NAEYC Standard 1 

Promoting Child Development and Learning

Focus: The understanding of how children grow and develop across all learning domains. These include physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and language.

Rationale:

When educators understand developmental milestones and individual variation, they can create environments and experiences that meet children where they are. This supports positive behavior, emotional growth, and readiness for future learning.

Example of Standard 1

I noticed several children struggling with self-regulation during transitions. I implemented visual schedules, gave 5-minute warnings, and teach calming strategies like deep breathing. Having a daily schedule also helps promote independence by seeing what comes next without always asking. Children feel safe and secure when they have predictable routines.

ARTIFACT 1 Asking a student to move our marker within the daily routine has been really helpful when we have struggles with transitions.