Bobbi Philson The authors of the Environment Rating Scales assess the safety of playgrounds using information from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The information is condensed and easily understandable in the document Playground Information to Use with the Environment Rating Scales, available at www.ersi.info. Click on Quick Links for one of the ERS scales...Read More

By Kitty Syster The focus on math has become increasingly important in early childhood over the past few years. Research has led the Environment Rating Scale authors to put a greater emphasis on math. The ECERS-3 scale contains 3 math items. Incorporating math into the curriculum is an important way to help children understand written...Read More

Leah Zabari Mud pies, hide and seek, climbing trees, grass stains, and ripped jeans. Oh! The fun childhood memories when freedom to explore the world through adventures and imagination went on from sun up to sundown. But sadly, with computer, TV and the push for more developmentally inappropriate academics in early childhood, these adventures seem...Read More

Lisa Mulliken The display in any early childhood classroom is an important part of a thoughtfully prepared learning environment and provides insight into the children and teachers who spend their day there and their current interests and themes. In a developmentally appropriate classroom, many current examples of easily visible, child-created display are observed. Children’s drawings...Read More

Stefanie Camoni Summary reports provide a snapshot of what occurs in the classroom on a typical day. They include objective information about what was observed and provide areas for improvement. After the ERS window ends, those reports are completed and sent to the program. Hopefully you read them, share them with your staff, and address...Read More

Natalie Grebe Imagine walking into a classroom and observing the children moving seamlessly from one activity to the next. No temper tantrums, no challenging behaviors. It’s as if the children practiced how they were going to behave before you arrived. This teacher is good, you’d think. You would bet she has a group of easy...Read More

Angel Avery-Wright Sometimes when assessors reach a center, it is easy to find. There is a big sign out front and the door to enter is clearly visible. Other times when the assessor arrives, she has no idea which building she should be heading toward or which door she should enter. Listed below are a...Read More

By Barbara Bredell-Searle The words, “It is time to clean up,” are used daily in many classrooms throughout all types of Pennsylvania child care programs, yet teachers still have difficulty getting the children to CLEAN UP. One must wonder, is it because the children are having so much fun that they don’t want to stop?...Read More

Patricia Carroll There are 3 basic things we should all know about safe sleep in child care. Always, always, always remember ABC. Alone Back CribRead More

By Michelle Mallonee Long When the Program Quality Assessor provides the four-week window for your facility’s assessments, you are allowed to select up to four black-out dates (days the assessor will not show up for a visit). The assessors need to see a typical day in the classroom (what the children experience on a regular...Read More