The years before a child reaches kindergarten are among the most critical in influencing learning. What better way to delve deeper into this important development stage than to take a site visit with other funders and learn more about effective early childhood education programs and efforts going on in our own backyard!
Based on a high level of interest from CTEF membership, CTEF coordinated its first-ever group site visit focused on learning more about best practices in early childhood education, specifically the critical components of language development. Hats off to CTEF program co-chairs, Jessica D’Arcy of Webber Family Foundation and Ellen Ray of Still Water Foundation, for their work in coordinating such a stellar and lively morning!
We began the site visit on the second floor of the M Station Meredith Learning Center. Julian Huerta of Foundation Communities and Will Meredith of Meredith Family Interests (new CTEF member!) opened the gathering with a brief historical overview on how Chestnut Plaza and the M Station community went from vision to realization.
"The approach is pulling together all these great assets and creating a real vibrant hub of education, the environment, economics and basic family services."
- Will Meredith, who is spearheading the project for the Meredith family.
Meredith spoke about the nonprofits that have already relocated to Chestnut Plaza, as well as plans for a healthcare facility and other community spaces such as an amphitheater. Located directly across the street from Chestnut Plaza, Foundation Communities’ M Station currently reflects the most robust and innovative community development the organization has ever undertaken. Participants learned that M Station, a 150-unit affordable multifamily community located in the MLK transit-oriented district (TOD), is a project of many “firsts" as proclaimed by AIA Austin. M Station is the first affordable housing built in one of Austin's new TODs, the first LEED for Homes multifamily project in Austin, the first family LEED for Homes Platinum community in Texas, and the first project in Austin to pursue three green-building ratings: LEED for Homes Platinum, Austin Energy Green Building 5-Star, Enterprise Green Communities (and the Sustainable Sites Initiative Pilot Project). In addition, Julian talked about the ways Foundation Communities addresses the other large economic burdens for low-income working families: utility costs, transportation cost and childcare costs.
The site visit continued with insightful presentations by early childhood experts and practitioners including key remarks by the directors of UT’s Priscilla Pond Flawn Child & Family Laboratory, United Way Capital Area's Success By 6 Initiative, Mainspring Schools and Open Door Preschools. Open Door just opened its third site at M Station, on the ground floor of the Meredith Learning Center, providing quality early education and care on-site for working families living in and around M Station.
Key points included the importance of play-based and hands-on, discovery-oriented programs designed to meet the individual needs of children and reflect their emerging interests while supporting their mastery of new abilities. Children develop self-esteem, self-control and the skills to become effective problem-solvers through developmentally appropriate activities designed to enhance the basic processes necessary for learning. Director Rhonda Hauser of UT Laboratory School explained critical components of language development, from the pre-linguistic and telegraphic stages to the development of syntax and sentence structure.
"In general, by age 9, children develop receptive skills and vocabulary is pretty much intact; however, much of a child’s language threshold is developed well before age 3.”
-Rhonda Hauser, Director of University of Texas Priscilla Pond Flawn Child and Family Laboratory
The convening concluded with CTEF members taking interactive program tours of Open Door Preschool at M Station and UT Lab School, via the delightful Austin Trolley Company, utilizing the below Observation Guide provided by Dr. Leah N. Meunier, program manager of Success by 6. This mini-guide of developmentally appropriate practices in language development in early education centers is a helpful resource to not only early childhood education funders, practitioners, but yes, even, parents/caregivers as it is grounded on both research on child development and learning and the knowledge base regarding educational effectiveness. On behalf of CTEF and all the presenters who shared their knowledge, we hope you find the Observation Guide helpful in your pursuit to promote young children’s optimal learning and development.
Language Development in Early Care and Education Centers
Observation Guide
(Courtesy of Success by 6 Initiative)
What do you see?
• Are there words on the walls?
o How are they used (e.g., to describe class projects; label children’s art; state class rules)?
o Are words at eye-level so that children can see them clearly?
• Are words used as labels?
o On classroom objects (e.g., doors; chairs; art materials)?
o To differentiate classroom centers (e.g., dramatic play; blocks; puzzles)?
• What languages are used?
o Are both English and Spanish used?
o Are words presented in any other languages?
o How are children’s differing home languages supported in the classroom?
• What books and other printed materials are available for the children?
o Can the children easily reach them?
o Is there a comfortable spot where they can read?
o Are the books neatly organized?
o Is there a station where they can listen to audio books?
o Do you recognize any of the books on display?
What do you hear?
• Do teachers respond warmly and consistently to the children?
o Do they verbally acknowledge what children have said or done (e.g., You used a red crayon to draw a round circle)?
o Do they expand upon the children’s verbalizations?
For example:
• Child – Big truck
• Teacher – Yes, that is a big red fire truck. What sound do you think it makes?
• Do teachers kneel, squat, or sit so that they are eye-to-eye with children when they communicate with them?
• Do teachers use sign language or other nonverbal cues to reinforce their verbal message?
• Are questions asked in an open-ended way to encourage sustained conversation?
• What is the ratio of teachers to children in the classroom? How does that affect teacher-child dialogues (e.g., are they longer or more frequent)?
• How do the children communicate with their peers?
• When conflicts arise (e.g., two children want to play with the same toy), how do the teachers use language to resolve the conflict? For example, do they provide words so that each child can express his or her thoughts and feelings?
Food for Thought
• You can focus a site visit on many other areas (it's not all about language development)! For example, you could assess the physical set-up of the classroom, lesson plans, teacher credentials, safety, nutrition, fine and gross motor activities, social-emotional learning opportunities, or STEM skills. In fact, many of the activities you will see were designed to encourage development in multiple domains.
• STEM skills are developed early in life and can be encouraged through play-based learning. You can look for examples in blocks (counting, addition/subtraction, principles of physics), sensory bins (measurement, principles of a solid vs. a liquid, Piaget’s conservation tasks); science area (life cycles, weather, geology, plant growth).
