Scenario
You are a director of a preschool center, where the majority of children and families served currently live below the poverty threshold. In a team meeting about a child named Aidan—who has challenging behaviors, such as kicking and biting—you hear one of the teachers, Mr. Paul, say, “I think Aidan’s behavior stems from a lack of attention and positive interactions at home.” Everyone on the team shares the knowledge that Aidan lives in poverty and comes from a single-parent home. The team is also aware the Aidan’s father not only works two jobs, but has shared that he struggles with depression. Use this scenario for Items 1 and 2.

Item 1
Explain to Mr. Paul how the context of Aidan’s development, including that he is experiencing poverty and his father is under stress, may impact Aidan’s development and learning. (1–2 paragraphs)

Your Response
Enter your response here.
Rubric
0
Not Present 1
Needs Improvement 2
Meets Expectations
Topic 1: Supporting Child and Family Diversity
Explain to Mr. Paul how the context of Aidan’s development, including that he is experiencing poverty and his father is under stress, may impact Aiden’s development and learning.

LO1: Explain possible impacts of poverty and parental stress on children’s development and learning. Response is missing. Response is vague, inaccurate, and/or incomplete. Response is clear, accurate, and complete.

Item 2
Draft a response to Mr. Paul that is culturally responsive, supports building respectful relationships with families, and reflects viewing children and families from a strength-based lens. (1–2 paragraphs)
Your Response
Enter your response here.
Rubric
0
Not Present 1
Needs Improvement 2
Meets Expectations
Topic 1: Supporting Child and Family Diversity
Draft a response to Mr. Paul’s that is culturally responsive, supports building respectful relationships with families, and reflects viewing children and families from a strength-based lens.
LO2: Apply culturally-responsive, strength-based approaches within early childhood contexts. Response is missing. Response is vague, inaccurate, and/or incomplete. Response is clear, accurate, and complete.
Scenario
You are a childcare provider and teach in an inclusive classroom that serves children with and without exceptionalities. One of the children, Anna, who has been identified with an Intellectual Disability, is extremely social and has many friends in the class. She has recently become close with Kayla, who is a very shy child but interacts animatedly when she is playing or working with Anna. One day Kayla comes to school with birthday invitations for three of her classmates. You notice that Anna does not receive an invitation. When Kayla’s mother comes to pick her up, you inquire about the birthday invitation, mentioning how close Kayla and Anna have become. Kayla’s mother frowns and expresses concern that Kayla’s emerging social skills will regress if she spends too much time with Anna. She explains that in her home country, children with exceptionalities are not often seen in school.

Item 3
Draft a response to Kayla’s mother that reframes her concerns about Anna and Kayla’s relationship into one that emphasizes a strength-based view of young children and their interactions. (1 paragraph)

Your Response
Enter your response here.
Rubric
0
Not Present 1
Needs Improvement 2
Meets Expectations
Topic 1: Supporting Child and Family Diversity
Draft a response to Kayla’s mother that reframes her concerns about Anna and Kayla’s relationship into one that emphasizes a strength-based view of young children and their interactions.

LO2: Apply culturally-responsive, strength-based approaches within early childhood contexts. Response is missing. Response is vague, inaccurate, and/or incomplete. Response is clear, accurate, and complete.

Scenario
Your first grade class is very diverse, and many of the children are learning English. Their families have immigrated from Mexico, Guatemala, South Korea, and Pakistan. Your dual-language approach has proven very successful for all of your young learners, and the newest child, Yosung, appears to be thriving. However, Yosung’s mother, Song Mi, has requested that Yosung speak and learn only English at school. She has heard that full immersion programs are more beneficial for children learning English. Song Mi, is concerned with her child’s assimilation into the United States, fears his speaking Korean will be detrimental to his ability to “fit in.” This is particularly concerning to her as she has struggled in her own mastery of the English language, and feels that she has experienced bias because of these challenges. You set up a meeting to speak with Song Mi.
Item 4
Using a strengths-based approach, address Song Mi’s concerns about her son’s language development by describing at least two benefits of dual language development for young children. (1 paragraph)

Explain at least 2 evidence-based reasons supporting high-quality inclusion for children with and without exceptionalities. (1–2 paragraphs)