DRC Search Tool

Topic: Inclusive Classrooms | Category: | Subcategory: | Measures:

This article includes practical, supportive behavior strategies for children on the autism spectrum. While written for parents, many of the strategies can be adapted for the classroom setting and can even help children without autism who have challenging behaviors. Program staff can begin practicing these strategies to support inclusive classrooms.

Topic: Family Education and Involvement | Category: | Subcategory: | Measures:

Head Start’s Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC) offers strategies practitioners can create a relationship-based culture supporting family engagement. Practitioners will further build their knowledge in making successful, collaborative program staff and family partnerships.

Topic: Curriculum | Category: Category 3: Program Administration | Subcategory: Category 3: Program Management | Measures: P-PM-03: Curriculum

The CIRCLE Pre-K Curriculum supports the cognitive, social, and emotional development of pre-K children. Professional development resources such as video tutorials, lesson plan templates, and the teacher’s manual act as curriculum planning supports for weekly planning and instruction. This research-based curriculum and its resources are freely available to early learning programs through CLI Engage.

Topic: Inclusive Classrooms | Category: Category 3: Program Administration | Subcategory: Category 3: Program Management | Measures: S-PM-01: Accommodating Families and Children

Here is an exemplary written policy outlining how a program supports families and children who may need additional accommodations. Program leaders can include similar policies in the program’s family handbook as evidence of programmatic processes and classroom accommodations for families and children to include home language, differing abilities, and/or cultural backgrounds. This sample is available in English and Spanish.

Topic: Indoor Learning Environments | Category: | Subcategory: | Measures:

Program staff can use this online module by the Vanderbilt IRIS Center to learn about how to accommodate children with visual disabilities in a physical learning environment by becoming familiar with common devices used, techniques on how to guide children and tips for setting up the classroom.

Topic: | Category: Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions | Subcategory: Category 2: Language Facilitation and Support | Measures: P-LFS-05: Uses Descriptive Language

This publication from WGBH Educational Foundation gives suggestions on how to use songs to label concepts and to narrate the actions children may take. Using songs to label actions and concepts build children’s vocabulary so they are more likely to use those same words when communicating with others.

Topic: | Category: Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions | Subcategory: Category 2: Play-Based Interactions and Guidance | Measures: P-PBIG-01: Supports a Playful Attitude

Action Songs, a publication created by Massachusetts Dept. of Early Education and Care, gives teachers suggestions of how they can support a playful attitude. The reader will read about how they can engage toddlers in repetitious songs which are fun but also help with vocabulary expansion.

Topic: | Category: Category 3: Program Administration | Subcategory: Category 3: Family Education | Measures: P-FE-02: Resources on Growth and Development

PBS Kids for Parents has a variety of crafts, experiments, and learning activities for families to do at home with their children. Families can filter this free activity collection by age, topics, and their child’s favorite PBS television show.

Topic: Inclusive Classrooms | Category: | Subcategory: | Measures:

This article includes tips for small changes to teaching and classroom setup that go a long way in supporting children with special needs. It also includes links to additional recommendations that help programs meet the needs of children with specific types of disabilities.

Topic: Warm and Responsive Style | Category: Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions | Subcategory: Category 2: Warm and Responsive Style | Measures: P-WRS-06: Ability to Adjust Behavior

In this series of exemplar video segments, teachers showcase their ability to adjust their behavior to meet the needs, interest and abilities of infant, toddlers, preschoolers and after school children throughout the day. The teachers show no preference or rejection towards any of the children in their care.

Topic: | Category: Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions | Subcategory: Category 2: Support for Children’s Regulation | Measures: P-SCR-01: Models and Encourages Emotional Expression

Through a read-aloud, children learn how to name their and others’ feelings. Practitioners can stop during reading to encourage children to act out feelings or make connections between the book and their lives. Modeling and encouraging children to express their feelings supports their emotional development.

Topic: | Category: Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions | Subcategory: Category 2: Support for Children’s Regulation | Measures: P-SCR-02: Providing Short Explanations on Emotions

While participating in a read-aloud about feelings, children name feelings and talk about what makes them feel that way. If a child says “fall down” in response to a question about what makes him sad, the teacher might provide a short explanation by saying, “Jordan feels sad when he falls down.” Identifying feelings and what caused them is an important step in developing children’s self-regulation skills.

Topic: Language Facilitation and Support | Category: Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions | Subcategory: Category 2: Language Facilitation and Support | Measures: P-LFS-07: Allows for Response to Questions

In this video exemplar, the teachers pause to give the children an opportunity to respond. Some children may need more time while others may need less, so it is important for teachers to listen attentively and wait patiently while children attempt to verbally respond to questions.

Topic: Family Education and Involvement | Category: Category 3: Program Administration | Subcategory: Category 3: Family Involvement | Measures: P-FI-01: Parent Feedback

Here is a template of an annual feedback survey for families to complete. Program leaders can use a similar survey—hard copy or electronic—to provide families with the opportunity to provide structured feedback on the program, staffing, and classrooms. Download will start automatically.

Topic: Continuous Quality Improvement, Maintaining Staff Records, Staff Training Plans, Staff Qualifications and Training, Director Qualifications and Training | Category: | Subcategory: | Measures:

Use of this reflective document will support staff in identifying which future training topics (aligned with the Texas Core Competencies) would be beneficial to their professional development. This document should be used in tandem with the staff’s Annual Professional Development/Training Plan.