9.5: Appendix E- ECERS- R checklist

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
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

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