Site-specific Learning Objectives

PRESCHOOL OBSERVATION

Description

Residents will visit two local preschools. Bing Nursery School is a play-based school run by Stanford’s Department of Psychology. Experiences at Bing stem from the belief that curiosity and learning are best encouraged by letting children choose from a broad range of developmentally appropriate activities. The East Palo Alto Head Start Program is a federally funded program that provides free, comprehensive child development and educational programs, as well as support services for preschoolers from low-income families. Head Start offers children a developmentally appropriate curriculum that emphasizes language and cognitive development, social skills, and creativity, while offering their parents literacy and support services to enhance their productivity and self-sufficiency.

Resident Role and Expectations

Residents will (1) prepare for the preschool visits by reviewing the Guide to Preschool Observation and reading selected articles listed below; (2) participate in an orientation to the preschool observations with Dr. Huffman; (3) spend a two-hour session observing each preschool and completing the Observation Guide form for each preschool; (4) review their observations with Dr. Huffman; (5) turn in Observation Guide forms and attach a short written reflection responding to the following:

“Identify any lessons that were learned during the observations and discuss how these new learnings might be used in clinical practice.”

Required Readings

1. Kirp, D. (2006). After the Bell Curve. New York Times Magazine. Sunday, July 23, 2006.

2. Are Children Ready For School? Assessment of Kindergarten Readiness in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties: Executive Summary 2005.

3. DeFao, J. (2006). Preschool politics: Pros and cons of universal education initiative aired. San Francisco Chronicle. Wednesday, May 3, 2006.

4. Anderson LM, Shinn C, Fullilove MT, Scrimshaw SC, Fielding JE, Normand J, Carande-Kulis VG (2003). The effectiveness of early childhood development programs. A systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 24(3 Suppl):32-46.

5. Carey WB. (1998). Teaching parents about infant temperament. Pediatrics. Nov;102(5 Suppl E):1311-6.

Contacts

Lynne Huffman, M.D.

Office Phone: 650-688-3629

E-mail:

Educational Goals

The Preschool Observation experience prepares trainees to:

§ Describe typical development and behavior for preschool-aged children

§ Use observation as a tool for gathering information about development, behavior, and social skills

§ Recognize, evaluate, and manage common preschool behavior problems

§ Provide guidance to families about enrolling children in preschool

- Recognize a high-quality preschool environment

- Understand factors that contribute to success or difficulty in preschool

§ Describe the federal Head Start program, including demonstrated benefits and steps for determining eligibility and referral

Learning Objectives

Because of participating in the Preschool Observation experience, residents will be able to:

MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE

§ List one milestone in each developmental domain for the typical three-year-old

§ List “red flags” for speech & language, motor, and social development at age 3 that warrant referral for developmental assessment

§ Distinguish normal variants of behavior from behavioral disorders (e.g., aggression vs. ODD, shyness vs. PDD) in preschool-aged children

§ Define temperament. Outline commonly used frameworks for describing temperament

PATIENT CARE

§ Outline strategies for managing common preschool behavior problems, including separation anxiety, aggression (e.g. biting), and high-activity

§ Describe the use of ‘time out’ and other disciplinary strategies for discipline. Discuss the role of temperament in choosing or recommending discipline strategies to families

§ Discuss the interaction between temperament traits and features of the preschool environment as a predictor of preschool success

- Identify features of the preschool environment that would best support children with particular temperament traits (e.g. low persistence/attention span, high distractibility, and high activity)

- Assist parents in managing preschool function problems by helping them to identify temperament risk factors and compensatory factors (e.g., high adaptability, high intelligence, and lack of information processing deficits)

§ Describe possible connections between preschool success and kindergarten readiness

SYSTEMS-BASED PRACTICE

§ List features parents should look for when ‘checking out’ preschools for their children

§ Articulate the pros and cons of the discussion concerning Universal Preschool in California

§ Summarize existing evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the federal HeadStart program

§ Recognize and refer eligible families to Head Start

Stanford School of Medicine Page 1 of 2

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Training Committee (Rev. 11/09/06)

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