AEPA Early Childhood Education cheat sheet

Piaget's stages in order: sensorimotor (0-2, object permanence), preoperational (2-7, symbolic play, egocentrism), concrete operational (7-11, conservation, reversibility), formal operational (11+, abstract reasoning).

Erikson's early psychosocial stages: trust vs. mistrust (0-1), autonomy vs. shame/doubt (1-3), initiative vs. guilt (3-6), industry vs. inferiority (6-12).

Vygotsky's zone of proximal development is the gap between what a child can do alone and what the child can do with adult or peer scaffolding.

Kohlberg's preconventional morality is self-interest and punishment avoidance; conventional morality is rule-following and social approval.

Language milestones: cooing by ~2 months, babbling by ~6 months, first words ~12 months, two-word combinations ~18-24 months, ~50-word vocabulary by 18 months.

Gross motor sequence is cephalocaudal (head to toe): head control, sitting, crawling, standing, walking; fine motor follows proximodistal (center to extremities).

Maslow's hierarchy: physiological needs and safety precede belonging, esteem, and self-actualization; unmet lower needs interfere with learning.

Bronfenbrenner's ecological model nests the child in microsystem (family, classroom), mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.

Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is defined by age appropriateness, individual appropriateness, and social/cultural appropriateness.

Play is a curriculum vehicle: dramatic play supports symbolic thought and language; constructive play supports spatial and math concepts; games with rules support self-regulation.

Emergent literacy components: phonological awareness, print concepts, alphabet knowledge, oral language, and writing development.

Phonological awareness develops from larger to smaller units: words, syllables, onset-rime, then phonemes.

Small-group and center-based instruction permits differentiated pacing; whole-group instruction is best reserved for brief shared experiences.

Scaffolding decision rule: provide the least support that enables success, then fade prompts as competence increases.

Concrete-to-abstract sequence: manipulatives and real objects precede pictorial representations, which precede symbolic notation.

The project approach (Katz) follows child inquiry through three phases: topic selection, investigation, and culminating sharing.

Formative assessment informs ongoing instruction; summative assessment documents achievement at the end of a period.

Screening identifies children who may need further evaluation; diagnosis and eligibility determination require formal, comprehensive assessment.

Reliability = consistency of scores across time, raters, or items; validity = the extent to which a tool measures what it claims to measure.

Norm-referenced scores compare a child to peers; criterion-referenced scores compare performance to a defined standard or skill list.

Anecdotal records, running records, work samples, and checklists are authentic, observation-based assessment tools for young children.

Assessment of young children should occur in familiar settings, across multiple occasions, and in the child's dominant language.

Standard error of measurement indicates the score band within which a child's true score likely falls; small differences may not be meaningful.

Progress monitoring uses brief, repeated measures to chart growth and adjust intervention over time.

Confidentiality rule: share child information only with those having a legitimate educational need to know, and follow program policy for records requests.

Mandated reporting: suspicion of abuse or neglect requires a report to the designated agency; the reporter does not investigate or notify the family.

Family involvement frameworks distinguish parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and community collaboration (Epstein).

Culturally responsive practice includes home-language support, family input into goals, and interpretation/translation services at no cost to families.

The IEP team is a multidisciplinary group including parents; decisions are documented and reviewed at least annually.

Ethical codes (e.g., NAEYC) prioritize the child's welfare, respect families, and require avoiding dual relationships that create conflicts of interest.

Professional development is ongoing and reflective; observation, mentoring, and self-assessment are standard vehicles for growth.

Community partnerships (libraries, health agencies, social services) extend supports and are coordinated through referral, not unilateral action.