| Week | ECERS- R Items | Definition/Clarification | Yes | No | Additional Notes |
| Week 1 – Physical Environment | Space and Furnishings | ||||
| Peeling Paint | Visible signs | ||||
| Noticeable water damage | Not staining or obvious mold | ||||
| Ceiling tiles secure | Ceiling tiles not caved, appear stable | ||||
| Rug/floor clean | No obvious stains or excessive dirt | ||||
| Soft furnishings clean and in good repair | Not ripped or torn | ||||
| Most of the furniture is child-sized | At least 75% | ||||
| Furniture in good repair | No signs of broken/unstable furniture | ||||
| Adequate lighting, ventilation, temperature control, and sound absorbing materials | If a classroom is terribly noisy, so that conversations are difficult to hear, then credit cannot be given | ||||
| Space accessible to kids in group | Space is accessible to all the children and adults currently using the class, Ex. Door knobs, threshold to door, width of door frames, including bathroom doors | ||||
| Cozy area present | Substantial amount of softness– (may be book area)–combination of soft items | ||||
| Some soft toys accessible | At least 3 soft toys are accessible to children | ||||
| Quiet and active areas separate | Blocks and dramatic play should be separated from quiet and book areas, separated means not next to each other. | ||||
| Visual supervision of play area is not difficult | Should be able to see children easily, consider age of children and activity | ||||
| Space for privacy is set aside for one or two children to play, protected from intrusion from others? | Look for no-interruption rule/posted sign limiting space to 1 or 2 children; small space protected by shelves | ||||
| Much of the display relates closely to current activities/children in the group; most of the display is done by the children? | Ex. recent artwork or photos about recent activities; at least 50% of the display is done by the children | ||||
| Gross motor equipment stimulates 7-9 gross motor skills | Equipment must stimulate skills (e.g., throwing, balancing, climbing, crawling, pushing, pulling, jumping, stepping) |
| Week 1 – Physical Environment | Personal Care Routines | ||||
| Bathroom clean | Sinks and toilets are clean and sanitary conditions are easy to maintain | ||||
| Bathroom has soap | Soap is available for children to use | ||||
| Bathroom has paper towels | Paper towels are available for children to use | ||||
| Bathroom has toilet paper | Toilet paper is accessible for children to use on their own | ||||
| Toilet in bathroom flushed | Teachers remind children to flush toilets and/or check to see that they are flushed | ||||
| Sink in classroom has soap | Accessible for children to use on their own | ||||
| Sink in classroom has paper towels | Accessible for children to use on their own | ||||
| If used, diapering table has sanitizer or disinfectant | Bleach and water or disinfectant–not just soap and water | ||||
| If only sink in bathroom, sanitizer apparent for sanitizing sink | Disinfectant OK for bathrooms. | ||||
| Sanitizer in classroom for washing tables | Bleach and water for tables must be used (disinfectant should not be used for food surfaces). | ||||
| Mats must be 36 inches apart | Solid barriers not acceptable–must be 36 inches | ||||
| Tooth brushes are properly stored | Not touching, can air dry | ||||
| Toys stored in cribs used by children | Toys should not be stored in cribs while not in use | ||||
| Sand outdoors covered | Sand outdoors must be covered | ||||
| Obvious safety issues inside | Bleach within reach, no separate sleeping areas that are not directly supervised, no loose hanging cords, no glass jars (fish bowls, vases, etc.), no mats or rugs that can slide | Please list. | |||
| Safety issues outside | Unfenced area; no solid barrier for playground that borders, or is less than 30 ft., from the street or parking lot; no broken equipment; inadequate cushioning; criteria for fall zones not met | See gross motor list. |
| Week | ECERS- R Items | Definition/Clarification | Yes | No | Additional Notes |
| Week 2 – Positive Relationships | Interactions | Definition/Clarification | Yes | No | Additional Notes |
| Supervision of gross motor is adequate to protect children’s health and safety | Enough staff present to watch children in area and are positioned to ensure supervision | ||||
| Teachers assist children to develop gross motor skills as needed | Ex: help children learn to pump on swing | ||||
| Careful supervision of children indoors, adjusted appropriately for different ages and abilities | Younger of more impulsive children supervised more closely | ||||
| All teacher-child interactions observed appropriate | Teachers show warmth; treat children respectfully; show sympathy to a child in distress | ||||
| Little evidence of conflict between children | Children get along well (few conflicts observed); teachers help children talk through conflicts | ||||
| Teachers show warmth through appropriate physical contact | Ex: Pat on the back, return child’s hug — can be subtle but needs to feel warm |
| Week | ECERS- R Items | Definition/Clarification | Yes | No | Additional Notes |
| Week 4 – Learning Environment | Language and Reasoning | ||||
| Wide selection of books accessible | A wide selection, which includes 3-5 fantasy; factual; stories about people, animals, nature/science; books that reflect different cultures and abilities | ||||
| Some additional language materials used daily | Look for posters and pictures, flannel board stories, picture card games, and recorded stories and songs | ||||
| Book reading daily | Check schedule | ||||
| Informal reading occurs daily | Must be observed | ||||
| Teacher talking with children observed | Communication between teachers and children take place throughout the day, in both free play and in group times | ||||
| Teacher talks about logical relationships while children play with materials that stimulate reasoning | Ex. sequence cards, same/different games, size and shape toys, sorting games, math and number games–must be while children are playing with logic materials | ||||
| Materials that encourage communication accessible in a variety of interest areas | Figures, puppets, accessories in dramatic play | ||||
| Teachers add information to expand on ideas presented by children | Teachers verbally respond to add more information to what a child is saying-must be observed | ||||
| Program Structure | |||||
| Schedule provides balance of structure and flexibility | Regularly scheduled outdoor play may be lengthened in good weather | ||||
| A substantial portion of the day is used for play activities | The daily schedule supports free play for 1/3 of the day | ||||
| No long periods of waiting during transitions between daily events | Cannot give credit if children wait 3 minutes or more between daily events (Ex: waiting to eat, lining up to use the bathroom) | ||||
| Ample and varied toys accessible | Variety of toys, games, and equipment provided for children during free play | ||||
| Limited whole group gatherings to meet the individual needs of children | Check schedule for amount of time spent in group/circle time–observe to determine that circle time is appropriate for ALL children | ||||
| Gross motor occurs for one hour daily–including in winter | Must be done in winter and in bad weather | ||||
| Children have access to gross motor equipment for one hour daily | Must have some indoor equipment |
| Week 4 – Learning Environment | ECERS- R Items | Definition/Clarification | Yes | No | Additional Notes |
| Activities | |||||
| Many and varied fine motor materials present and accessible for a substantial portion of the day? | Accessible on low shelves or bins (not covered or in hard to open containers)–must have at least three examples of the following types: small building materials, art, manipulative, and puzzles | ||||
| Adequate space outdoors and some space indoors provided daily (including winter) | Classroom space or hallways can count as “some indoor space,” but only if the space is reasonably large and open (though moving furniture, if necessary is okay) | Gross motor play in the winter/ bad weather? | |||
| Many and varied art materials present and accessible for a substantial portion of the day | Accessible on low shelves or bins (not covered or in hard to open containers)–must have at least three to five art materials accessible for a substantial portion of the day, from at least 4 of the following 5 categories: Drawing (required category); paints; 3-D; collage; tools | ||||
| Many music materials accessible for children’s use | Enough instruments and dance props for music (Ex: scarfs, ribbons, etc.) for at least half of the children to use at once. And for children four years of age and older, some music to listen to, such as a tape player with tapes, which they can access on their own | ||||
| Block area is accessible for a substantial portion of the day, with enough space, blocks, and accessories for 3 or more children to build at once | accessories must be within or near the block area to count. Accessories include: toy people, animals, vehicles, and road signs | ||||
| Block area is set aside out of traffic, with storage and suitable building surface | Should be space primarily for block play-other activities should not interfere with children’s ability to build-May share space with the meeting area | ||||
| Provision for sand AND water play (either outdoors or indoors) | |||||
| Variety of toys accessible for play for sand and water | Ex: containers, spoons, funnels, scoops, etc. | ||||
| Sand or water play available to children for at least 1 hour daily | 1/2 programs need 30 minutes |
| Week 4 – Learning Environment | Dramatic play clearly defined and accessible for a substantial portion of the day | Must include dress ups for both boys and girls | |||
| Props for at least two themes accessible daily | Housekeeping counts as one theme, second themes may be, but are not limited to: office, construction, farm, hospital, fire-fighter, transportation | ||||
| Many and varied Science/nature materials accessible for a substantial portion of the day | 3-5 materials from the following categories: collections of natural objects; living things; books, games, toys and activities–Materials need not have their own defined center, but must be accessible on open shelves or table (not covered or in hard to open containers) | ||||
| Math and number materials present and accessible | May not be in own area–may be mixed with other materials | ||||
| Many math/number materials of various types accessible for a substantial portion of the day? | At least 3 to 5 of each of the following types: counting; written numbers; measuring; comparing quantities, and shapes | ||||
| Math/number materials are well organized and in good condition? | Pieces not missing, materials are will organized | ||||
| Daily activities used to promote math/number learning (Ex: setting the table, counting off when lining up or climbing steps, using timers to take turns) | Teacher talks about numbers or number experiences as part of practical life events–must be observed | ||||
| Time children are allowed to use TV/video or computer is limited | Computer limited to 20 minutes daily | ||||
| Materials used with computer are limited to those considered “good for children” | Ex: Sesame Street, educational video and computer games, but not cartoons | ||||
| Many examples of diversity | Consider display, books, materials — must show diversity in abilities, gender, race and culture–dolls must include 3 different racial groups |
