allow explorations of new things, but not so frequently that kids do not get enough of a chance to repeatedly explore materials. 

Technology: If you use iPads, know how to use the restrictions in order to allow children to use them without an adult needing to be present and consider a rule that kids always share with a friend so that screen time is not isolating. There are Applications that are great for two people working together. And even those designed for one, kids can take turns. Teach kids to take pictures and allow them to document field trips and their own interests in the classroom. You can use devices to take digital photos and short video clips of children that can be shared with parents in newsletters or at conferences, or on a private Facebook page for your classroom. 

This is, of course, not an inclusive list of all that is quality in a preschool classroom, but I would consider this a good starting point for anyone trying to get a sense of what a quality preschool program looks like. Teachers need to be trained in child development and developmentally appropriate practices for young children. They should be compensated for their training and have access to time and money to continue their professional development, just like teachers in the K-12 world. Velora Washington said another nugget in her address at the VT AEYC conference that I have been repeating when I am talking with people who don't want to pay for universal preschool. "We have to stop saying we can do things for a dime when they really cost a dollar." Adults who work in preschool are masters and stretching funding as far as possible, but, imagine the program quality improvement if preschool programs were funded for quality delivery...imagine.