Community Action, Inc. of Hays, Caldwell & Blanco Counties


	Early Education

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	Community Action, Inc. Early Education Vision - Page 4


		A.		Teacher Expectations

				Community Action teachers are professionals in early education and child development. It is the goal of the agency to provide at least one Bachelors Level teacher per classroom. Our teachers arrive at work excited about the opportunity to provide a high quality education to the children we serve. The teachers reflect consistently on the progress children are making towards the mastery of required outcomes as well as how they themselves are doing in the following areas:

				1.	The classroom environment
				2.	The use of routines
				3.	Types of activities (focused, small group, circle, meals, self help, transitions)
				4.	The support and extension of learning activities
				5.	Management of classroom behavior

Adult and Child Interactions

In Community Action Early Education classroom teachers engage children in activities covering the spectrum from child directed to adult directed activities as described in the chart below:

NONDIRECTIVE MEDIATING DIRECTIVE
Acknowledge	Model	Facilitate	Support	Scaffold	Co-construct	Demonstrate	Direct
Give direction & positive encouragement to keep a child engaged in an activity	Display for children a skill or desirable way of behaving in the classroom, through actions only or with cues, prompts, or other forms of coaching	Offer short-term assistance to help a child practice in developing a skill (as an adult does in holding the back of a bicycle while a child pedals)	Provide a fixed form of assistance such as displaying the alphabet near the writing center for children to refer to	Set up challenges or assist children to work "on the edge" of their current competence	Learn or work collaboratively with children on a problem or task, such as building a model or block structure	Actively display a behavior or engage in an activity while children observe the outcome	Provide specific directions or instructions for children's behavior within narrowly defined dimensions of error

				(ACYF, p.20)

				Teachers are systematic and intentional in their approach to their important job as facilitators of children’s learning. They work with the outcomes for children in mind and consciously seek out every opportunity to help children achieve these outcomes through the learning experiences they plan, the ways they interact with children, and the ways they create and regularly modify the environment.

				In Community Action Early Education classrooms, teachers pay attention to what children need to know and what they need to be able to do in order to succeed in school academically, socially and emotionally. Attention is given to ensuring that each child develops the skills required for success in kindergarten and beyond. Particular areas of focus are transitions, classroom structure, vocabulary, language proficiency, literacy knowledge and skills, math and science concepts, self-help skills, and social interactions with peers and adults.

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Community Action, Inc. • 101 Uhland Rd. - Ste 107 • PO Box 748 • San Marcos, TX 78667-0748 (512)392-1161