Section 90. Early childhood for three-and four-year-olds (add-on endorsement)

The program in early childhood education for three- and four-year-olds shall ensure that the candidate has demonstrated the following competencies:

1. Understanding child growth and development, with a specific focus on three- and four-year-olds, including:

a. Knowledge of characteristics and developmental needs of three- and four-year-olds, including the ability to recognize indicators of atypical development, in the domains of social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and gross and fine motor development;

b. Understanding of the multiple interacting influences on child development (biological and environmental), interconnectedness of developmental domains, the wide range of ages at which developmental skills are manifested, and the individual differences in behavioral styles; and

c. Knowledge of child development within the context of family, culture, and society.

2. Understanding principles of developmental practice, with a focus on three- and four-year-olds, including practices that are:

a. Appropriate to the child's age and stage of development;

b. Appropriate for children with a wide range of individual differences in abilities, interests, and behavioral styles; and

c. Appropriate for the child's cultural background and experience.

3. Understanding health, safety, and nutritional practices that impact early learning including:

a. Practices and procedures that support health status conducive to optimal development (e.g., health assessment, prevention of the spread of communicable disease, oral hygiene, reduction of environmental hazards, injury prevention, emergency preparedness);

b. Indicators of possible child abuse or neglect and the appropriate response if such indicators are observed;

c. Nutritional and dietary practices that support healthy growth and development while remaining sensitive to family preferences;

d. Skills for communicating with families about health and dietary concerns;

e. Community resources that support healthy living; and

f. Practices that allow children to become independent and knowledgeable about healthy living;

4. Understanding and application of formal and informal assessment procedures for documenting development and knowledge of how to use assessment to plan curriculum, including:

a. Age and stage-appropriate methods for assessing and documenting development;

b. Identifying and documenting children's interests, strengths and challenges; and

c. Communicating with families to acquire and to share information relevant to assessment.

5. Understanding effective strategies for facilitating positive reciprocal relationships with children for teachers, families and communities, including mutual respect, communication strategies, collaborative linkages among families, and community resources, and nurturing the capacity of family members to serve as advocates on behalf of children.

6. Understanding strategies for planning, implementing, assessing, and modifying physical and psychological aspects of the learning environment to support physical, cognitive, and social, as well as emotional well-being in children with a broad range of developmental levels, special needs, individual interests, and cultural backgrounds, including the ability to:

a. Utilize learning strategies that stimulate curiosity, and encourage participation in exploration and play;

b. Provide curriculum experiences that facilitate learning goals in content areas and provide opportunities to acquire concepts and skills that are precursors to academic content taught in elementary school;

c. Adapt tasks to the child's zone of proximal development;

d. Nurture children's development through experiences, relationships and active engagement in play;

e. Select materials/equipment, arrange physical space, and plan schedules/routines to stimulate and facilitate development; and

f. Collaborate with families, colleagues, and members of the broader community to construct learning environments that promote a spirit of unity, respect, and service in the interest of the common good.

7. Understanding strategies that create positive and nurturing relationships with each child based on respect, trust, calm approaches, respect for diversity and acceptance of individual differences in ability levels, temperament, and other characteristics, including the ability to:

a. Emphasize the importance of supportive verbal and nonverbal communication;

b. Establish classroom and behavior management practices that are respectful, meet children's emotional needs, clearly communicate expectations for appropriate behavior, promote pro-social behaviors, prevent or minimize behavioral problems through careful planning of the learning environment, teach conflict resolution strategies, and mitigate or redirect challenging behaviors; and

c. Build positive, collaborative relationships with children's families with regard to behavioral guidance.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2007.

Statutory Authority

§ 22.1-298.2 of the Code of Virginia.