Sheri Johnson

Program Site Visit Assessment

On Saturday October 26, 2013 I visited The Learning Tree group child care center in Eau Claire Wisconsin. They employ a total of twenty five staff members, ranging from beginners in the child care field up to the owner who carries a bachelors degree in Early Childhood. The staffs average Registry training level is ten. Its overall philosophy is that each child is an individual and they want to encourage each childs own specific social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. They believe that helping promote childrens competence and selfworth will help the child reach their full potential and become successful. On the day of my visit I observed the Bumble Bee room which accommodates children ages 24 months to 36 months, the room was being supervised by the Preschool Night Teacher. There were four children in attendance, being a Saturday; this was average attendance for this age group. The room was one large area, with shelving units that were approximately 4 feet in height used as walls for the area. The toys were arranged on the shelves for easy access for the children. Some of the shelves had picture stickers on them of the toy that was supposed to go there; I was told that some of the stickers were missing because the children tend to peel them off a lot. The childrens behavior seemed to be more active in the dramatic play area. There were two children that seemed to always be together. The teacher in the room sat right on the floor with the children and interacted with them. The area with the table seem to be the favorite, the children built a tent with some blanket over the table. The two that were always playing together kept inviting one of the other children over to play with them, but the child seemed to want to be on her own. The overall arrangement of the classroom I observed was arranged quite well. Toys were easily accessible to the children. There were enough to go around, even if a few children wanted to play with the same type of toy. There was plenty of space for the children to move freely. The only thing I noticed is that maybe

there could have been a few areas divided up to make the play areas more purposeful. There was not a designated area for children to go if they wanted individual play in the room where I was observing. The balance between quiet and active activities seemed to be lacking because it was just an open space for play. The children had a variety of different experiences available for them to participate but they seemed to jump back and forth from one activity to another often. The teacher did a great job of interacting with the children and inspiring new ways of play. Some of the storage areas seemed to be impractical; the center uses large envelopes made of construction paper and staples for the childrens hat and gloves. They are labeled with the childrens names and put on the walls of the center above the childrens hooks for their coats. It really didnt seem like a sturdy enough way to store these items and it didnt seem like enough space for them. The childrens extra clothing where stored in plastic drawers which seemed to work well but seemed a bit cluttered because these drawers were right in the entrance area by all the coat hooks. When parents first enter the daycare center, there is a reception area for parents with a front counter. Parents log their children in the computer themselves when they drop them off. The center keeps their doors locked at all times for security purposes. Each parent has an access card which allows them entrance in the center. The outdoor area was one open space for the children to play in, there was no separate area for different age groups. There was a large climbing set with a tube slide as well as some separate small climbing cubes. There was a small slide and an area with blacktop for children to ride bikes.

The Bumble Bee Room

Cars and trucks Puzzles

Blocks

Dramatic play Area

Reading Area

Science

OUTDOOR SPACE

Climbing cube

Blacktop

Climbing cube

Riding toys/ bikes

Dragonfly Room 5 yrs. 12 yrs. old

Lady Bug Room 3 yrs. - 4yrs. old

Crickets Room 12-18 months Kitchen

Bathrooms

Caterpillar Room 5 weeks5 months

Honey Bee Room 12 -24months

Sleeping Infants Room

Butterfly room 5months 12 months

Kids Coats & Extra Clothing

Bumble Bee Room

Storage

2 yrs. old 3 yrs. old

Parents sign kids in

Reception Area

Main Entrance