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Bluemoon5 10:37 AM 04-09-2019
I'm looking for some developmentally appropriate and realistic expectations for one to one and a half year olds in group care.

Long story short I'm having issues with my assistants. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what my group can/can't do but now I'm starting to doubt. My one assistant tends to get very frustrated with the kids for things I feel they are learning to do/not do, but don't expect them to fully understand yet. I hope that makes sense.

For example, I don't expect them to sit for circle. We do a quick circle with a few books and songs and I encourage everyone to join us but if they get up and run off, that's fine. I expect them to sit at the table for lunch/snack, but I don't expect them to sit still as statues facing forward and eat without making a mess. I expect them to dump toys. And then walk away and come back and do it again. This drives my assistant batty. She can't stand when they do it and freaks out over it, no matter how many times I say it's fine.

Any thoughts/suggestions? What do you expect your one year olds to do/not do?
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Cat Herder 10:51 AM 04-09-2019
Updated DAP books and training may help your assistants better understand the goals. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/DAP/resources


Expectations change quickly, especially if you are a QRIS rated program.
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Indoorvoice 11:02 AM 04-09-2019
Originally Posted by Bluemoon5:
I'm looking for some developmentally appropriate and realistic expectations for one to one and a half year olds in group care.

Long story short I'm having issues with my assistants. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what my group can/can't do but now I'm starting to doubt. My one assistant tends to get very frustrated with the kids for things I feel they are learning to do/not do, but don't expect them to fully understand yet. I hope that makes sense.

For example, I don't expect them to sit for circle. We do a quick circle with a few books and songs and I encourage everyone to join us but if they get up and run off, that's fine. I expect them to sit at the table for lunch/snack, but I don't expect them to sit still as statues facing forward and eat without making a mess. I expect them to dump toys. And then walk away and come back and do it again. This drives my assistant batty. She can't stand when they do it and freaks out over it, no matter how many times I say it's fine.

Any thoughts/suggestions? What do you expect your one year olds to do/not do?
I think your expectations are on point. One year old behaviors can be frustrating but that doesn't mean they are bad or intentionally being naughty. Definitely grab some articles online for your assistant to read!
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Ariana 11:13 AM 04-09-2019
I have similar expectations for circle time but there is a big difference between 12 months and 18 months in my experience. Someone at 18 months should be interested in circle time and I am actively encouraging them to join. A 12 month old not so much.

Sitting at the table is also the same as you. They talk, laugh and enjoy eating.

Dumping toys and making a mess, again I have more expectstions for an 18 month old than a 12 month old. When that expectation comes into play depends on the child but at around 16-18 months they do begin to learn rules like keeping the playdoh and sensory filler in the bin or on the table and picking up toys. Lots of positive reinforcement. That is how they learn rules.
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nannyde 12:30 PM 04-09-2019
I'm with you on everything but dumping. I know dumping is age appropriate but I would rather they get their dump on at home. I don't want to pay a staff assistant to pick up, direct pick up, or put back together a puzzle or whatever the kid dumped.

For that age group I didn't make available anything that could be dumped. Every toy is in a container that the child must pull out each toy one by one.

Dumping is a flickering mind act. It's low skill high excitement for a split second. The value of it for development is really low considering it can be done by a young infant all the way to adulthood. There's little value in practicing it in a setting where an adult is paid to put the dump back together. Better to get their dump on with equipment like sand tables or water tables where their dump doesn't require an adult to pick up and reset the dump.

I've never in my 30 year career met a kid who couldn't dump at age six to nine months up. Rest assured that skill set is there and that practicing it at daycare won't increase their skill set.
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nannyde 12:39 PM 04-09-2019
https://www.daycare.com/forum/showth...hlight=dumping

post 13 dumping story
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Mom2Two 02:03 PM 04-09-2019
I'm trying to visualize the whole situation. How many kids are in the program and how many assistants? Are your 12-18 mth olds in their own room with their own teacher?

Overall, it sounds like your assistant needs some training...and guidance with the age group.

I'm only licensed for 8 with 2 < 2 yrs, so I only ever have one or maybe two children in that age group. I have a 16 mth old right now.

I don't do circle time--I just have an open, exploration-type environment. If we do any kind of structured activity, the kids who are around 24 mths or younger just kinda do their own thing or join in as as they wish.

I find that kids in the 12-18 mth age range who can walk tend to want to just hang with the older kids. They all seem to instinctively want to learn from older kids.

I don't really monitor dumping, but toys that have smaller pieces that I don't want to lose (like cardboard puzzles) are kept away from littles and are just for older kids at nap time.
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Bluemoon5 02:08 PM 04-09-2019
Thanks everyone. That helps.

Originally Posted by Ariana:
I have similar expectations for circle time but there is a big difference between 12 months and 18 months in my experience.
I think this may be part of the problem. We had an older class for awhile, but now we're back to having mostly under 15 months. I've mentioned it a few times but I think I need to reiterate that expectations change as the ages change.

Originally Posted by nannyde:

For that age group I didn't make available anything that could be dumped. Every toy is in a container that the child must pull out each toy one by one.
May I ask what kind of containers you use? I'm intrigued. Our containers are just rectangular bucket style so even if they are just pulling it out to get a toy half the time it ends up on the floor. To be perfectly honest I agree with what you said about dumping and would rather they not dump, but at this point it's not something I'm willing to go to battle over. All our "dumpable" toys are on two shelves facing each other across a smallish rug. There aren't that many toys in each bin so even if everything is dumped it takes less than a minute to toss everything back together.

I guess part of it is I'm fine with toys being on the floor while they're playing. We can clean up when we move on to a new activity but I just don't see the need to compulsively throw toys back in their containers every time they hit the floor.
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Bluemoon5 02:22 PM 04-09-2019
Originally Posted by Mom2Two:
I'm trying to visualize the whole situation. How many kids are in the program and how many assistants? Are your 12-18 mth olds in their own room with their own teacher?

Overall, it sounds like your assistant needs some training...and guidance with the age group.

I'm only licensed for 8 with 2 < 2 yrs, so I only ever have one or maybe two children in that age group. I have a 16 mth old right now.

I don't do circle time--I just have an open, exploration-type environment. If we do any kind of structured activity, the kids who are around 24 mths or younger just kinda do their own thing or join in as as they wish.

I find that kids in the 12-18 mth age range who can walk tend to want to just hang with the older kids. They all seem to instinctively want to learn from older kids.

I don't really monitor dumping, but toys that have smaller pieces that I don't want to lose (like cardboard puzzles) are kept away from littles and are just for older kids at nap time.
Sorry, I should have clarified. I'm in a center. 12 kids, 12-18ish months, myself and two assistants. I agree about the training, but I feel that is mostly the office's responsibility.
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ColorfulSunburst 06:22 PM 04-09-2019
During circle time my infants sit in "high" chairs (up to 10 mins). During that time we introduce them animals and sounds they make, colors, shapes, parts of the human body, asking to follow our directions (such as touch your nose, put your hand in front of you, put your hand up, clap your hands, wiggle your fingers, pound your fists...), then they leave their chairs and dance with action songs and then they are free to go. One assistant can do circle time with 4-6 infants without any problems. Even more - all of them like their circle time and run to their chairs for it.
While my assistant works with infants I work with toddlers.
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ColorfulSunburst 06:28 PM 04-09-2019
https://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Conve...y&sr=8-46&th=1

it is a chair that we use
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CeriBear 05:18 AM 04-10-2019
Has your assistant had experience working with young toddlers? It sounds like she is expecting too much of them. As others have said there is a big difference in a child who is 13 months than one who is 18 months.
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Papa 10:49 AM 05-02-2019
I am one of those assistance people. My wife and I go round and round about this. Now when a baby is say 6months old a parent starts to teach the child to walk doing everything they can as they want it to walk before one. They are happ as ever when this happens then they hand feed for a while and start to teach it to use the spoon on its own. Then they are happy. And so on now when they get something out like my kids I teach them to put it back when done and I teach them to sit in a group and stay together and so on. It makes me crazy when a parent starts making excuses for everything they do wrong that they are to young to kno. Well they forget what they were able to teach them befor they could even talk. Come on I think you have to teach and keep teaching and not let them get to the point where they get away with things because parent make excuses... they get out of control then parents come and say I couldn’t get them to put there shoes on cause they didn’t want to. I have two 1.5 year out DCGs that after nap they get there pillow cases out put there blankets in and pillows and take them into the towy room and put them away. It can be done and those kids have more respect in them selfs and us
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Cat Herder 11:04 AM 05-02-2019
Originally Posted by Bluemoon5:
Sorry, I should have clarified. I'm in a center. 12 kids, 12-18ish months, myself and two assistants. I agree about the training, but I feel that is mostly the office's responsibility.
As a Lead, I would expect that training your assistants on how you want your classroom run would be your responsibility. Keeping up with their mandatory hours, background checks, pay, vacation, meal counts, supply requisition and state paperwork is the front office's responsibility.

I was front office once upon a time.
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Bluemoon5 11:40 AM 05-02-2019
Originally Posted by Cat Herder:
As a Lead, I would expect that training your assistants on how you want your classroom run would be your responsibility. Keeping up with their mandatory hours, background checks, pay, vacation, meal counts, supply requisition and state paperwork is the front office's responsibility.

I was front office once upon a time.
Thanks for that perspective. Being a leader in my room is the thing I struggle with the most. Being with the kids and writing lesson plans comes naturally; telling other adults what to do does not. I'm working on it and am better than I used to be.
I'm fine with training assistants in our classroom routines, school guidelines, things like that. I just felt that this particular person was failing to grasp basic developmentally appropriate handling of the kids no matter what I said. I felt I wasn't getting any support from the office and was just in a really frustrating position.
Anyway, that teacher is no longer with me. I have a new assistant and am starting things off right. I'm making sure to lay out all my expectations up front. She seems much more receptive. The whole vibe in the room is much happier.
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Cat Herder 12:08 PM 05-02-2019
That is awesome to hear.

I hope it stays that way, once you have a good fit this job can actually be fulfilling.
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Tags:dap, developmentally appropriate practice, qris, race to the top
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