As I reflect back on the Module it is important that a Child Care Provider applies appropriate practices: Having knowledge of child development and learning what is individually appropriate and knowing what is culturally appropriate.
In the area of safety you should make sure that there is a checklist available and that a walk thru is completed every day, checking that outlets are covered, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order and that there are no hazardous materials around or tools that can be potentially harmful for a child.
In making sure that the proper environment is set-up, your focus should be in the area of Child Centered making sure that you have the correct size furnishing for teacher, student/child and they are accessible by age group. In your daycare setting children should have an appropriate amount of supplies in the different areas of building, housekeeping, reading, science and physical mobility. When it comes to supplies a caregiver should consider a child’s age.
In the area of Cultural Relevance it is important to create an environment that is welcoming with the child and their families and being culturally aware. Families need to be able to express any concerns or ideas they may have. I will be implementing within my Day Care space culturally appropriate materials and make them available to all. Some culturally aware projects would be sharing things from home like pictures to show how different each of us are and being comfortable communicating. One of the ways in which I can show a diverse environment would be to have a collage of all the children.
Children love to explore, therefore it is imperative that they have a sufficient amount of space set-up. During the Module it showed you how to manage a large space as well as a small space and how to go about making it friendly for every child. It was shown how to utilize your outdoors space and the tools that could be used for the children to explore and that everything can be a learning experience.
As I reflect on my actual space I realize that there is so much more that can be done with space. Buying furniture that can be easily moved. Using containers allows the children to be able to get the item of their choice and knowing exactly where to place it when he/she is done. It is important to create an area where the children can move freely. It is very important to keep things organized in an orderly fashion.