cda goal 1

Competency Goal 1

To establish and maintain a safe, healthy, learning environment

Functional Area 1: Safe

My goal is to prevent or reduce injuries while the children are in my care. This is important because young children are often not aware of hazards in their area. One of the ways to do this is by supervising the children at all times. You should always be able to see and hear the children. Another way I can do this is by checking the childcare environment, both inside and outside, every morning check that outlet plugs are in place, and there are no broken objects. I would also use a weekly checklist and make sure everything is in place. In the outside, I check for broken equipment or sharp objects. I am trained in emergency evacuation procedures and plans to remove all children from the classroom and/or building in the event of a tornado or fire. I ensure that all chemicals and cleaning supplies are put away out of the reach of children or stored in locked cabinets to prevent injury or poisoning.
Functional Area 2: Healthy
My goal is in this are is to prevent the spread of germs in the childcare classroom. This is very important because children do not have the control over their body functions and germs can spread quickly. I always wash my hands before and after helping a child in the toilet, wiping their nose, cleaning body fluids, handling food, and after outside play time. All toys are sanitized weekly, and the bathrooms are cleaned daily. During naptime, I make sure every child has his/her own bedding which are to be sanitized weekly. I educate children about the food pyramid and prepare activities to support their learning
Functional Area 3: Learning Environment
My goal is to provide children with varied opportunities for learning through play. Most young children learn by doing, I allow the children to participate in planning, and provide activities, which challenge children of all development levels.

One of my goals in the functional area of Learning Environments is provide children with many and varied opportunities for learning through play. This is an important goal for the age group children in my care because young children learn by doing, by uses their senses to gather information about the world. One of the ways I do this is by regularly observing the children in my care to see what their interests, skills, and abilities are. Then I plan activities to meet their interests and needs. Another way I do this is by setting my child care environment up in interest areas---blocks, books, art, writing, puzzles and small toys, and dress-up. I change the materials in these areas frequently, to keep the children interested in what’s going on. I like to show children new things: last week I put flax seeds in the sensory table and added warm water. The children enjoyed the slippery feeling and I was able to introduce lots of new words such as “smooth,” “slippery,” “slimy,” and so on.

I provide and age appropriate environment for the children in my care. I do this by preparing lessons, carefully selecting materials, allowing the children to participate in planning, and providing activities which challenge children of all developmental levels. I have inside gross motor activities such as a climber, beanbags, musical and dance items, and blocks. I have fine motor activities too, such as small and large beads, Legos, dress up dolls, stencils, and chain links. I provide an ample supply of books for the children to look at and read. I allow plenty of time for children to draw and practice writing skills. I have taken a learning environments class which taught me how to create natural, wondrous, flexible, and aesthetically pleasing areas in my classroom.