ECERS Conclusion
I did the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale on the Columbia College's Preschool and to me, this tool was extremely comprehensive and user-friendly. This task took awhile to complete since it rates the entire environment a child is in, and I made sure to let my master teacher know each time I needed to work on the ECERS so I could fully concentrate on it and not have to care for the children simultaneously.
When I had completed the ECERS, I found that the preschool was an overall strong center that did very well in space and furnishings, language-reasoning, interaction, and program structure. The children are given plenty of time during the day to choose what they want to explore, and I do like that they have that freedom. The outdoor play area is amazing for children to be able to create different scenarios they can act out in a safe environment, with plenty of portable gross motor equipment and open ended materials.
There are many areas in the preschool set up for specific areas of curriculum, but during my rating experience, I noticed the nature/science area was not as prepared as some of the other areas of the classroom. A way that this could be improved would be to include a class pet or plants that the children could help care for (taking care to ensure there are no allergies). I also think there could be more encouragement from teachers when it comes to science--it seems there is more emphasis on art and dramatic play.
Overall, I feel the preschool is an age appropriate space for preschoolers that supports learning through exploration and play and places the utmost importance on being a safe and nurturing environment.
When I had completed the ECERS, I found that the preschool was an overall strong center that did very well in space and furnishings, language-reasoning, interaction, and program structure. The children are given plenty of time during the day to choose what they want to explore, and I do like that they have that freedom. The outdoor play area is amazing for children to be able to create different scenarios they can act out in a safe environment, with plenty of portable gross motor equipment and open ended materials.
There are many areas in the preschool set up for specific areas of curriculum, but during my rating experience, I noticed the nature/science area was not as prepared as some of the other areas of the classroom. A way that this could be improved would be to include a class pet or plants that the children could help care for (taking care to ensure there are no allergies). I also think there could be more encouragement from teachers when it comes to science--it seems there is more emphasis on art and dramatic play.
Overall, I feel the preschool is an age appropriate space for preschoolers that supports learning through exploration and play and places the utmost importance on being a safe and nurturing environment.