Preschool Classroom Reflection

According to our textbook Student Teaching, “An infant/toddler center is an entirely new world, one that is completely different from the preschool environment.” In order to understand the function and quality of an infant/toddler program and classroom setting, we were asked to evaluate an infant/toddler setting using the Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale. Like the PAS evaluation, the ITERS helps us to evaluate quality. However the ITERS also helps to evaluate the quality within a classroom and allows us to determine areas that provide high quality and areas that may need improvement. Below is my reflection on my evaluation of the 2 year old program/room I have chosen to observe.

The classroom I have chosen to observe is the 2 year old program/classroom at The Learning Center. The Learning Center, as discussed before, serves children year round from age 2 to 5 years old. According to the PAS evaluation that I did for course EEC 4941, this center provides a quality program for children, families, and staff. After observing the two year old classroom for two days, I was able to determine whether or not the classroom provides quality also. The first section I evaluated was space and furnishings. On both observations the 2 year old classroom received a score of 7. There is amble furnishings and space. For example, there is enough area for free play. The room has windows that are covered with blinds so natural light can be adjusted. For example, blinds can be turned down for nap time.

The next area evaluated was personal care routines. This classroom scored a 7 in this area also. Since I arrived early and stayed late I was able to observe the greeting and departure times. The staff did a terrific job of gree...

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...om I observed does not use a program assessment tool annually. They also do not have an official tool that they use. They also received a score of 6 on item # 34. Also like mentioned in the PAS evaluation, there is no separate adult lounge. This is why The Learning Center program/classroom did not receive an average score of 7 in the area of parents and staff. However they still achieved a score reflecting a quality program/classroom.

In summary, the 2 year old classroom at the learning center provides for quality. All of the areas On the ITERS scale scored above a 6. It was very interesting to do this evaluation after doing the PAS evaluation. It helped me to understand how the two scores correlate with each other. When a center provides for quality it helps to support quality within the classrooms. The Learning Center provides an all around quality program.