Early Childhood Education Specialist 1: Maine Infant Toddler Credential

Competency-based occupation
Onet code: 39-9011.00

1

Years

38

Skills

106h

Related instruction
Classroom Instruction Topics
  • Partners in Caring - Families and Caregivers
  • Foundations of Health, Wellness, and Safety
  • Your Professional Development Portfolio
  • Caring for Infants, Toddlers & Their Families
  • Social and Emotional Learning Birth to Age 5 OR Introduction to Infant Mental Health
  • Health and Safety Training
  • Other State-approved training
On-the-job Training
  • Understands the Principles of Child Growth and Development
    • Nurtures close, secure and trusting relationships with all children. Uses children's names and engages in reciprocal interactions with sounds and facial expressions.
    • Assists in maintaining an inclusive environment for all children. Carries out activities that support children's IFSP goals, if applicable.
    • Supervises and facilitates children's involvement in all learning environments. Allows children to safely experience active exploration of self, objects, people and surroundings.
    • Maintains a positive classroom climate and is responsive to children's curiosity and cues.
    • Assures continuity of care, spending time engaging with each child each day in addition to care routines.
  • Supports Children's Social and Emotional Development
    • Encourages children to express themselves in safe and appropriate ways to promote self-regulation.  Recognizes and labels children's feelings consistently. Fosters sense of security by telling children ahead of time what will happen and through predictable care routines.   
    • Provides a secure, consistent, safe base from which children can explore, experiment, develop relationships and tackle challenging problems that support development.
    • Creates a welcoming environment that is predictable and organized with a selection of learning areas and developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant equipment and materials that can be accessed by all children.
  • Advancing Children's Physical and Intellectual Development
    • Encourage and promote physical development activities including daily outdoor play. Provides opportunities to process information through sensory experiences.
    • Provides opportunities to acquire language and literacy skills through interactions with others, materials and the environment. Embeds children's home language into the environment as much as possible.
    • Promotes children's expressive language skills through interactions with others, materials and the environment.  Embeds children's home language into the environment as much as possible.
    • Provides opportunities to promote mathematical language when describing actions and materials, sequencing, size, shape, numbers, amounts of items and spatial relationships.
  • Observing and Recording Children's Behavior
    • Maintains clear and consistent behavioral and developmental expectations through consistent and predictable routines.
    • Assists in curriculum planning to develop clear learning objectives for optimal learning. Follows each child's development and by scaffolding next steps.
    • Assists in using standardized and authentic assessment data to create learning opportunities to advance children's development and goals.
    • Maintains confidentiality in conducting, documenting, storing, and sharing assessment information.
  • Planning a Safe and Healthy Learning Environment
    • Active supervision is used consistently, promoting a safe environment and the prevention of injuries.
    • Partners with families regarding children's food preferences and eating habits. Assists in assuring healthy meals and meal attendance in accordance with Child Care Licensing, Let's Go! 5-2-1-0 and USDA's CACFP. Models healthy eating habits, including wiping infants' gums after feeding and assisting toddlers and preschoolers with tooth brushing. Encourages independence of toothbrushing with school-age children.
    • Follows cleaning, sanitation and disinfectant procedures to promote healthy habits within the home environment.
    • Assists in promoting protective factors to prevent child abuse and neglect; refers families to the Department of Health and Human Services' Child Protective Services as required by law.
    • Assists with completion, accuracy and appropriate follow-up of Health & Safety Checklists.
    • Assists with required emergency procedures.
  • Building Productive Relationships with Families
    • Collaborates with families as equal partners in their children's development and learning through respectful, reciprocal relationships and engagement.
    • Connects daily with families and children to make them feel welcomed, safe and respected.
    • Applies information about families' strengths, talents, culture, preferences, experiences, and expectations about child rearing practices and involves them when making decisions about their child's development and care.
    • Demonstrates respectful interest in learning about each family's values, beliefs, faith traditions, cultural influences, family structure and circumstances
  • Managing an Effective Program Operation
    • Maintains cooperative, respectful interactions and supports the employer's policies.
    • Contributes to effective, purposeful and respectful team communications to promote continuous program improvement.
    • Demonstrates understanding of and on-going compliance with Child Care Licensing and other regulations or requirements.
  • Maintaining a Commitment to Professionalism
    • Communicates positively and effectively using appropriate verbal, nonverbal and written messages.
    • Establishes and maintains professional boundaries including confidentiality and impartiality.
    • Adheres to employer and collaborative partner policies, procedures and guidance.
    • Promotes community partnerships and community resources.
    • Effectively utilizes supervisory support and technical resources to improve competence.
    • Assesses self, values and ethics as they impact work with families.
    • Completes mandated training and maintains required certifications (i.e., Infant Toddler CPR and Pediatric First Aid.)
    • Seeks opportunities for ongoing professional growth; implements to improve practice and share with colleagues as appropriate
    • Seeks opportunities for ongoing professional growth. Implements to improve practice and share with colleagues as appropriate.
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