Documentation of Core classes Part II 2.

Capstone project

Documentation of Core classes Part II

Capstone project
Ivett Vazquez
HD 497
Pacific Oaks College

Documentation of Core classes Part II 2. Capstone project

I feel that I have met all of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Student
Learning Outcomes (SLOs) in each class that I took at Pacific Oaks College. It is very evident
that I applied everything that I learned in all of the aspects of my life and that all of my new
acquired knowledge was implemented on a daily basis. Specific examples of this can be seen in
my interactions with my family, the families that I serve and my community that I also serve. I
met the PLO and SLOs by staying current in each class and having back and forth dialogue with
my peers.
This can also be measured by the grades that I received and by the feedback that I
received from my peers as well as the teachers. Some feedback was very constructive while
others were to tell me that what I wrote influenced them in a positive manner. Ultimately
everything that I have learned throughout this Pacific Oaks journey has been put into practice
either in my personal, professional and/or academic life. My critical thinking process has
become more analytical when viewing the world around me with consideration to biases,
prejudices and privilege. I tend to speak to others with a greater passion for education as well as
an urge to help others in any way that is possible yet realistic.
In a previous class I conducted several classroom observations at a State-Funded Child
Development Center as well as two observations at a Childcare Center. My intent was to set out
and ask, then answer the question of, Is Early Childhood Education beneficial to children and
does environment make a difference? According to Beth Kanter from Parent Magazine,
Childcare centers are generally an option for working parents who need their children to be
taken care of during the day; centers accept babies as well as toddlers and are full-time, full-year

Documentation of Core classes Part II 2. Capstone project

programs. Pre-school refers to an early-childhood educational class for 3- and 4-year-olds. I

agree with Mrs Kanter in regard to the differences that differentiate the two different types of
settings. The difference between childcare and pre-school is the quality of care in an educational
setting, the intentional teaching that takes place and the education component versus solely
caring for a child.
I set out to research the differences and to prove or disprove if early education makes a
difference in a childs life and/or if it is dependent on the environment and setting. Children
who attend high-quality preschool enter Kindergarten with better pre-reading skills, richer
vocabularies, and stronger basic math skills than those who do not," says NIEER director W.
Steven Barnett, PhD. I wholeheartedly agree with his statement and although many children may
not pick up the skills mentioned above, these children still benefit from the socialization part of
the educational experience. In a pre-school setting children tend to develop a higher socioemotional independence and learn conflict resolution tactics, gain better impulse control and
learn behavioral expectations within a classroom setting due to the structure, routine and amount
of children available for children to explore these concepts with.
This is the general idea that I have concluded by observing and can personally attest to
that these results can only be achieved in a high quality educational environment. I am by no
means diminishing the impact that a childcare setting has because I know that they too serve an
important purpose in the child care field. They serve our younger population; there are not too
many State-Funded facilities that serve children under three years old. Also, there are a lot of
families out there that are considered over income and do not qualify for State-Funded programs
or subsidizes therefore need to resort to private for profit centers or childcare centers. Many of
these programs do not have to complete assessments, referrals, require staff with higher

Documentation of Core classes Part II 2. Capstone project

education and carry a higher child to teacher ratio. All of these components combined reduce, in
many instances, the quality of the educational component.
My research was conducted via case studies through classroom visits as well as a survey
that was given to the teachers. Through my observations I was able to see both aspects of a
Childcare Center and a Child Development Center. The Teachers in the Child Development
Center were very qualified and I did see a lot of great things, for example, their hand-washing
procedures, the tables and interest areas set-up for the childrens arrival, the way that the children
and parents are spoken to and received. At the Child Care Center the environment was
aesthetically pleasing but the ratios were higher, children were left unattended to tend to parents
and there was no back up or co-teacher at the time. The staff was very friendly but they had little
education and professional growth was not encouraged.
I am by no means diminishing the impact that a childcare setting has, but I am promoting
and advocating for children to be placed in quality environments with qualified and educated
Teachers that will enhance a childs development and help guide them appropriately towards the
future. As an agent of social change and someone that will eventually be an elder, I am investing
in our future by preparing our children educationally to be successful in life.
Here are a few of the questions from the survey that I conducted
1. How long have you been in the field?
2. Is this a career or a stepping stone?
3. What do you find most rewarding within your job?
4. What do you find the most difficult or challenging within your job?

Documentation of Core classes Part II 2. Capstone project

5. How do you keep current in the field?

Sample of an observation in the Child Development Center

Descriptive Field Notes

Reflective Field Notes

Classroom: CDC Ladybugs

Person/s being observed: Lead teacher &
Assistant Teacher
Date of observation: 5/15/2015
Date of reflective notes: 5/15/2015
Time: 7:15- 8:00 am
Time: 12:00 pm
1) Families begin to arrive at 7:35am. Lead
Teacher greets a child and then the adult.
Child smiles at the teacher, hugs the adult
and then goes to the table to sign-in himself
in.
2) Two different children arrive at the same
time. Lead Teacher greets the child and
gives the adult a reminder to wash the
childs hand. Meanwhile, the Assistant
Teacher who is with a child at the table
greets the other adult while the child walks
to the sink to wash her hands. Third child
was not acknowledged with a morning
greeting but was asked what interest area
they wanted to play in.
3) A few reminders where given to both
children and adults about hand washing.
4) There is a sink in the classroom with a
stool where can children can access and
hand wash on their own. The sign-in sheet
for adults is on top of the cubbies that is
right next to the sink

1) Child appears to feel comfortable and

safe in his environment. This is
demonstrated by his ability to detach easily
from the adult and go about his day without
any signs of uncertainty.
2) The teaching team appears to work well
together when it came to the importance of
greeting the families upon arrival. Even
though one child was not greeted, their
presence was still recognized and did not go
unattended.
3) Hygiene is key in a pre-school classroom
for many reasons. It helps reduce germs, it
teaches children about healthy habits and it
is part of their curriculum which is
mandated by the California Dept of Ed.
4) Having a sink is best practices when
available. This helps with supervision when
the adult is signing-in and is distracted. This
also helps maintain ratios vs teacher having
to take children to the restroom and other
children enter the classroom.

Documentation of Core classes Part II 2. Capstone project

Reference page
http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/starting-preschool/curriculum/whypreschool-matters/