Step 5
Observing and Documenting Development
Weekly documentation of each child’s progress in daily routines is on
file.
Documentation:
Program identifies a system which is actively used to document children’s development and
experiences in the child care setting to inform intentional practices. The system can be
individualized to each program to include documentation in children’s files, individual binders,
large binders with sections for individual children, portfolios, etc. The contents of which include
any combination of the following items: Teacher’s written observations of children: formal
and/or anecdotal, collections of children’s work samples, screening tools, photos or videos.
Observation:
A method of gathering information by systematically watching and noting what children do and
say (McAfee, Leong and Bodrova, 2004).
“When you observe, you slow down, listen more carefully, and pause to reflect before stepping
in to offer direction or help. You see and respond to who a child is and what a child needs.”
-Jablon, Dombro & Dichtelmiller, The Power of Observation for Birth through Eight.
Guidelines for observations:
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Record exactly what you see
Observe over time
Watch children in different situations
Keep track of what you see
Observe in and out of the action
Why observe and document?
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To support curriculum development (EXTEND LEARNING)
To show developmental progress or individual growth (TO MAKE LEARNING VISIBLE)
To show evidence of meeting learning standards (ACCOUNTABILITY)
To engage teachers, children, and families (COLLABORATION)
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Document what?
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Observations of children’s growth and development
An event, experience or development
A process
Evidence of meeting learning standards (i.e. Idaho Early Learning eGuidelines)
Children’s comments and questions
How do I record observations?
A brief note, or jotting; quick written note to remind you of an event
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During the classroom walk to the park Sophia pointed to the
library sign and said “I see an “L.”
Anecdotal note; detailed description of an event
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Katie’s mother sat her down on the mat, handed her a ball and
says “Good bye Katie, I’ll see you this afternoon!” Katie’s mother
walks out of the classroom. Katie drops the ball and begins to
cry. Mia crawls over and sits next to Katie. Mia picks up the
ball. She looks at Katie, and then drops the ball in her lap.
Katie stops crying. She reaches for the ball, grabs it, and brings
it to her mouth.
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Running record; detailed description of an event in sequence of how it happened
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9:05 AM Ben sits down in the block area. He grabs blocks and
begins to stack them. He builds a tower 4 blocks high, and then
knocks it over. He grabs a few pieces of train track and begins
to put them together. He continues to add pieces of track until
he runs out, making a track across the block area floor. He
places two train cars on the track and pulls them along the
length of track.
9:10 AM Ben walks over to the easel. He stands behind Chloe
watching her paint. He says, “I want to paint.”
The assistant teacher nearby responds, “Grab a smock Ben, you
can paint on the other side of the easel.” Ben continues
watching Chloe paint.
Photographs, videos and, work samples
An infant care provider takes pictures of a
child beginning to use pretend play. She
includes an anecdotal observation describing
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A sample of a child’s artwork as they
begin to draw objects and people
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Portfolios
Purposeful collection of the child’s work and other indicators of learning, collected over time,
that demonstrate to the child and to others the child’s efforts, progress, or achievement in
particular developmental or subject area(s) (McAfee, Leong and Bodrova, 2004).
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Start now; you can learn from observations right away.
Don’t worry; observation and documentation is a process!
Work together; take turns observing or observe together and compare observations.
Start small; choose one child, one activity or one skill to start observing and documenting.
Idaho child care providers share how they document child progress:
“I keep a camera close by so I can take pictures and short videos. This allows me to quickly capture
new skills or experiences I would have otherwise missed.”
“I keep index cards in the smock I wear while teaching. If I observe something I feel needs
documented, I simply make a quick note and add more later if needed. I later place the index
card in a file box under that child’s name.”
“We record our observations and take photos on an app we have on our classroom iPad.”
“We keep a binder with different sections for each child in
our teacher’s closet. I have time each week to make notes
and record the observations I’ve seen over the week.”
References/Resources
Jablon, J.R., Dombro, A.L. & Dichtelmiller, M.L. (2007). The Power of Observation for Birth
Through Eight. Washington DC: Teaching Strategies.
McAfee, O., Leong, D.J. & Bodrova, E. (2004). Basics of Assessment: A Primer for Early
Childhood Educators. Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young
Children.
Rencken, Kay Stritzel. (November, 1996) Observation: The Primary Tool in Assessment. Child
Care Information Exchange.
Sietz, Hilary. (2008). The Power of Documentation in the Early Childhood Classroom. Young
Children, 88-93. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/tyc/file/Seitz.pdf.
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