Randomly choose a program space to observe from each age group; spend at least 30 minutes in the space. Look for evidence that the individual communication development needs of the classroom are being met.  While observing, use the bulleted items under each age group as a guide. Based on your observations, develop a plan in the space below to support staff with the coaching and resources they need in order to better support the communication development of children and youth.

Infants

Ensure that staff members working with infants: 

• Understand the developmental milestones for communication as evidenced by their classroom environment and the use of developmentally appropriate experiences. 
• Observe infants on a regular basis to identify where they are developmentally so staff members can plan experiences and activities that best support development and learning. 
• Reach out to families of infants to learn about their preferred ways of communication.  
• Respond to infants’ communication attempts in order to build and extend what they are expressing. 
• Follow infants’ leads, cues, and preferences, and provide new words and ideas to describe infants’ understanding of their experiences.  
• Engage in parallel talk using language to describe what children are experiencing during routines. 
• Embed songs, rhymes and finger plays into daily routines and experiences  
• Read to infants frequently and provide opportunities for them to engage with books and printed materials. 
• Speak to infants using key words and phrases in their home language.  

Toddlers

Ensure that staff members working with toddlers: 

• Understand the developmental milestones for communication as evidenced by their classroom environment and the use of developmentally appropriate experiences. 
• Observe toddlers on a regular basis to identify where they are developmentally so experiences and activities that best support their development and learning can be planned. 
• Follow toddler’s leads, cues, and preferences in order to describe their actions, interests, and feelings.  
• Provide simple and positive safety messages. 
• Provide one-step directions, adding more steps as toddlers demonstrate the ability to carry them out.  
• Talk with toddlers about the events of the day, including new words in conversations. 
• Support the use of words instead of hands to solve problems.  
• Embed songs, rhymes and finger plays into daily routines and experiences. 
• Read to  toddlers frequently and provide opportunities for them to engage with books and printed materials. 
• Incorporate alternative ways and systems of communication, based on individual needs (e.g., using pictures or visual cues to foster communication). 
• Speak to toddlers using key words and phrases in their home language. 

Preschoolers

Ensure that staff members working with preschoolers: 

• Understand the developmental milestones for communication, as evidenced by the classroom environment and the use of developmentally appropriate experiences. 
• Observe preschoolers on a regular basis to identify where they are developmentally and to identify their interests so teachers can plan experiences and activities that best support development and learning. 
• Provide daily opportunities to participate in activities that help preschoolers learn new skills or practice existing skills in fun, stimulating, and supportive ways.  
• Utilize specific strategies across the day to support communication development. This involves planning developmentally appropriate communication and language experiences, responding to children, and asking children meaningful questions that enable them to express themselves.  
• Provide multiple and varied opportunities throughout the day to hear, listen to, and use language with other peers and adults.  
• Foster preschoolers’ communication skills by encouraging them to tell elaborate stories, interpret and reinvent their lives in drawings or writings, create fascinating worlds through make-believe, organize their day-to-day experiences, express themselves, navigate social relationships, and problem-solve when difficulties arise or when things don’t go as expected. 
• Speak to preschoolers using key words and phrases in their home language. 

School-Age Children

Ensure that staff members working with school-age children: 

• Communicate respectfully with school-agers; value their feelings, thoughts, age, and intelligence.
• Respond truthfully to school-agers' questions even when the question is difficult.
• Practice patience with slang or language that school-agers are adopting from TV or peer groups.
• Act as role models and respond to school-agers' conversations about text messaging, social media, and other electronic communication by discussing strategies for safe technology use.
• Practice active listening to indicate that you are paying attention and understanding what school-agers have to say.