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Center Observation

Anesa M Newell-Bowles

Germanna College
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Classroom Observation

The goal of this narrative is to observe the different aspects of a childcare center. This

includes the physical environment, organization and administration, staff, and other important

spectrums that are important to run a center. The center I chose to observe was a center that has

three programs: Early Head Start, Head Start and a Day care program. There is one director over

all three programs and two supervisors under the director. The center is in a low-income

neighborhood where an old school used to be. There are eight head start classes and ten early

head start classes. All these classes function off the high scope curriculum. I will explain the high

scope curriculum later.

Let’s begin with the physical environment since that is the first thing that you notice

before you enter the center. Traveling to the center you realize that the neighborhood that it is in

is a low-income area. There are run down houses, empty lots and it looks kind of desolate. This

does not take away from the atmosphere of the center in no way possible. There are two

entrances; an upstairs entrance and a downstairs entrance with two parking lots. When you come

in the doors there is a front desk. The secretary is very helpful and ID’s you before you can enter

the building. She asks you what your purpose is or who you are here to see and then she verifies

this information with the higher ups or the requested person.

Upon entering the building, the first thing that you notice is that there is a board with

children’s artwork. The building is greatly lit and there is an information board that gives details

about resources for homelessness, foster care and adoption and even job offers from both the

center and outside organizations. The facility is clean, and the janitor is on hand to help

whenever necessary. Some of the classrooms were tidy, a bit too tidy as if children were only

allowed to play with certain materials. For the most part, the head start classrooms were arranged
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in a similar fashion with similar furniture. There were high shelves which made it somewhat hard

to observe the children from a distance, but all materials were available to the children. The

artwork displayed throughout the hallways and classrooms were amazing. You were able to see

the levels of development through out each age group as you walked down the hallway. It was

refreshing.

The head start program is open from 7:00am-3:15pm. The day care program is open from

6:00am-7:00pm and the early head start program is open from 7:00am-5:00pm. Each program

overlaps each other so that there is available care for all children. The head start program is

funded by government and federal subsidies which makes it available for low income families.

The families can also access the day care program if they are on TANF, Section 8 or other

programs. They are also able to self-pay if necessary. The building is accessible to handicap

people and the school does serve children with special needs. The teacher to staff ratio depends

on the age of the children in the classroom. The class with 3-4-year old has a ratio of 1-10. The

class with 1-2-year old has a 1-4 ratio.

The child to staff ratio is determined by licensing. This ratio is determined by the

measurements of the classroom and the how many children can safely fit inside of the classroom.

The classroom that I observed had 3-year old’s and there were two teachers with 18 children.

That means that each teacher could be alone with 9 children. The class was working on the

discussion of the first thanksgiving. The teacher told the children how the first thanksgiving

came about and then ask the children to recall what they knew about thanksgiving. When the

children would raise their hand, the teacher would pick on them and listen to what they had to

say. This was even if the child’s comment was not on task. What I did not see a lot of was

flexibility in this classroom. When the children became off topic, the teacher lost control and
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could not reel them back in. Teachers record and take observations using a program called COR

advance.

I decided to ask management about Professional development so that I could get all my

questions answered at once. In order to be a teacher, you must at least have an associate degree.

The teacher’s in the head start program has their associates or CDA. Some teachers are currently

furthering their education. There are also ongoing trainings that encourage professionals to

ensure that the best practices are used. The center has an open-door policy that allows the parents

to remain involve with their children. They can come and have breakfast and lunch with their

children. They can volunteer in the classroom (with the proper paperwork such as fingerprinting

and background checks). Parents can also apply to work in the center if they need employment.

Family service workers work on goals with the parents and provide resources to help them

achieve these goals such as going to school, finding employment and things of that nature.

Overall, the center had a good atmosphere. The curriculum that is being used is flexible

and allows for change if necessary. The children have the freedom to choose what it is they

would like to do and have access of all the materials. There are teachers who bring in outside

materials to enhance the learning experiences and some who stick to the basics. Some of the

teachers can benefit from the ongoing training that continues to be offered. There was only one

manager who would walk around and visit the classroom to check on the staff. The teachers

stated that this is the only person that they see unless something goes wrong. I think that there

could’ve been visits from the other supervisors to show ongoing support to boost morale.

The outdoor playground for the older children has a play area that includes some

climbing equipment with slides, there is a small basketball court with two hoops. There is an

oval shape concrete form where the children ride tricycles. There is always room for
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improvement and the program holds a policy council meeting every Thursday to make sure that

they are receiving feedback from the families, staff and other professionals to improve upon

things every day.

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