Pre-K CLASS, Parts I and II Sylvia Kennedy-Godin May 19, 2020

This is a two-part training, applicable for classrooms/programs with children ages 3-5 years. Part I and Part II are both required to earn professional development credit. Many early childhood programs in Vermont now use the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) to support professional growth, improve their practice, and positively impact child outcomes. CLASS is a structured tool based on measurable observations of teacher and child interactions, and interactions between children, during a typical day. Assessors use a 1 – 7 Likert scale to assign a rating based on the frequency, duration, and intensity of the strategies they observe, while referencing the appropriate CLASS manual for each age group. Participants in this overview of the Pre-K CLASS strategies will identify how effective teacher-child interactions help: foster a secure, supportive base for the learning and exploration of children 3 to 5 years of age; emphasize children’s interests, motivations, and points of view; maximize learning opportunities and engage children with a variety of modalities and materials; help children 3 to 5 years of age develop language and cognitive skills. Part I will address the first two Pre-K CLASS domains: Emotional Support and Classroom Organization. Part II will address the third Pre-K CLASS domain: Instructional Support.