Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO)

On-the-job Training

• Child Development and Learning
  • Communicates basic knowledge of developmental theories and current research findings as they apply to children’s social–emotional, language, cognitive, and perceptual and motor development, and understands implications for practice.
  • Identifies major milestones about the social–emotional, language, cognitive, and perceptual and motor domains for the stages represented in the group.
  • Understands that play contributes to child development and learning in all domains, beginning at birth.
  • Observes and supports children during indoor and outdoor play, participating as appropriate with the goal of making the most of teachable moments.
  • Supports the development and learning of each child.
• Culture, Diversity & Equity
  • Attends to the culturally diverse attributes of children and families.
  • Participates in the planning of learning activities that are inclusive and respectful of all families.
  • Participates in orientation sessions that focus on respecting families through communication; develops related skills and knowledge through these sessions.
  • Uses multiple strategies for building relationships with families.
  • Assists with practices that reflect the cultural contexts and experiences of the children.
  • Respects that all early educators and families are individuals who come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and have their own beliefs and values.
• Relationships, Interactions & Guidance
  • Responds appropriately to children’s expression of emotion and facilitates communication about emotional experiences, in accordance with each child’s development and culture.
  • Supports children’s developing capacity to manage their physiological and emotional responses, maintain attention, and comfort themselves, as developmentally and culturally appropriate.
  • Provides a responsive and sensitive social–emotional climate to support the children.
  • Examines and acknowledges one’s own feelings and questions about the expression of emotions.
  • Relies on knowledge of child development to respond individually to children, considering each child’s age, temperament, language, communication skills, culture, interests, and abilities.
  • Implements strategies designed by staff, colleagues, and families to address children’s challenging behaviors
• Family and Community Engagement
  • Uses various ways to communicate with families (e.g., active listening, e-mail and phone contact, text messaging), depending on each family’s preferences and on the situation.
  • Maintains confidentiality and ensures privacy in communications regarding children, families, and staff and colleagues.
  • Contributes ideas and resources to promote each child’s learning and development in the home and community.
  • Collaborates with other staff members to maintain a sense of community among the children and families in the group.
  • Demonstrates familiarity with risk, stress, and resiliency factors.
  • Articulates an understanding that families function in a variety of ways and that children or families may require support from outside the program.
• Dual-Language Development
  • Follows program policies designed to create a sense of belonging and to support full participation by children and adults with disabilities or other special needs
  • Demonstrates understanding that the early education setting is often the first place where young dual-language learners encounter English, and that honoring each child’s home language fosters positive social–emotional development and the child’s development and learning in all other areas
  • Uses active listening and observation to understand language development.
• Observation, Screening, Assessment & Documentation
  • Identifies nonverbal cues, gestures, and moods through observation.
  • Assists in gathering artifacts and other materials for use in documentation.
  • Engages in discussions about the meaning of observations, screening, documentation, and assessment data to support children’s learning and development in early education settings.
  • Understands the importance of confidentiality.
• Special Needs & Inclusion
  • Follows program policies designed to create a sense of belonging and to support full participation by children and adults with disabilities or other special needs
  • Follows guidance to support all children’s active participation in learning opportunities through the use of easily adaptable materials, strategies, and techniques.
  • Models appropriate ways to interact with children or adults who have disabilities or other special needs.
  • Recognizes that families and staff members are partners in promoting children’s development.
  • Assists with making environmental modifications as needed to support children and adults with disabilities or other special needs in the immediate context of the group.
• Learning Environments and Curriculum
  • Contributes to staff discussions about the significance of observations and documentation for understanding children individually and in groups and for informing curriculum planning.
  • Contributes ideas for meeting children’s developmental and learning goals based on information learned through observation and documentation.
  • Maintains a safe environment to support children’s learning and to prevent accidents.
  • Follows daily schedules and demonstrates understanding of the importance of predictability for young children.
  • Follows children’s lead or engages them as active participants when appropriate. Initiates strategies based on knowledge of children’s interests and needs.
  • Supports children’s learning by allowing time for them to grasp concepts or practice skills, responding to their questions, and reinforcing or expanding on concepts.
• Health, Safety & Nutrition
  • Learns and complies with policies and practices addressing indoor and outdoor environmental health and safety.
  • Collaborates with other staff and colleagues to provide adequate supervision that supports safe, fun, and challenging play that excludes unauthorized visitors.
  • Has knowledge 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.
  • Follows food-safety guidelines for handling and storage.
  • Follows 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.
  • Uses personal-care routines, such as diapering, to build relationships and support learning.
  • Promotes child health by ensuring that children get outdoors for physical activity, feel connected with nature, and follow their own curiosity and interests during outdoor, child-initiated peer play.
• Professionalism
  • Asks questions and pursues learning opportunities.
  • Asks for help and tries out new ideas and suggestions.
  • Practices self-assessment and shared reflective dialogue & participates in reflective dialogue to challenge one’s own knowledge base.
  • Arrives at work on time each day and is prepared to engage with children, families, staff, and colleagues in a professional manner.
  • Maintains professional boundaries related to establishing close relationships with children and families.
  • Is familiar with expectations for ethical conduct in early childhood education settings and models ethical conduct for children and families.
  • Contributes to a quality work environment by maintaining a professional, mutually supportive attitude with colleagues, children, and families.