Competency Goal I
To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment
Function Area 1: Candidate provides a safe environment to prevent and reduce injuries.
Safe
When first entering the room in the morning, I walk around and check the shelves and floor for any toys, trash, or broken materials that may have fallen or may not have been put up from the day before. In the classroom, I make sure that the first aid kit is placed beside the door and easily accessible at all times. We also teach the children pedestrian safety the first two weeks that school starts. We have monthly fire drills and there is a chart on the wall beside the door that shoes the primary and alternate routes when practicing fire drills. When we go outside to play, before any child gets on the playground, I make sure to look for fallen branches, trash, or broken glass that may be on the playground. I also make sure to walk around and supervise the children while on the playground, never sitting down. When an infant is asleep in their crib, I make sure to pull the side rail up and that the child is positioned on their back. I do this as way to help reduce the risk of SIDS. When changing an infant or toddler, I make sure to have everything ready before taking the child to the changing table. Once at the changing table, I make sure to never leave the child alone always have one hand on the child while changing the child. At the end of the day, I make sure the person that is picking up the child, is authorized and on the emergency form. If it is someone new, I make sure to get a copy of the person’s driver’s license and keep it on file for that child.

Function Area 2: Candidate promotes good health and nutrition and provides an environment that contributes to the prevention of illness.
Healthy
In the classroom, I make sure to have each child’s emergency form with all of their contact information and emergency numbers. Each morning as the child is brought in, I make sure to ask the parent how the child is doing, if there are any concerns or matters that I may need to know about for that particular day. During the school day, I make sure the children wash hands before and after going outside to play, before and after each diaper change, and before and after we serve each meal. The meals that we serve are USDA regulated and are adapted to the children in our room, whether they are an infant or toddler. We make sure to watch the amount of sugar and other added chemicals to the children’s foods. I encourage fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks, rather than unhealthy snacks. After lunch, the mobile infants and toddlers brush their teeth and the infants that do not have any teeth or that are younger than 12 months, I make sure to wipe their mouth and gums off with gauze, always wearing a glove. I also make sure to wash my hands before and after every meal, before and after each diaper change and before and after outside play. Each child’s cup and bottle is labeled with their name and date each day and are stored in a cabinet away from any child’s reach. The infant baby food is also kept in a cabinet and at room temperature. We encourage family style meals and each child is encouraged to try and feed themselves when developmentally ready. I do not put infants into a crib with their bottle. When a toddler is ready to potty train, I work with the parents to see what kind of routine they are doing at home and I can continue to help them while their child is in my classroom.

Functional Area 3: Candidate uses space, relationships, materials and routines as resources for constructing an interesting, secure, and enjoyable environment that encourages play, exploration and learning.
Learning Environment
I make sure to have lots materials and toys that are easily accessible to the children. The infants have sufficient amount of space for tummy time, crawling around, and exploring with different toys. The children are able to look out of the window to see birds, trees, and weather as it is happening outside. There will be daily schedule that will have sufficient time for outside play, indoor activities, meals, and individualized time for each child during the week. The classroom has baby dolls that are of different races and pictures of children with different disabilities, races, and sexes are displayed throughout the classroom. Each day when the weather is permitting, we go outside to take a walk around the school before going to the playground. We look and listen to things that we see in nature. The shades on the three big windows in the classroom are opened so that there is a lot of natural sunlight to light up the classroom. The infants are able to play with rattles, teethers, and even a sensory table. The classroom participates in music, sensory play, dramatic play, and arts during the day. The play in the classroom is child initiated.