Program Observation #1

This program observation was conduced at United Day Care Center in Muncie
Indiana. This is a childcare center that serves children ages six weeks through twelve
years during summer, and during the school year through the age of five. United Day
Care Center is a state licensed center, and has been rated by Paths to Quality as being a
level four center. This is the highest level on their rating scale.
During these observations, I conducted them in the Brown Room, which serves
children that are four and five years old. While in the classroom, I was able to observe the
children interact with their peers and teachers, as well as assess the environment. When
walking into the classroom, the first thing seen was a Parent Information board, which
had lesson plans posted, a monthly news letter, the daily schedule, as well as other
information about the classroom. Childrens artwork is displayed around the board. This
is a way to gain the attention of parents, and show off their childs talent and skills.
The set up of the classroom was open and easily accessible to the children. It was
set up to were all areas are within sight and sound of the teachers. The children had a
large classroom to move about that was filled with learning centers and areas that were
filled with materials.
When literacy area was a nice relaxing area where the children could go and sit on
couches that have books placed behind them. The books in the literacy area were all age
appropriate and varied in styles. There were some hardback books, paperback books, and
even some teacher made books. One of the teacher made books was an emotion book.
The teacher had taken a picture of each child portraying an emotion, then laminated the

book and bound it together for the children to look at during the day. There was also
another teacher made book in the literacy area. The book was a book of child dictations.
Their artwork and words were displayed on each page, and when placed all together
made a creative story from the childrens point of view.
The writing area consisted of several different writing utensils. There were
colored pencils, crayons, dobbers, markers, stencils, and a bucket of paper for the
children to use. This area was available for the children to use throughout the day. Beside
the shelf was a table where four children can sit at to get creative and produce their work.
The children were able to practice writing letters and draw whatever they want to. When
the children were done with their work, they are able to take to their locker and take it
home at departure.
There was a science area in the classroom that had several activities for the
children to explore their environment with. In the area there were magnets, links, chalk
boards with chalk, science viewers, color changing boards, books, as well as a pet hermit
crab that is in a tank, and a bug catcher that had a bug inside for viewing. The children
are able to learn about their classroom pet, as well as other animals that they find in their
environment. During my observation, there was an experiment conducted with the
children. The teacher had frozen a red paint ice cube and a blue paint ice cube. The
teacher then placed the two ice cubes in a zip lock bag, and placed them on the table. As
the ice cubes melted, the teacher asked the children several open-ended questions about
what they think would happen. The idea behind this experiment was to show the mixing
of colors, and the process that occurs when colors are mixed. The children were engaged
in this activity and were excited to see purple made.

Social studies is another area that is focused on in the classroom. There are maps
displayed in the classroom. There is a world map, a map of the United States, as well as
an Indiana map. Social studies is encouraged in the dramatic play area. There is
multicultural clothing as well as toy foods that teach the children about different cultures
and ethnicities. There are books that display and portray children from all around the
world.
The children have a mathematical center that focuses on math and cognitive
skills. There are several manipulative, puzzles, legos, lacing blocks, counting cubes,
magnetic boards with numbers, blocks, and shape activities. These items help children
develop various mathematical skills, as well as cognitive skills. The children are object
counting, sorting, creating patterns, problem solving, and learning the beginnings of
addition and subtraction.
In all the areas of the classroom, literacy played a part of. There were books
placed all around the classroom to promote reading. The children seemed to feel
comfortable in their classroom and excited about learning. The classroom was centered
around the children and the teachers have incorporated their interests in the planning. The
lesson plans are posted so that parents are aware of what their children are learning each
day of the week. There is an activity planned that targets each learning area.
After my observation, I can see some areas that I would like to see improvements.
It would be nice to see the social studies area more focused on. I think there could be
more environmental activities that could teach children about their environment. I would
also like to see more emphasis in the science area. There were plenty of materials for the

children, however I think it would be neat to have things that children could conduct their
own experiments.
Overall, United Day Care Center has a preschool classroom that promotes both
learning and fun. The classroom follows all licensing requirements as well as things
required by Paths to Quality. The center focuses on children and their learning.

Program Observation #2
The site I conducted my second program observation at was New Beginnings
Daycare. It is an unlicensed registered ministry. This center is ranked as level one Paths
to Quality Center. The daycare provides care for children ages six weeks through five
years of age.
The center is located in Muncie, and is affiliated with Foursquare Gospel church.
The daycare was created in the churchs gymnasium. There are six total classrooms at the
center, all with different ages of children. I chose to conduct my observation in their four
and five year old classroom.
The classroom is located in the middle of the gymnasium. This classroom is the
only one that holds sessions and is set up in the gym. There is a lot of space provided for
the children, and there is a good set up to the classroom. It is broken up into learning
centers, just as my first observation was. There are focus areas in the set up of the centers,
and the teachers create lesson plans weekly for the parents to view as well.
The center uses a Christian based curriculum with the children, so incorporates
that on their plans, as well as kindergarten readiness and other skills that children should
be working on.
The classroom had a science area. In the science area, several toys were great for
experimenting. There were individual bug catchers, safari hats, benoculars, a globe,
magnifying glasses, a weight and scale along with material to weigh, and magnets. The
area was equipped with nice materials for the children to explore. There are tables set up
by the area. The children can feel free to take their items to the table and begin to explore
during free play. There were also books about the jungle and safaris in the area. The

teacher said the children are interested with the topic, so that is what the center is based
around.
There is an area designated for the children to work on mathematical skills. In this
area there are sorting bears, rulers, flash cards, bristle blocks, numbered blocks, dry erase
boards with markers, and foam pieces. There are also math books in the center that show
the e children addition, subrtactration, and numbers. Math was also incorporated in the
block area, science area, as well as the writing area. The children are able to work on
their mathematical skills throughout the day.
Next to the math area, there is the writing center. In this writing center, there was
a variety of materials offered to the children. There were crayons, markers, paper, colored
pencils and stamps that are on the shelf with a bucket full of scrap paper for the children
to practice their writing skills on. Near the shelf, there is an art easel, which has paint and
brushed ready to be used throughout the day. There were not examples of the childrens
work displayed in the classroom.
There was no defined area for social studies at the center. In the science area there
was a globe that would teach the children about the world as well as the difference
between land and water. Going through the other centers, there were books about the
world, as well as a map that was on a dry erase board, and there were environmental c.ds
located in the writing area. They did discuss the globe during free play. The teachers told
the children that all the green was the grass and the blue was the water. That was all the
emphasis on social studies that I was aware of during my visit.
Literacy played a part in most of the learning centers. There were books available
to look at in almost all of the areas. There is also a beanbag and two comfortable chairs

available beside a bookshelf for the literacy area. A large bookshelf had at least thirty
books on it. The books on the shelf were all different. There were hardback books as well
as paperback books. Some of the books were not developmentally appropriate for the
ages of the children in the classroom. There were chapter books out on the shelf that were
for first and second grade use. There were several biblical books on the shelf for the
children to look at. Some of the books were not in the best condition and should be
removed and taped back up and fixed.
The daycare center is not licensed, and through the observation I can see that the
center is trying to do things that licensing requires, but need to improve in some areas.
One of the things that I noticed that were not present was labels. None of the items in the
classroom are labeled. Labels help children begin to recognize print, as well as help the
children know where items belong. This area could use some improvement. I would also
recommend that the facility use more child-centered activities in the teacher planning. I
know that with the center not being licensed, they are not required to do some of the
things that my first program site did, however skills need to be focused and children
should become more involved with their learning.
I feel that this registered ministry daycare center is trying to be a quality center.
They have bought toys and items that I found in the licensed center. They have several
items that are the same in each of their classrooms, however the structure of the
classrooms is completely different. There are things that must be done in a licensed center
that are not required for a ministry daycare to do. It was nice to see that the ministry
daycare filled out lesson plans for their classrooms. Both centers have different dynamics,
however their main focus and goal of the centers is taking the best care of the children

that they serve, as well as provide them with a fun and educational experience while at
daycare.