Overview This Assessment is a Performance Task in which you are asked to assume the role of the director of a specific early childhood center. You have been the assistant director at Elmtree Early Chi

Overview This Assessment is a Performance Task in which you are asked to assume the role of the director of a specific early childhood center. You have been the assistant director at Elmtree Early Chi 1

Elmtree Early Childhood Care Center: An Overview

Elmtree Early Childhood Care Center (ECCC) has been providing quality early childhood care to the community for over 15 years. The program provides care for 30 children from a range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. The center cares for 30–35 children, each year, and is divided into three groups: infants (children under 2 years old), toddlers (children, ages 2–3), and preschoolers (children, ages 3–5).

The children at Elmtree learn in a supportive environment where there is ample opportunity for socialization through play, as well as guided exploring and learning activities with care providers. Frequent one-on-one attention is achieved through a low student-to-teacher ratio.

The teachers at Elmtree ECCC are a diverse group of educators with many years’ experience in fostering a positive environment for the emotional and social growth of young children.

Sandra Marcos, 47, has been the director of the center for the past 10 years. Sandra has been popular with her staff, bringing in younger teachers while also entrusting long-term employees with a greater sense of ownership in the way the center is run. During her tenure, the demographics of the community have changed—with almost half of the children now coming from families where a language other than English is spoken at home. The religious affiliations of students have also become more diverse—with several Hindu and Muslim families bringing their children to join Elmtree, along with a number of children who are growing up in families that are not affiliated with any faith.

Ms. Marcos recently accepted a position with the State Department of Education, acting as a diversity liaison between a dozen early childhood care centers and the families they serve.

Caregivers at Elmtree

Kelly Dettmer, 28 years old, has a master’s degree in early childhood education. She completed her master’s last year and has been with Elmtree for the past 4 years. She originally worked with the preschoolers group but has been leading the toddlers group for the past 2 years.

Rebecca Ruiz, 24 years old, is Kelly’s assistant caregiver in the toddlers group. She has been with Elmtree for 2 years, working with Kelly for both of them. Ms. Ruiz has finished a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education in the past year.

Hannah Cho, 43 years old, began work at Elmtree 15 years ago and has been at the center since its opening. She was hired by Ms. Marcos’s predecessor and, while working at Elmtree, she completed her master’s degree in early childhood education. A mother of three children herself, Ms. Cho is currently the lead caregiver for the infants group.

Michael Sparks, 32 years old, is the assistant caregiver in infants group. Michael has been with Elmtree for 5 years. He began as the assistant caregiver to the toddlers group and has recently completed a master’s in early childhood education with a certification in special education.

Diane Johnson, 33 years old, who has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, joined Elmtree 5 years ago and has been the lead teacher for the preschoolers group for the past year.

Kevin Nicholson, 23 years old, began at Elmtree 3 years ago, working part time while he finished his bachelor’s degree. He is now beginning work on his master’s and is the full-time assistant teacher for the preschoolers group.