Supervision Awareness Month

Staff Meeting Agenda

  • View the clip from YouTube. mrschildcare – Adequate Supervision of Children in Child Care. (If it’s not possible to view the clip as a group during the staff meeting, have staff review prior to the meeting.)

Although this clip provides good information, keep in mind it is not specific to Pennsylvania and may not be in total alignment with the Environment Rating Scales (ERS) and PA Position Statements.

Staff Meeting Talking Points:

  1. DHS CertificationDefinition of Supervision
  2. Review the definition of Supervision - See, Hear, Direct, and Assess, which can be found in the definitions section of the Child Day Care Centers’ regulations (3270.4).
  3. Discuss each part of the definition of supervision: Why is it important to be able to see the children? Why do you need to be able to hear the children? Why is it important to be able to direct the children? Why do you need to be able to assess the children? Staff needs to do all four; it’s not enough to just pick one.
  1. Ratio Review
  2. Have staff complete the Ratio Review handout and talk over everyone’s results. Answer key provided or refer to the Child Day Care Centers’ regulations Staff: Child Ratio (3270.51). Each staff member should know the ratios for all age levels.

Select the appropriate handout for your facility type. Included are those for center, group, and family providers.

  1. Count, Count, Count - Name to Face Recognition
  2. Emphasize the importance of consistently counting the children and making sure the staff is also aware of the specific children in their care. It’s not enough to just count the children that line up at the door. You need to know the number of children you should have and make sure that it matches the number of children that you count. A child could be in the bathroom or hiding behind a cubby.
  3. Share samples of Director and Teacher Classroom Counts forms to be implemented during week 2. Feel free to create a checklist format that meets your needs.
  1. Positioning
  2. Group staff by classroom and have them discuss any areas in their rooms that present a supervision issue, such as high cabinets or book shelves which may create blind spots. Consider the location of diaper changing tables to ensure that the staff member does not have their back to the rest of the children while changing diapers. Brainstorm solutions for these problem areas keeping in mind the importance of having a clear view of the children at all times. At times, the solution is in the positioning of the staff, and thinking about the best spot in the classroom to supervise the children.
  1. Out of Classroom Supervision
  2. Staff needs to heighten their supervision of children when transitioning to other areas in the building, such as other classrooms, out of classroom bathrooms, playground areas, lunch rooms, and gym areas.
  3. Counting and name to face recognition should take place when lining children up to leave and also once you have arrived at your destination.
  1. Team Talk
  2. Conduct Sneak a Peek Activity.

Sneak a Peek Activity
Time Required: 10 minutes

This problem solving exercise requires little more than a couple of sets of children’s building blocks. The instructor will build a small sculpture with some of the building blocks and hide it from the group. The participants should then be divided into small teams of four. Each team should be given enough building material so that they can duplicate the structure you’ve already created. The instructor should then place their sculpture in an area that is an equal distance from all the groups. One member from each team can come up at the same time to look at the sculpture for ten seconds and try to memorize it before returning to their team. After they return to their teams, they have twenty-five seconds to instruct their teams about how to build an exact replica of the instructor’s sculpture. After one minute of trying to recreate the sculpture, another member from each team can come up for a “sneak a peek” before returning to their team and trying to recreate the sculpture. The game should be continued in this pattern until one of the team’s successfully duplicates the original sculpture. This game will teach participants how to problem solve in a group and communicate effectively.

  • After the Sneak a Peek activity, debrief with the whole group focusing on the experience of the activity. What challenges did you encounter and what worked well? Discuss the importance of effective communication and working together as a team. Relate these skills to effective supervision of children.
  1. Article Review
  2. Distribute article “Lessons from NAEYC Accreditation: Avoiding Lapses in Supervision That Place Children at Risk” and briefly review key points with staff.