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Teaching Practices

Effective, nurturing, and responsive teaching practices and interactions are key for all learning in early childhood settings. They foster trust and emotional security; are communication and language rich; and promote critical thinking and problem-solving. They also support social, emotional, behavioral, and language development; provide supportive feedback for learning; and motivate continued effort. Teaching practices and interactions are responsive to and build on each child’s pattern of development and learning. They can be measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) and other adult-child interaction tools. These observations may then be used to support professional development. Teaching practices also include how schedules and routines are carried out, how settings are managed, and how children’s challenging behaviors are addressed.

Infant/Toddler Approaches to Learning

These four Teacher Time episodes focus on supporting the four sub-domains of the ELOF Approaches to Learning domain with infants, toddlers, and their families.

Individualizing Care for Infants and Toddlers

Learn about the “why,” “what,” and “how” of individualizing care for infants and toddlers. Find related Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS), additional resources, and reflection questions to use with staff and other program leaders.

 Infant/Toddler Effective Practice Series

These Teacher Time episodes focus on supporting infants' and toddlers' development and learning through all the elements of the Framework for Effective Practice, or House Framework. 

Caring Connections Series

Welcome to the Office of Head Start (OHS) Caring Connections podcasts. These podcasts are designed to offer you important tidbits of information that focus on topics relevant to your work with infants, toddlers, and their families.