Assessments & Screenings
When a child enrolls in WACCC we aim to obtain a general sense of his or her development across a range of abilities (for example, physical coordination, everyday practical or adaptive skills, language, reasoning, memory, social behavior, and behavioral control). This information will help us evaluate changes to curriculum or classroom practices, be used to better understand each child, be shared with families during parent conferences or as deemed necessary, and used to make referrals to outside agencies for additional support if needed.
Children mature at very different rates. Earlier or later development of specific abilities usually does not reflect a child’s overall abilities or predict how well or poorly a child will do later in school, except in extreme cases. Typically, a child shows a range of developmental “ages,” depending on the task. These tasks will not be used to “track” children or exclude them from our program. They may help teacher’s provide an optimal level of comfortable challenge for each child within the classroom.
Many of the child’s current capacities will be assessed through questionnaires that parent’s or guardian’s complete, or through teacher observations. The following are current assessment/observations done at Winsted Area Child Care Center:
Formal assessments are done upon enrollment, starting after your child’s 30th day of enrollment and completed by the 45th day of enrollment. This same time frame also applies when your child changes programs (i.e. moves from toddlers to preschool) or changes classrooms (i.e. moves from Preschool 1 to Preschool 3). ELDS/DOTS observations are ongoing throughout the year. See above for specific screening schedule for each assessment. Families are strongly encouraged to communicate with teachers to decide the best type of assessments, how, and when they are completed to best meet the needs of each individual child.
Each child will have a file in their classroom which holds basic information, assessments, and observations. This information is confidential and will be kept in a safe place in your child’s classroom. Information will only be shared with the legal guardian, administration, or other persons/agencies with written permission from the guardian.
All children will be assessed by a teacher they are familiar with in an environment they are comfortable (i.e. in the classroom, during play, outside, etc.). Through teacher’s daily involvement with your child, they will keep anecdotal notes on the progress and development of your child. All staff are trained in administration and interpretation of the assessments at the time of employment. Support is always available for teachers through our Education Manager, Educational Consultant, Mental Health Consultant, and School Readiness Liaison.
Based upon teacher knowledge of child development, their observations, and parent-teacher completed assessments, you will have the chance to participate in a formal parent conferences at least twice a year or as deemed necessary. Throughout the year informal conferencing by telephone or email is also recommended as an effective way to develop a positive partnership with teachers and to build a mutual understanding of each child. Staff will always be respectful of family values, beliefs, and culture when discussing your child’s assessments. If there is a language barrier, please let us know so we can have a translator available.
Assessment, screening, and observation results may lead to referrals to outside agencies or the public school system. There may be times that we are required by an outside source (school system, social worker, etc.) to prepare a written document of our observations on your child. Teacher’s daily observations, anecdotal notes, and assessments will assist them with this expectation. It is policy that teachers must confer with the Education Manager or the Executive Director if this type of request does occur. A release from the parent or guardian must be provided before any information can be shared with outside sources.
Observation and Assessment tools utilized by WACCC will be reviewed annually by program administration, consultants, and the School Readiness liaison. If at any time, parents have recommendations to improve or tweak the collection of information, process, or tools used please speak with either the Education Manager or Executive Director.
Children mature at very different rates. Earlier or later development of specific abilities usually does not reflect a child’s overall abilities or predict how well or poorly a child will do later in school, except in extreme cases. Typically, a child shows a range of developmental “ages,” depending on the task. These tasks will not be used to “track” children or exclude them from our program. They may help teacher’s provide an optimal level of comfortable challenge for each child within the classroom.
Many of the child’s current capacities will be assessed through questionnaires that parent’s or guardian’s complete, or through teacher observations. The following are current assessment/observations done at Winsted Area Child Care Center:
- Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) – A parent completed, child monitoring System (Bricker & Squires, 1999) is a widely used screening tool designed to assist with the developmental monitoring of infants and young children during the crucial first 5 years of life. The ASQ is a tool that is used to determine if your child’s development is on schedule and looks at the level of development that is expected for a certain age rage. (Infant & Toddler – completed at initial enrollment, each new age benchmark, and as deemed necessary by outcome of assessment. May be used for Preschool as necessary)
- Ages & Stages Questionnaires Social Emotional (ASQ-SE) – A parent completed, in-depth screening of children’s social-emotional development in seven key areas: self-regulation, compliance, communication, adaptive functioning, autonomy, affect, and interaction with people. (Infant & Toddler – completed at initial enrollment, each new age benchmark, and as deemed necessary by outcome of assessment. May be used for Preschool as necessary)
- Early Screening Inventory (ESI) – A survey of child’s motor development (small and large muscle), speech and language skills, cognitive skills, and personal/social/emotional development. Observation of your child’s developmental progress continues throughout the year. (Preschool – completed at initial enrollment, 3 years, 4 years, and as deemed necessary by outcome of assessment)
- Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Screening (DECA) – Teacher and Parent screening of child temperament which looks at attachment, self-control, initiative, and behavioral concerns. (Preschool – completed at initial enrollment, 3 years, 4 years, and as deemed necessary by outcome of assessment)
- CT Documentation and Observation for Teaching System (CT DOTS) & Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards/Observations (ELDS) – Measures the progress of students and the effectiveness of the curriculum. This is an ongoing evaluation tool utilized by program staff. When planning their lessons, program staff refers to the ELDS standards and utilize them in their teaching. As the children learn to accomplish these said tasks, it is documented. Observations are ongoing throughout the year. The DOTS summarizes the information collected over time at various points during the year in order to review, reflect, and communicate about children’s learning and development. (Infant, Toddler, and Preschool – progress on ongoing observations will be checked three times per year in November, February, and May)
Formal assessments are done upon enrollment, starting after your child’s 30th day of enrollment and completed by the 45th day of enrollment. This same time frame also applies when your child changes programs (i.e. moves from toddlers to preschool) or changes classrooms (i.e. moves from Preschool 1 to Preschool 3). ELDS/DOTS observations are ongoing throughout the year. See above for specific screening schedule for each assessment. Families are strongly encouraged to communicate with teachers to decide the best type of assessments, how, and when they are completed to best meet the needs of each individual child.
Each child will have a file in their classroom which holds basic information, assessments, and observations. This information is confidential and will be kept in a safe place in your child’s classroom. Information will only be shared with the legal guardian, administration, or other persons/agencies with written permission from the guardian.
All children will be assessed by a teacher they are familiar with in an environment they are comfortable (i.e. in the classroom, during play, outside, etc.). Through teacher’s daily involvement with your child, they will keep anecdotal notes on the progress and development of your child. All staff are trained in administration and interpretation of the assessments at the time of employment. Support is always available for teachers through our Education Manager, Educational Consultant, Mental Health Consultant, and School Readiness Liaison.
Based upon teacher knowledge of child development, their observations, and parent-teacher completed assessments, you will have the chance to participate in a formal parent conferences at least twice a year or as deemed necessary. Throughout the year informal conferencing by telephone or email is also recommended as an effective way to develop a positive partnership with teachers and to build a mutual understanding of each child. Staff will always be respectful of family values, beliefs, and culture when discussing your child’s assessments. If there is a language barrier, please let us know so we can have a translator available.
Assessment, screening, and observation results may lead to referrals to outside agencies or the public school system. There may be times that we are required by an outside source (school system, social worker, etc.) to prepare a written document of our observations on your child. Teacher’s daily observations, anecdotal notes, and assessments will assist them with this expectation. It is policy that teachers must confer with the Education Manager or the Executive Director if this type of request does occur. A release from the parent or guardian must be provided before any information can be shared with outside sources.
Observation and Assessment tools utilized by WACCC will be reviewed annually by program administration, consultants, and the School Readiness liaison. If at any time, parents have recommendations to improve or tweak the collection of information, process, or tools used please speak with either the Education Manager or Executive Director.