School Readiness for Infants and

Toddlers

Keith L. Pentz National Early Childhood Specialist

Kaplan Early Learning Company 4129 Via Piedra Circle

Sarasota, FL 34233 941.960.3405

kpentz@kaplanco.com

The significance

of interactions

Promoting relationships

Optimizing potential—

D A P

developmentally appropriate practice

S E A L

Stimulus (any sensory provocation) ⇓

Emotion (positive or negative) ⇓

Attention (positive emotions drive executive functions—negative emotions

drive survival) ⇓

Learning (the response to the attentional variant)

(adapted from Robert Sylwester’s A Biological Brain in a Cultural Classroom)

Confidence

a sense of control

and mastery of one’s body, behavior,

and world

Curiosity

the sense that finding

out about things is positive and leads to

pleasure

Intentionality

the determination to act with persistence; an internal drive or emotion expressed outwardly

through an action or communication

Self-control

ability to modulate and control one’s own actions

Relatedness

ability to engage with others based on the sense of understanding and being understood by others

Capacity to

communicate

desire and ability to exchange ideas,

feelings, and concepts with

others—verbally or otherwise

Cooperativeness

ability to balance one’s own needs with those of others in a group activity

Purposeful Engagement

Be present—Mindful Connect to the child

Extend the learning ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Quality—Number—Intensity

Positive climate

Negative climate

Teacher sensitivity

Regard for child

perspectives

Behavior guidance

Facilitation of

learning and

development

Quality of feedback

Language modeling

Putting it all together