Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO)

On-the-job Training

• Child Development and Learning
  • Applies an understanding of the context of developmental theory and research to work with diverse children and families.
  • Provides resources or consultation as appropriate to address concerns related to parent–child relationships.
  • Initiates and sustains relationships with families that build on the families’ strengths and emerging capacities.
  • Designs and maintains the indoor and outdoor learning environment to support children’s participation during play, including the provision of open-ended, developmentally appropriate materials and activities that engage children based on observations of their development.
• Culture, Diversity & Equity
  • Develops curriculum and classroom practices that create a welcoming atmosphere for all families.
  • Communicates regularly with family members to understand each family’s current and ongoing concerns.
  • Promotes policies and practices that invite open communication with all families.
  • Promotes and implements developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate strategies for addressing diverse approaches to learning.
  • Conducts activities that promote positive identity development in young children.
• Relationships, Interactions & Guidance
  • Organizes the learning environment to reflect the importance of consistency, continuity, and responsiveness in supporting children’s emotional development.
  • Plans strategies while keeping in mind each child’s interests, temperament, language, culture, communication skills, and abilities. Determines appropriate sequencing of strategies based on knowledge of child development and of the children in the learning environment.
• Family and Community Engagement
  • Respects each family’s style and preferred methods of communication and interacts with families in a transparent, accountable manner, and always maintains confidentiality.
  • Collaborates formally and informally with families and staff to share observations, describe children’s accomplishments, plan for children individually and as a group, and address concerns about children.
  • Builds a sense of community among the children and families in the group by using a variety of methods.
  • Works with staff to respond to signs of risk or stress in children, as developmentally appropriate and individually meaningful.
• Dual-Language Development
  • Collaborates with families and colleagues to provide a variety of ways for young dual-language learners and their families to participate throughout the program.
  • Creates opportunities for young dual-language learners to engage in a range of learning experiences—including encouraging children to play with language— that promote literacy development in their home language and English.
• Observation, Screening, Assessment & Documentation
  • Gathers observations from the home, group, staff, colleagues, families, and service providers to inform the planning process for individual children and the group.
  • Identifies the need for referrals based on observations; input from staff, colleagues, and families; and screening and assessment tools. Assists families in identifying or accessing services as needed, with consideration for their diverse linguistic and cultural experiences.
  • Documents observations in a clear, objective, and timely manner. Initiates discussions with staff and colleagues about strategies for documentation and applies those strategies to the selection of samples, artifacts, or other information to include in documentation.
  • Solicits ideas from colleagues and families to meet children’s learning and developmental goals; to inform the planning of activities, experiences, and interactions; and to inform the selection of materials for both indoor and outdoor spaces.
• Special Needs & Inclusion
  • Knows typical and atypical development and plans developmentally appropriate environments, interactions, and experiences for the home and learning environment.
  • Designs learning plans to include all levels and IEP goals.
  • Collaborates with staff, colleagues, families, service providers, and regulatory agencies to implement environmental modifications that facilitate full participation in the program by children and adults with disabilities or other special needs.
• Learning Environments and Curriculum
  • Uses knowledge of development to inform planning for individual children within the indoor and outdoor learning environment, including support for relationships and the development of emotion regulation.
  • Synthesizes information gathered through the curriculum-planning process, including input from families, staff, and colleagues in planning for individual children and for the group, with consideration for diverse cultural and linguistic experiences.
  • Plans indoor and outdoor environments in the immediate context of the group that are developmentally appropriate, aesthetically pleasing, and reflective of children’s experiences and the program’s philosophy
  • Plans the daily schedule to meet regulatory requirements and to support the learning and development of children, providing time for meaningful engagement and incorporating a balance of quiet and active choices, indoor and outdoor play, various group configurations, and both child initiated and adult-facilitated elements.
  • Anticipates emerging skills and plans experiences to allow children to build and extend knowledge and skills over time.
• Health, Safety & Nutrition
  • Modifies the environment to improve health and safety.
  • Collaborates with children, staff, colleagues, and families, as appropriate, to establish indoor and outdoor safety rules for the immediate environment.
  • Has knowledge of, and contributes to the improvement of, emergency plans; and locates relevant documentation and supplies—such as emergency contact information, evacuation maps, first-aid kit, and automated external defibrillator (AED)—and conveys accurate information to staff and families when needed.
  • Follows directions, models appropriate behavior, and assists children, as developmentally appropriate, during an emergency or drill.
  • Contributes to implementation of food-safety guidelines for handling and storage.
  • Contributes to development and discussions about principles of healthful food choices and habits, including developmental and individual feeding schedules and timelines, appropriate portion sizes, and healthy selection of fresh foods.
  • Recognizes and responds to signs of illness or injury in children or alerts other staff as appropriate.
  • Knows individual children’s identified special health-care requirements and locates documentation as needed.
  • Identifies signs of child abuse or neglect and reports concerns about child abuse or neglect to appropriate staff.
  • Understands and adheres to own role as a mandated reporter.
  • Maintains certification in infant/ child CPR and pediatric first aid and responds accordingly to children’s injuries or illnesses.
  • Supports understanding that child and family health (including mental health) may be influenced by factors such as genetics, stress, health of other family members, and exposure to environmental toxins."
  • Collaborates with families, staff, and colleagues to develop health practices and personal care routines that are developmentally appropriate, responsive to individual requirements, and consistent with family practices.
  • Establishes schedules, environments, and experiences to provide children with ample opportunities for physical activity, including a variety of developmentally appropriate and noncompetitive games, making adaptations as necessary to meet individual requirements.
• Leadership in Early Childhood Education
  • Practices ethical behavior in working with others to negotiate cultural differences and facilitate the development of common goals.
• Professionalism
  • Participates in exploration of ideas, problems, and innovations with colleagues and families, understanding the context of best practices.
  • Contributes to a quality work environment by maintaining a professional, mutually supportive attitude with colleagues, children, and families.
  • Demonstrates and promotes the essential components of developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate practice.