1-877-614-7328 centralrrc

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2. “How can I prepare for Self Assessment Survey Submission and the Validation Visit?”

3. Staff Qualifications and Professional Development Administrator Qualifications (4 points) Staff Qualifications (7 points) Professional Development (5 points)

4. List of current staff, Administrator, Lead Teachers and Assistant Caregivers that includes name, title, classroom/site and highest degree held.

5. College transcripts or diplomas CDA certificates/renewals for each staff member Administrators- highlight 18 credit hours in ECE/CD or 3 credits in child care administration Staff with a related degree- highlight 18 credits in ECE/CD

6. Professional Development • Documented staff training for annual licensing year. • Suggested Record Keeping Tools: • Michigan Child Care and Education Professional Development Record • Excel Spreadsheet • Information can be downloaded from CONNECT • Include Staff person’s name, title of training, date of training, number of hours of training. • List session titles attended at conferences and length of session- not just name of conference and total number of hours spent at the conference. Copy of conference program, registration, name badge, certificate. • 3 hours of inclusion or cultural competence training can be listed with training, but highlighted. If title is not obvious include course outline, description, or syllabus.

7. Sample Excel Spread Sheet

9. Other Staffing- Bonus Points • If the Program Administrator has a graduate degree in ECE/CD or related field then the information can be obtained from the administrator’s qualifications already collected. • OR • If the program works at least monthly with an early childhood specialist with a graduate degree in ECE/CD or related field: • A letter from the Specialist documenting relationship • Copy of the Early Childhood Specialist’s resume • Keep a record of when you have phone/email contact with the Specialist or they conduct a site visit. Include date, type of interaction (email, phone, face-to-face) and focus of consultation

11. Family and Community Partnerships Family Partnerships (4 points) Community Partnerships (4 points)

12. Program provides parenting education opportunities Offered by other entity- announcements/flyers of training opportunities, info posted on bulletin board, sent home to parents, included in newsletter, posted on website or Facebook page Offered by program- announcements, flyers, invitations, agenda, sign in sheets.

13. Classroom staff engages in informal communication with parents Explain how staff communicates on a daily basis with parents about their child’s day Common conversations at drop off and pick up Daily information about their child that may be posted on white boards or bulletin boards Daily sheets or logs

14. Program provides formal communication to inform parents of children’s developmental progress Examples of how your program keeps parents informed about their child’s development. Evidence of parent teacher conferences- announcements, newsletter, parent handbook, letter sent home, sign-up sheet, attendance sheet, parent acknowledgement. Evidence of home visits- schedule, info shared, checklist, staff travel logs, parent handbook. Other evidence- daily sheets, parent/teacher communication notebook, ouch report, parent letters/notes/emails, Thought You Might Like to Know.

15. Communication, education, and informational materials and opportunities for families are delivered in a way that meets their diverse needs • Explain how your program meets the different and/or cultural needs of families when providing materials and opportunities for furthering education and providing information. • Language • Literacy Level • Cultural Awareness • Modes of Communication • Sample of a letter or information translated, list of resources and/or individuals that can help with translating.

16. Opportunities for parents to participate in program governance • Information on parent advisory board or parent policy council • Agendas • Meeting minutes • Calendar of scheduled meetings • Invitations or announcement sent to families • Meeting sign-in sheets • Information on parent advisory board in parent handbook or newsletter

17. Opportunities for parents to participate in education inside and outside the classroom Inside the classroom- information in parent handbook or newsletter about parent volunteers, volunteer sign up or sign in sheets, photos of parents in the classroom. Outside the classroom- examples of learning activities that are sent home, an activity calendar, parent/child activity ideas that may be posted in a newsletter, on Facebook or the program’s website.

18. Partnerships to provide or connect families to appropriate comprehensive services • Resource binder or file with flyers, pamphlets or brochures to organizations and services • Resources posted on parent bulletin board or in a parent resource library • Resources posted on the program’s website with links • Tracking sheet of referrals made, including following up with the family and/or organization to make sure the matter was addressed • Formal partnership agreements with agencies and organizations • Email trail where a program has demonstrated that they have connected with a community agency to support a family with a particular need

19. Basic steps to facilitate children’s transition between and among programs, agencies and schools • List of area schools families are referred to • Kindergarten round-up information that is shared with families • Kindergarten transition informational parent meetings • Field trips to visit schools • Letter documenting partnerships with schools • Letter documenting partnerships with other agencies that support children’s transitions

20. Participation in community associations • Documentation of program participation in early childhood networks and committees- • NAEYC and local AEYC affiliate • Child Connect for Family Success • Director’s meetings • Provider support groups • Great Start CollaborativeAdvisory Council • Local community early childhood education committees and advisory boards

21. Administration and Management Administration and Management (6 points)

22. Written Personnel Policies and Procedures Copy of an employee or staff handbook Tip: Have an extra copy that you can give the Assessment Specialist to take with them.

23. Staff evaluations and individual professional development plans for each staff member • Copy of completed staff evaluation • Copy of completed professional development plan • Be prepared to explain how staff is evaluated and how individual professional development plans are created Tip: Black out names to protect privacy

24. Flexible benefit plan that may include health, tuition assistance, etc. for all staff Paid leave time for all full time employees which may include holiday, vacation, educational leave, and/or sick time Documentation of benefits- may be found in employee handbook, employee contracts or employee benefits package

25. Documented, graduated salary scale for staff that takes into account education and experience

26. Environment Physical Environment (2 points) Ratios (2 points) Health Environment (4 points)

27. Program is in a physical location that is free of environmental risks Assessment Specialist will conduct a walkthrough of facility to observe the environment Copy of recent licensing environmental health and fire inspection reports

28. Program demonstrates that it has smaller group size and better teacher: child ratio than required by licensing • License report • Enrollment data • Child attendance sheets • Staff schedules • Assessment Specialist may physically count heads in each classroom during a walkthrough of the facility

29. A nutritional plan, reviewed by a dietician or nutritionist • Meal plans/menus that have been reviewed and signed off on by a registered dietician • Examples of changes made to menu based on dietician’s recommendations • Name and credentials of registered dietician/nutritionist • Letter agreement from registered dietician/nutritionist • Parent letter/information with guidelines and recommendations that has been reviewed by nutritionist

30. 30 minutes of every three hours dedicated to active outdoor time, with appropriate indoor physical activities available when weather prohibits outdoor play • Daily schedule with evidence of outdoor time including infants • Provide hours of operation • Explain what happens when children can’t go outside, describe equipment and activities, show large motor room or area • TIP- Use this formula to calculate number of minutes • Hours of operation times 30 divided by 3 =total number of minutes that should be spent outside daily. I.E. 8 x 30 / 3 = 80 minutes of active outside time daily

31. Provisions for reviewing and updating health records according to the most recent Early, Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Schedule for infants, and reviewing and updating records for toddlers and older children annually

32. Sample copy of child health records documenting immunizations and physicals • Health appraisal form • Spreadsheet or other record keeping software Baby well visits for infants at: 1 month 2 months 4 months 6 months 8 months 12 months 15 months 18 months 24 months 30 months

34. Process for observing each child’s health and development on a daily basis and communicating observations to the child’s family, other caregivers, and to specialized staff, with recommendations for family to seek medical opinions as necessary • Explain process for observing children’s health and development each day • How is it documented: daily health check form, classroom notebook, daily sheets • Explain the steps staff would take if a medical problem was observed (a child becomes ill)

35. A regular oral care routine, including tooth brushing and/or gum wiping (for infants) at least once per day • Posted on classroom daily schedules • Procedures for tooth brushing and/or gum wiping posted in classrooms • Information on tooth brushing and/or gum wiping in parent handbook

36. Curriculum and Instruction Curriculum (4 points) Screening and Assessment (6 points) Consistent Caregiving (2 points)

37. A statement of educational and developmental priorities for the children. • Copy of program’s : • Mission statement • Statement of philosophy • Values • Goals Documentation may be found in parent or employee handbook, in program brochure or other printed materials.

38. A routine daily schedule that is predictable yet flexible; includes time for transition; includes indoor and outdoor activities and is responsive to each child’s need to be active or resting. A copy of daily schedules for each classroom

39. An approved curriculum Name of curriculum used by the program Evidence- copy of curriculum materials, photo copy of front page, written information about curriculum in parent handbook Approved= developmentally appropriate, research based & aligns with Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Pre K If the curriculum your program uses is not on the list of approved curriculums then the program must provide evidence that the curriculum is developmentally appropriate, research based and aligns with the Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Pre K

40. A written plan for integrating policies, procedures and practices that reflects a respect and valuing of children’s culture and demonstrates cultural competence Copy of a written cultural plan Documentation may be found in parent or employee handbook

42. A written plan for serving children with special needs Copy of written special needs plan

44. Staff discusses anecdotal notes/observations as a basis for working with each child Examples from each classroom of anecdotal notes/observations, child folders, running record, classroom notebooks Explain how staff plan for each child using anecdotal notes/observations

45. Complete annual developmental screening (self or outside entity) • Example of screening tool used and explain frequency • Copy of completed screenings • Documentation that screenings are completed for all ages and in all classrooms • Screening timeline or plan for scheduling screenings Tip: Black out name on completed screenings to protect privacy

46. Uses an approved child assessment tool at least two times a year • Example of assessment tool used and explain frequency • Copy of completed assessments • Documentation that assessments are completed for all ages and in all classrooms • Assessment timeline or plan for scheduling assessments • Written information on assessments in parent and/or employee handbook Approved= developmentally appropriate, research based & aligns with Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Pre K Tip: Black out name on completed assessments to protect privacy

47. Uses child assessment results in parent-teacher conferences at least two times per year • Evidence of parent-teacher conferences conducted for all ages in all classrooms: • Newsletter • Parent handbook • Parent letter • Sign-up sheet • Sign-in sheet • Evidence that assessment results are shared with parents: • Statement of receipt signed by parent • Checklist of what is shared with parents at conferences • Sample child portfolio

48. Uses assessment to inform individual, small group, and whole group instruction and interaction • Examples and evidence of how observations and assessments are used for planning by staff • Child Assessment Planning Form • Lesson Plans • Notes from staff planning meetings • Explain any other ways staff use child assessment results and how they are used for planning.

50. Although this isn’t an “approved” tool, within the Self Assessment Survey you can indicate ‘Other’. This resource provides a simple checklist that could be used to screen/assess. This information can be used to plan activities to meet the child’s needs. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/MilestonesChecklists.pdf