4
Competency 4
Effectively manage physical space, time, routines, and transitions
Early childhood educators thoughtfully organize learning spaces and daily schedules to support children’s overall growth and learning. They plan routines that respond to children’s needs, strengths, and interests and create a sense of comfort, predictability, and joy. Educators make sure that spaces and materials for care, play, and learning are safe and appropriate for children’s development. They also work to ensure that all children have fair access to the resources and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.
Reflection questions
Ask yourself these as you read — there are no right answers.
- How do you plan a schedule that provides time for the unstructured play, outdoor time, learning activities, rest, and nourishment the children in your group need?
- What do you do to help children experience the schedule, routines, and transitions as predictable from one day to the next?
- Do you take time to plan the schedule and make adjustments based on children’s needs? Think of some examples of when you have adjusted the schedule or aspects of a routine or transition to better meet children’s needs.
- How do you arrange the space and furnishings to encourage child engagement, ease of access, and encourage independent exploration of materials? Think of some examples of modifications you have made to meet the needs of individual children or groups of children.
- What steps do you take to make sure that every child can participate in large-group, small-group, and independent play and learning?
When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
What educators need to be effective
Things to Know
- Developmentally appropriate expectations for different types of activities (sleep, food, exercise, structured and unstructured play, and learning activities).
- How to select and arrange materials that inspire play, discovery, inquiry, imagination, creativity, and social interaction, and that actively support a variety of goals across a wide range of interests and abilities.
- The difference between active and passive technology use.
- Creatively identifies ways for all children to learn and participate.
- Criteria that can be used to help make decisions about when and how to use technology in the learning environment, based on the context and the needs of individual children.
Skills to Build
- How to adapt space, schedules, and routines to respond to children.
- How to evaluate the amount, relevance, and type of materials available as they relate to children’s interests, development, level of stimulation, and curriculum content, and add or remove materials as necessary.
Habits of Mind and Dispositions
- Considers the perspective of children when designing spaces.
- Creatively identifies ways for all children to learn and participate.
Focus areas
4A
Schedules
Develop and implement schedules that are predictable, responsive to children’s needs, and promote cooperation, social interaction, and learning.
Level 1
- Implements a predictable daily schedule.
Level 2
- Contributes to developing and adjusting the schedule.
- Ensures the schedule includes recommended amounts of sleep, healthy meals and snacks, fresh air, and exercise.
- Implements individualized schedules for infants and toddlers, rather than expecting all children to follow the same routine.
Level 3
- Balances activities, e.g., quiet and active, small and large groups.
- Explicitly teaches children about the schedule to help children feel safe and experience a sense of predictability.
- Observes and responds to individual patterns of sleeping, eating, playing, and engaging with others, and adjusts schedules, as needed, to respond to children’s immediate needs and spontaneous learning opportunities.
- Provides children with explanations when the schedule changes.
Level 4
No practice examples available.
4B
Routines and Transitions
Effectively guide children through routines and transitions, including those for arrival and departure.
Level 1
- Supports arrival and departure routines.
- Engages with children authentically during routines, transitions, and other naturally occurring opportunities throughout the day.
Level 2
- Keeps transitions to a minimum.
- Provides children with adequate warning time before transitions.
- Ensures routines and transitions are predictable and consistent for children.
Level 3
- Intentionally plans routines and transitions and teaches children the steps and expectations.
- Ensures enough familiar adults are present to support children during routines and transitions.
- Makes sure expectations are clear for all children during transitions and checks for understanding before asking children to follow through.
- Uses clear visual and auditory cues to support children through transitions.
Level 4
- Provides strategic support to help children succeed during transitions, including repeating directions, visual or verbal prompts, or individualized strategies.
- Incorporates learning experiences during transitions.
4C
Physical Space
Arrange physical space and materials to promote safety and accessibility, and support all children’s learning, reflection, self-management, and social interaction.
Level 1
- Considers children’s perspectives when arranging furniture or materials in the learning environment.
- Ensures children can access learning materials, toys, and equipment.
Level 2
- Arranges furniture to encourage exploration, socialization, and play.
- Creates quiet and active spaces that allow children to sit, stand, lie down, and move.
- Provides walkways, gathering spaces, and workspaces with enough room for children to move and interact comfortably.
- Arranges furniture and space to make sure all children can join and participate in the whole group and in all activities and experiences.
- Sets out and arranges toys that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and avoids those that communicate negative stereotypes.
- Makes sure outdoor spaces are accessible to all children and provide choices and safe challenges for exploration and risk-taking.
Level 3
- Creates learning centers with materials that stimulate inquiry, creativity, and problem-solving.
- Regularly reviews materials based on children’s interests, development, learning styles, and curriculum goals, and adds or removes materials as needed.
- Creates displays using children’s art, writing, and other meaningful artifacts that tell the story of the children in the group.
Level 4
- Includes children in decisions about how to arrange the environment, as developmentally appropriate.
- Adapts space, toys, and materials to respond to individual children’s needs, encourage independence, and ensure accessibility for all children.
4D
Technology
Use technology in the learning environment in developmentally appropriate ways and to enhance teaching.
Level 1
- Uses technology only with children older than 2 years of age, unless recommended for a young child with disabilities as part of an Individualized Family Service Plan.
Level 2
- Selects technologies that match the needs, interests, abilities, and developmental stage of individual children.
Level 3
- Uses technology in the early learning environment to enhance teaching.
- Bases decisions to use technology with young children on context, teaching content, and the needs of individual children.
- When relevant, uses technology as outlined in a child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Level 4
- Thoughtfully uses technology to help young children with disabilities access and participate in learning activities, and to communicate with adults and peers.