Marymount Child Care School age

Ms. Diana, our School Age teacher, started at Marymount Child Care Center in 2000. A weekly lesson plan is prepared guided by the Ohio Afterschool Network & Initiative Program and Ohio Core & Competencies Program. Ms. Diana strives on promoting positive work habits, persistence in completing tasks, improved academic performance and developing social skills in relating to peers. Ms. Diana provides a structured program resulting in a productive, enriching learning experience. This program is geared for children ages 5-12 years old who need supervision. Structured activities take place before and after the school day and during summer time.

School Age Program

Child Growth & Development

Development occurs when there is interaction between a child and their relationships and experiences.
Family, language, culture and environment all play important roles in a childs development.
Effective language and communication between children and adults is vital for healthy relationships and learning.
Caring, consistent relationships with adults and peers provide external supports that help develop self-regulation.
Play provides the opportunity for children to grow and develop. When incorporating different types of play, children develop different ways of representing knowledge and demonstating skills.

Developmental Process

Recognizes and respects individual differences in children's growth, development and learning and adjusts practices and expectations for individual children accordingly.
Identifies basic sequences and stages of child development.
Understands children's developmental levels in relation to age-appropriate norms and uses this informationto meet the general needs of children.
Recognizes and accepts that family, peers, the community and culture influence the development of children. The afterschool professional adjusts practice and interaction patterns for individual children and families accordingly.
Understands that challenging behavior has emotional, physical, environmental and developmental causes. The afterschool professional uses this information to modify environment, activities and expectations to improve behavioral outcomes.
Understands that children learn best through their natural medium of play and uses this medium to enhance development behavior and learning outcomes for all children.
Recognizes the need for consistent and appropriate responses to behavior.
Identifies children's differing developmental needs and implements responsive, individualized strategies.
Articulates current theory, research and policy on child growth and development as evidenced by the ability to relate personal practices and beliefs to professional standards.
Implement and/or promotes intentional strategies to meet the changing needs, interests and abilities of individual children and groups of children.
Analyzes and evalates practive on an ongoing basis and implements or promotes changes to enhance children's growth and development.

Nurturing Relationships: The Teacher Will:

Engage in safe, responsive relationships each child to provide a sense of security and promote optimal development.
Respect the importance of families in their children's lives by valuing their opinions and nurturing their involvement in the program.
Model positive, pro-social behavior in all settings including child, family and professional interactions.
Communicate respectfully and responsibly with children, families and colleagues.
Provide guidance in consistent, non-threatening and positive ways that reinforces children's feelings of confidence and competence.
Apply problem-solving skils in the contest of children's interactions and activities.
Recognize and models appropriate expressions of feelings.
Acknowledge children's accomplishments.
Help children adapt to change in positive ways.
Establish and model positive relationships with children and adults that respect individuality in learning style, ability and cultural background.
Engage children in applying problem-solving skills in the context of their interactions and play.
Provide information to families in a variety of ways about the general principles of child growth and development relative to their needs. Ensures that this information meets the cultural, language and literacy levels required for full understanding.
Provide support and guidance to children in developing the ability to regualte their own bavior and emotions in socially acceptable ways.

Appropriate Environments

There is an importance of consistency in environments, expections and responses to children.
Recognition and respect of the importance of exploration and play in children's growth and development.
Providing a variety of activities and experiences that foster progress in all developmental domains.
Recognizing and supporting appropriate and culturally sensitive environments for children.
Understanding and providing spaces to encourage individual expession are important in the child's growth and development.
Maintaining an environment where children feel safe, understood, respected and secure.
Exhibiting best practice by providing consistency in environments, expectations and responses to children.
Incorporating children's individual, unique and special needs into planning for environmental experiences.
Enhancing and adapting environments and experiences based on the needs of individual children, including special, developmental, health, behavioral and emotional needs, as well as learning challenges.
Providing a responsive environment where children initiate and extend learning throgh self-guided play or exploration.
Creating environments with appropriate supports that teach and empower children to communicate, negotiate and solve problems.
Creating environments and experiences tht affirm and respect diversity by making sure materials, activities and graphics represent all cultures and languages familiar to children and families to children in the program.
Involving children in setting rules and expections; planning activities and environments; and making program changes, as appropriate.
Establsihing and advocating for environments with appropriate supports to teach and empower children to communicate, negotiate and solve problems.
Designing and/or promotes afterschool environments in which affirmation and respect for individual and family diversity are embredded throughout.

Family, School & Community Relations

Families are childrens primary educators.
Children thrive when afterschool professionals utilitze knowledge and understanding of family, school and community characteristics.
Childrens successful development is supported when comminity, school and families are connected and build meaningful, reciprocal and respectful relationships that empower families.

Valuing Families

Recognizing the individual needs of all children and families regardless of socioeconomic status, culture, religion, developmental needs and family structure.
Recognizing families's contributions in identifying their children's varied strengths and actively uses this information to construct appropriate programs for individual children.
Acknowledging diversity among family structures and child-rearing practices.
Recognizing outside influences and stress factors that affect family structures and functioning.
Establishing positive relationships with all families through face-to-face communication (e.g., registration, drop-off/pick up, parent conferences).
Ensuring families are aware of program goals and daily activities.
Maintaining and follows rules of confidentiality.
Assessing and values the the primary language of the child and family.
Communicating with families in a sensitive and appropriate manner, taking into consideration factors that affect communication such as cultural and language differences and literacy level.
Responding to families questions and concerns in a timely manner.
Frequently sharing positive obervations and comments about each child with his or her family.
Reflecting an understanding of children'shome and neighborhood contexts when planning learning activities and environments.
Making adaptations to meet needs of all children and families regardless of socioeconomic status, culture, religion, developmental needs and family structure.
Acknowledging the values of families in a non-judgmental way.
Identifying families' strengths and utilizes them to develop a positive relaionship with the child.
Showing sensitivity to children and families experiencing challenging life circumstances (e.g., divoice, job layoffs, illness or death).
Providing a family communication system where families can find information on matters such as program fees and policies, educational materials, daily activities and schedules. The afterschool professional makes this information accessible to all family members regardless of technology access, reading and language differences.
Implementing effective problem-solving and conflict resolution strategies as needed.
Communicating with familes about the progress of the child as well as educates and partners with families in addressing developmental, academic, attendance and behavioral issues experienced by the child.
Empowering families to be equal partners in the decision-making process by listening to family opinions, valuing information provided and attempting to reconcile any differences in opinions between professionals and family members.
Implementing and/or encouraging effective practices and processes to anticipate potential conflicts involving families and program staff and to satisfactorily resolve conflicts.

Connecting Families

Acknowledging the value of family, school and community partnerships within a child's learning environment.
Identifying the school and community resources and services available to support children and families.
Establishing and maintaining effective partnerships between families, schools and communities.
Being aware of the benefits of a positive connection between families, schools and communities.
Encouraging families to participate in program, school and community activities.
Being sensitive to cultural diversity among families when planning activities for children and families and invites families to share skills, talents and cultural backgrounds in the program.
Facilitating communication and collaboration between familes, school personnel and afterschool staff to maximize children's learning oportunities.

Community Collaborations

Recognizing the value of community involvement.
Valuing community resources that support and assist families.
Recognizing the community as a resouce for services, activities and volunteers.
Collaborating with community service providers working with children and families.
Participating in outreach activities that support community improvement and promtoes the public awareness of the importance of building positive assets in children.

Connecting Schools

Contributing to an effective communication system among schools, programs and families.
Maintaining confidentiality in communications among schools, programs and families
Being aware of Ohio's academic content standards.
Being aware of any Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) in place and contributes to its implementation.
Establishing an effective communication system among schools, programs and families taking into consideration legal limitations.
Aligning learning experiences and activities to academic content standards.

Family System, Culture & Community

Recognizing the segments of a child's community including home, afterschool program, school and neighborhood.
Recognizing the ever-changing nature of families (e.g., socioeconomic status, cluture, religion and family structure).
Recognizing their own cultural experience and its impact on engagement with families and communities.
Incorporating elements of the children's cultures into the afterschool environment and curriculum.
Working to be inclusive of all families regardless of socioeconomic status, culture, religion, developmental needs and family structure.
Modifying curriculum to be culturally sensitive and uses this information across practices with children and families.
Utilizing families and community members as cultural resources in the learning environment, inviting them into afterschool program to share cultural practices.
Critically examining and remving any barriers or biases that might hinder development of mutually respectful relationships.

Healthy, Safety & Nutrition

Educating children in that sound practices in health, safety and nutritions have lifelong impacts.
Joining in with families as a partnership in assuring optimal health, safety and nutrition for children by methods of communication, teaching and modeling good practices.
Following National, State and Local health, safety and nutrition guidelines and regulations for program policies and procedures.
Stressing the importance and impact of physical activity on lifelong health.
Teaching children that they can and should play an active role in keeping themselves and others safe.
Teaching the children basic emergency procedures and safety practices and regulations.
Teaching families that physically and emotionally safe environments impacts childrens development and learning.
Educating children and families about appropriate portion sizes for all ages, as well as hunger and fullness cries.
teaching safety and sanitary food handling practices.

Health

Recognizing the symptoms of common childhood illness.
Maintaining clean and sanitized materials and enviornoments.
Encouraging and modeling good health practices inlcuding effective hand-washing, oral hygiene and personal hygiend; and ensuring tht hygine promoting supplies (e.g., tissues, hand soap) are always available.
Encouraging and modeling appropriate physical activity.
Applying effective sanitation procedures during toileting, cleaning toys and washing dishes and other materials.
Assessing each child's general health daily and discusses concerns with an appropriate supervisor.
Caregiver holds current and valid training in communicalbe disease prevention, child abuse recognitiion, CPR and first aid.
Caregiver recognizes the signs and symptoms of communicalbe disease and responds according to the Ohio Department of Health's Communicable Disease chart.
Caregiver follows current medication administration policies and procedures according to locak, state or national regulations and documents appropriately.
Caregiver provides appropriate care for ill and injured children.
Implementing policies and procedures for care of ill children.
Implementing policies and procedures for care of emotionally and/or behaviorally challenged children.
Maintaining accurate and current health records on each child.
Ensuring an appropriate level of confidentiality of health information and ensures that relevant health information is communicated to others on a need-to-know basis for the well-being of the child.
Has knowledge about common allergies and asthma and promtoes practices that reduce environmental allergens ane asthma triggers when a child's needs warrent them.
Is aware of current and emerging trends of risky behavior among school-age children reported by reliable sources and recognizes warning indicators that a child may be participating.
Caregiver seeks out new theory, research and best helth practices with school-age children, integrates new knowledge into current practice and shares it with others.
Caregiver developes, enforces, and/or promotes policy and procedures for the care of all children, including those with acute illnesses, chronic illnesses and special health and emotional needs.
Caregiver designs and/or promotes curriculum activities empahsizing healthy bodies, healthy lifestyles and healthy environments
Caregiver adapts health information as needed for various cultural and religious differences.

Safety

Responds to accidents and injuries according to appropriate first aid training while assureing the comfort and care of other children.
Complies with appropriate local, state and national regulations and guidelines for ratios and group sizes.
Regularly practices and appropriately documents emergency and safety procedures such as fire, diaster, lockdown and tornado drills.
Chooses and uses safe and appropriate learning materials and media and encourages their safe use by children.
Recognizes and models appropriate interpersonal communication and relationships to create and promote emotional safety.
Recognizes types and stages of bullying.
Recognizes and protects the emotional and physical safety of all children.
Explains reasons for safety precautions to chidlren.
Supervises all activities, indoors and outdoors to anticipate an dprevent dangerous situations and accidents.
Safely stores personal belongings out of the reach of children (e.g., handbags, satchels, backpacks, medications, inhalers).
Releases children only to approved individuals as designated by the parent or guardian.
Observes and adjusts supervision to meet different ages, abilities, interests, environments and activities.
Educates parents about general child safety using amterials appropriate for individual learning styles, cultures and reading levels.
Maintains and ensures routine maintenance of the physical environment and ensures timely repairs or removal of unsafe equipment or furnishings.
Supports and advocates for safe, developmentally and culturally appropriate materials and media in afterschool programs.

Nutrition

Understands and follows diet modifications for children with identified health or cultural issues pertaining to food or feeding, including allergies and food sensitivities.
Creates an environment that is pelasant, relaxed and safe for meals and snacks; uses meal and snack times to engage in coversation with children and facilitate social skills.
Provides meals and snacks that are safe, nutritious and developmentally and age appropriate.
Models and explains healthy eating behaviors.
Uses meals and snack times to encourage children to practice responsibility.
Ensures that each child has access to a healthy meal or snack.
Monitors children's eating behavior patterns and seeks help if significant change is noted.
Recognizes health hazards in meals and snacks (i.e., choking and allergies) and takes steps to prevent dangerous situations.
Communicates with parents regarding menus, child's eating patterns and amounts and mealtime skills and behaviors as appropriate for age and situation.
Consults with families about children's health or cultural issues that may requie modification to diet and assures appropriate implementation of medical and physical care plans.
Provides learning experiences that teach chidlren about good nutrition.
Assesses nutrition policies, procedues and practices for program improvement.

Child Observation & Assessment

Asessments will be used only to assess a child's strengths and challenges.
Confidentiality will be maintained pertaining to the child, family records and assessment.
Observations and assessments will be used to understand the child's growth & development, including sequences of typical development.
Caregiver will understand how the relationship between the adult assessor and the child being assessed influences the child's performance during assessment.

Foundations & Principles

Is a aware of ethical principles that guide observation and assessment processes.
Recognizes the reasons for conducting observation and assessment.
Recognizes and accepts the range of chidlren's development and skills.
Recognizes environmental factors that place childen at risk for developmental concerns.
Identifies and complies with the need for confidentiality.
Selects the appropriate formal and/or informal observation or assessment technique for the situation.
Modifies observation and assessment practices to accommodate the range of children's development, skills and learning needs
Maintains an effective system of documentation for all phases of the assessment process for each child.
Evaluates assessment results considering the environmental factors and individual differences that iwll influence a child's performance.
Evaluates theeffectiveness of an assessment documentation system and makes or reccomends improvement as necessary.

Gathering & Documenting

Recognizes appropriate methods of documneitng developmental progress.
Assists in collecting information about developmental progress from multiple sources and using a variety of means.
Conducts informal observations to improve the many facets of th eprogram (i.e., environment, transitions, schedule and planning).
Recognizes the ways to develop a relationship with a child before observation and assessment procedures are implemented.
Organizes information about developmental and educational progress collected from multiple age appropriate sources and uses this information to construct more responsive programs.
Implements appropriate formal and informal methods of documenting developmental progress of individual children.
Incorporates observation and assessment strategies of children within typical program activities.
Integrates contributions from families and other professionals into formal and informal observation and assessments procedures.

Summarizing and Interpreting

Recognizes the importance of analyzing and interpreting assessment data in a non-biased way.
Uses the results of informal observation to adapt environment, transition, schedule and planning to best meet children's needs.
Recognizes the importance of keeping the results of observations and assessments confidential from non-family members.
Interprets and analyzes assessment data to identify children's strengths and needs.
Incorporates results of formal and informal observations and assessments to make decisions that benefit children's growth, development and learning.
Implements observation and assessment results to plan for individual childen and groups of children.
Aligns results of observation and assessment with the curriculum, academic content standards and other available assessment data.

Sharing & Reporting

Shares informal observation outcomes and resulting improvements with appropriate staff and administrators.
Uses aa non-biased strength-based approach in documenting observation results.
Identifies appropriate reporting methods for child observation and assessment results.
Uses strength-bases language to communicate results in written and oral formats.
Communicates results to families in an appropriate, objective, understandable and supportive manner.
Assists families in communicating results to other involved professionals.