CHSE Odisha Vocational Creche & Pre-School Management (CPM/CPSM) cheat sheet

Growth = measurable increase in body size (weight, height, head circumference); development = progressive change in skills and function. Growth is quantified; development is sequenced but uneven.

Average birth weight of a healthy Indian newborn is about 2.5–3.0 kg; weight doubles by 5 months, triples by 1 year, and is roughly quadrupled by 2 years.

Head circumference at birth is about 33–35 cm; it exceeds chest circumference until roughly 6–9 months in Indian norms, then chest overtakes head.

Milestone order: social smile 6 weeks; head control 3 months; rolling over 5–6 months; sitting without support 6–8 months; crawling 8–9 months; standing with support 9–10 months; walking alone 12–15 months.

Language milestones: cooing 2 months, babbling 6 months, first meaningful word 12 months, 2-word phrases 18–24 months, 50+ words and short sentences by 2–3 years.

Primitive reflexes are normal in early infancy and should fade: Moro (3–4 months), rooting and sucking (3–4 months), palmar grasp (4–6 months), Babinski positive up to about 1 year.

Piaget's sensorimotor stage (0–2 years) ends with object permanence and deferred imitation; preoperational thinking (2–7 years) is egocentric, animistic and pre-logical.

Red flags for referral: no social smile by 3 months, no head control by 4 months, no sitting by 9 months, no walking by 18 months, no single word by 18 months, and loss of previously acquired skills at any age.

Standard staff ratios for under-3s: 1 adult to 4–6 children; for 3–6 year olds: 1 adult to 8–12 children. Ratio tightens for mixed-age or special-needs groups.

Space norms: indoor activity area of at least 1.2–1.5 sq m per child and outdoor play space of at least 2–3 sq m per child; rooms need cross-ventilation and natural light.

Group size: creche groups of 8–12 infants/toddlers; pre-school groups of 20–25 children per trained teacher with a helper.

Daily routine order for pre-school: arrival and free play, circle time, guided activity, outdoor play, meal, rest, creative activity, departure - with fixed timings repeated daily.

A creche serves children 0–3 years (or 0–6 in integrated models) with feeding, napping, toileting and safety as core functions; a pre-school serves 3–6 years with school-readiness as the core function.

Age-wise class grouping: nursery 3–4 years, LKG 4–5 years, UKG 5–6 years; admission cut-off is fixed by the institution and applied uniformly.

Furniture must be child-sized: table height about 45–50 cm and chair seat 25–30 cm for 3–6 year olds; open shelves at child reach; no sharp edges.

Records required at set-up: registration/licence, child admission register, attendance register, staff register, medical and immunisation records, daily diary, and parent-communication log.

An admission form captures child's name, date of birth, sex, parent/guardian names, address, contact numbers, emergency contact, immunisation status, allergies and special needs.

The attendance register is filled daily for each child and staff member; monthly attendance percentage = (days present ÷ working days) × 100.

The staff register records qualification, training, date of joining, duty allocation and leave; every staff member needs a valid medical fitness certificate.

A daily diary or anecdotal record logs the individual child's eating, sleeping, toileting, mood and notable events, and is shared with parents at pick-up.

A portfolio holds dated samples of the child's work, photographs and observation notes; it is evidence of progress, not a ranking tool.

Confidentiality rule: child and family records are shared only with the parent/guardian or authorised personnel; third-party disclosure requires parental consent.

Budget heads for a creche/pre-school: staff salaries, rent and utilities, food, consumables and play material, health and hygiene, maintenance, insurance and contingency.

Statutory and administrative documents to maintain: licence/recognition certificate, fire-safety certificate, building safety certificate, insurance policy, staff police-verification records and inspection reports.

Immunisation schedule (India, UIP): BCG, OPV-0 and Hepatitis B at birth; OPV/Penta/PCV/Rota at 6, 10 and 14 weeks; measles-rubella first dose 9–12 months; DPT and MR boosters 16–24 months; DPT booster 5–6 years.

Growth monitoring: plot weight-for-age and height-for-age every month for under-3s and quarterly for 3–6s; a flat or falling weight curve signals faltering growth and needs referral.

WHO/IMCI danger signs needing immediate referral: inability to feed, convulsions, lethargy or unconsciousness, fast or difficult breathing, persistent vomiting, high fever, and severe dehydration.

Balanced pre-school meal pattern: cereal staple + pulse + vegetable + a fat source + fruit; protein foods at each main meal; iron-rich foods with a vitamin C source to aid absorption.

Handwashing with soap at five critical times: before eating and feeding, after toileting, after handling waste, before food preparation, and after coughing/sneezing; scrub at least 20 seconds.

Safe drinking water must be boiled, filtered or treated and stored in a covered container with a tap or ladle; water containers are cleaned daily.

Accident protocol: stop the activity, assess and give first aid, inform the parent immediately, record the incident in the accident register, and review the cause to prevent recurrence.

Safety checks: covered electrical sockets, stair gates, no small objects under 3 cm near under-3s, medicines and cleaning agents locked away, and a stocked first-aid box with ORS, bandages, antiseptic and thermometer.

ECCE curriculum domains: physical-motor, cognitive, language and literacy, early numeracy, socio-emotional, creative and aesthetic, and health-hygiene-self-help.

Play types and functions: free play (self-directed), structured play (teacher-led objective), dramatic/pretend play (symbolic thought and language), constructive play (blocks, sand, clay), and outdoor gross-motor play.

Activity planning uses a theme web: one theme (e.g. 'My Family', 'Animals', 'Rain') is spun into art, story, song, number, motor and language activities across the week.

Early literacy building blocks: phonological awareness (rhyming, syllable clapping), print awareness, oral vocabulary, and letter-sound exposure - not formal writing drills before age 5–6.

Early numeracy building blocks: one-to-one correspondence, counting with meaning, sorting and classifying, seriation (small to big), shape and pattern recognition, and positional language.

Lesson-plan format for a 20–30 minute pre-school activity: objective, material, introduction (warm-up), main activity, individual practice, closure and evaluation note.

Assessment in ECCE is observation-based: checklist, rating scale, anecdotal record and portfolio. No written tests or marks for children under 6.

Teacher role in play: set the environment, observe, join when invited, ask open questions, and avoid taking over the child's play or correcting it mid-flow.

Erikson's psychosocial stages: trust vs mistrust (0–1), autonomy vs shame (1–3), initiative vs guilt (3–6); the caregiver's consistency supports trust, and allowing choice supports autonomy.

Attachment theory (Bowlby/Ainsworth): secure attachment forms through consistent, responsive caregiving; strange-situation patterns are secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-ambivalent and disorganised.

Piaget: children construct knowledge through assimilation (fitting new experience into existing schema) and accommodation (changing schema); learning follows action on objects.

Vygotsky: learning is social; the Zone of Proximal Development is the gap between what a child can do alone and with help, bridged by scaffolding and language.

Temperament types: easy, slow-to-warm, and difficult; temperament is inborn and stable, so guidance should match the child's style rather than fight it.

Maslow's hierarchy applied to the creche: safety, food and rest needs must be met before attention and learning can occur.

Separation anxiety peaks around 8–18 months and again at pre-school entry; a short, predictable drop-off routine reduces distress.

Observation methods: running record (continuous narrative), time sampling (record at fixed intervals), event sampling (record when a defined behaviour occurs) and anecdotal record (short specific incident).

Positive guidance order: prevent (environment and routine), redirect, offer limited choices, state the rule briefly, then apply a logical consequence.

Punishment vs discipline: discipline teaches the expected behaviour and is future-oriented; punishment inflicts discomfort for a past act and does not teach a replacement behaviour.

Time-out rules: only for 3+ years, 1 minute per year of age, in a safe and visible but boring place, and followed by a brief re-engagement and repair.

Never acceptable: physical punishment, shouting, shaming, withholding food or toilet, and isolating a child from the group for long periods.

Behaviour is communication: a biting toddler usually lacks words, is teething or tired, or is seeking attention; the response is to comfort the hurt child, then teach the biter a word or gesture.

Socio-emotional milestones: parallel play (2–3 years), associative play (3–4 years), cooperative play with shared rules (4–6 years); turn-taking and sharing emerge with practice, not instruction alone.

Praise should be specific and effort-focused ('you put the blocks back carefully') rather than global ('good boy'), so the child knows what to repeat.

A behaviour log records antecedent, behaviour and consequence (ABC) so that patterns can be identified and discussed with parents.

Language develops through a serve-and-return loop: the adult responds to the child's sounds and words, extends the utterance and pauses for a reply.

Adult talk strategies that build language: self-talk (narrating own actions), parallel talk (narrating the child's actions), expansion (adding words to the child's phrase) and open questions.

Bilingual children may mix languages and have a silent period; this is normal. Home language is maintained while the school language is added.

Story-time sequence: pre-reading (cover, prediction), reading with expression and pointing to print, and post-reading recall questions and re-telling.

Phonological awareness activities: rhyme matching, syllable clapping, first-sound games, and blending/sounding out - all oral before any letter writing.

Emergent writing stages: scribbling, mock letters, letter-like forms, invented spelling, then conventional spelling; scribbling is a valid pre-writing stage.

Early numeracy activities: counting real objects, matching one-to-one, comparing more/less, sorting by one attribute, making patterns, and measuring with non-standard units (hand spans, blocks).

Speech and language red flags: no babbling by 9 months, no words by 18 months, no 2-word phrases by 24 months, unclear speech at 4 years, or no response to name - refer for assessment.

Epstein's six types of parental involvement: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making and collaborating with the community.

Parent communication channels: daily diary, notice board, class WhatsApp group, monthly newsletter, parent-teacher meeting and open day.

Parent-teacher meeting structure: greeting, sharing dated observations of the child, listening to the parent, agreeing on one or two joint actions, and recording the outcome.

Home-learning suggestions must use low-cost local materials (dal, bottle caps, cloth, leaves, kitchen utensils) so every family can participate.

Community resources to involve: anganwadi worker, ASHA, local doctor, health centre, library, police, fire service and local artisans for craft and story sessions.

The creche committee (parents' committee) advises on meals, safety, events and fees; decisions are minuted and shared with all parents.

Family involvement supports attendance and retention: children whose parents participate show better attendance and smoother transition to primary school.

Handle parent complaints by listening fully, recording the issue, checking facts, responding within a stated time, and following up to confirm resolution.

Inclusion means the child with a disability attends the same setting with adaptations; integration means the child attends but must fit the unchanged setting - inclusion is the standard.

Common categories: visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, learning disability, ADHD and multiple disability.

Early warning signs: no eye contact or response to name by 12 months, no pointing by 14 months, stiff or floppy limbs, persistent toe-walking, frequent falls, and loss of skills at any age.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): multiple means of representation (show, tell, touch), multiple means of expression (say, draw, act), and multiple means of engagement (choice, interest-based).

Physical adaptations: ramps with a 1:12 slope, wide doorways, grab bars, non-slip flooring, uncluttered pathways, and seating at the child's height.

Language adaptations: short sentences, one instruction at a time, visual schedules, picture cards, gestures and extra processing time.

Referral pathway: observe and record, discuss with parents, refer to a doctor or district early intervention centre, get an assessment, and write an individualised plan with the family.

Avoid labelling and comparison; focus on functional goals the child can achieve next, and celebrate small gains in the same way as for all children.

A creche/pre-school business plan covers: need and demand survey, location, legal status, space, staff, fees, monthly cost, break-even, and marketing.

Break-even point = fixed monthly costs ÷ (fee per child − variable cost per child). The result is the minimum number of children needed to avoid loss.

Fixed costs: rent, salaries, insurance, licence fees. Variable costs: food, consumables, water and electricity per child, teaching material.

Registration route in India: local municipal or panchayat permission, Shops and Establishments registration, fire-safety NOC, and recognition under the relevant state pre-school/ECCE norms.

Licence and compliance checks: building safety, fire extinguishers, safe drinking water, staff medical fitness, staff-child ratio, and a written child-protection policy.

Funding options: self-finance, bank loan under a small-business or women-entrepreneur scheme, CSR support, and fee-based or sponsorship models for low-income families.

Professional ethics: no physical or emotional harm, confidentiality of family information, no discrimination by caste, religion or income, honest fee disclosure, and no false claims of affiliation.

Marketing that stays ethical: open days, parent referrals, local posters, and community events; never use children's photographs without written parental consent.

A lesson plan for practical work states: date, age group, theme, objective, material, procedure, expected outcome and evaluation note - all filled before the session.

A teaching-aid file includes at least one low-cost aid per activity, with the material used, the skill it builds, and a photograph or sketch of the aid.

Observation file: at least one running record, one time sample and one anecdotal record, each dated and signed by the supervisor.

Internship log is filled daily with date, hours, activity conducted, children's response and the intern's reflection; it is countersigned by the supervisor each week.

Portfolio contents: lesson plans, teaching aids, observation records, case study of one child, activity photographs (with consent), attendance sheet and supervisor's evaluation.

Case study format: child's background (anonymised), reason for observation, dated observations, identified need, action taken, outcome and reflection.

Evaluation criteria for practicals: planning, material preparation, communication with children, classroom management, time management, record keeping and reflection quality.

Anonymity rule: in written records, use initials or a code for the child, never the full name or identifying address, and store files securely.