Professional Development Portfolio
Professional Development Portfolio
Professional Development Portfolio
a. Transcripts
b. Resume
c. Credential Application
d. Additional Honors/Awards/Achievements
e. Certifications
Curriculum
V. Appendices
Philosophy of Early Childhood Education
I. Philosophy of Early Childhood Education
Children use their bodies to move and their senses to explore the world (physical), they require
and organize information and learn to reason and solve problems (cognitive), they learn to talk
with others about what they are thinking, experiencing, perceiving, and doing (language), they
learn to relate to others and make moral decisions (social), and they learn to trust, to recognize
and express their feelings, and to accept themselves (emotional). All domains of development
and learning- physical, social, emotional, and cognitive- are important and are closely
interrelated. Children’s development and learning in one domain influence and are influenced by
The curriculum is based off of learning experiences (including play- small group, large group,
routines, interest centers) that reflect what is known about young children and about these
children in particular, as well as about the sequences in which children acquire specific concepts,
skills, and abilities, building on prior experiences. Teachers consider what children should know,
understand, and be able to do across the domains of physical, social, emotional, and cognitive
development and across the disciplines, including- language, literacy, mathematics, social
studies, science, art, music, physical education, and health. Teachers plan curriculum experiences
to draw on children’s own interests and introduce children to things likely to interest them.
The primary responsibilities of the family have increased from primarily ensuring children’s
physical well-being (food, shelter, clothing, health, and safety) to providing psychological
security along with the skills needed for dealing with an increasingly complicated world.
Teachers strive to build relationships, create policies, and make decisions that support each child
establishing 2-way communications with them. There is a mutual respect, cooperation, shared
responsibility, and negotiation of conflicts toward achievement of shared goals. The trusting
relationship that you initially establish with each family can help them feel comfortable letting
you know where there is upset in their lives and allowing you to offer support when such
situations occur. The first thing to help a family is by being there and doing my own job. A
simple way I could help is by being aware and keeping a child’s school life as stable as possible
The rules I would use for classroom management and discipline is to make a plan. Plan activities
I will do in advance, have back-up activities to do in case something happens. Secondly, have an
“attention grabber”. Start group activities with something I know will capture children’s interest.
The third rule, be organized. Have all materials organized and ready so that the children don’t
have time to do anything bad. The next thing is to be flexible. I’d make changes in response to
what children do. Skip a planned activity, add movement, or insert a song or finger play as you
notice children’s responses. The last thing is be positive and stern if needed. Focus on things
children do right and not on the negative. Reward them when they do something right and if
something negative happens, talk in a stern voice and stay at eye level with them.
Everyone involved, either students, teachers, parents or other ECE professionals, trust and
respect and the interactions with others is a foundation of building a relationship. The
relationship between teacher and child is a significant factor in how children feel about school
and in their later academic success. When children experience relationships with adults who
meet their needs and respond to them with care, they build feelings of trust and learn that the
world is a safe and welcoming place. Teachers are careful to promote positive relationships with
and between children, families, and staff. Trust is foundational to all social and emotional
growth.
Closely related to people’s values are their attitudes toward groups of people whose culture,
religion, language, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, appearance, or abilities are different from
their own. We all develop preferences and expectations about people. When ECE educators
focus on positives, you are more easily able to develop a special affection for a child or adult
whom you were once inclined to dislike. Your newfound appreciation of a child or family can
also influence your feelings about other members of a group. Remember that all families need
your respect. It’s important that I recognize that they rely on teachers to assist them in preserving
the cultural values of their family. Just learn about their preferences and welcome their
Cashier
Lead/Floater Teacher
EDUCATION
Full-Time Student
GPA: 2.80
Certificates & Awards
Made Honor Roll Junior & Senior Year
Early Childhood Professional Coach/Buddy for Bedford Bobcats Special Olympics Basketball
Certificate Team
C. Credential Application
D. Additional Honors/Awards/Achievements
E. Certifications
Evidence and Reflection of Learning
A: NAEYC Standard 1
Status: Completed
This artifact supports NAEYC Standard 1: Promoting Child Development and Learning.
I was focusing on Brady’s speech and mathematics. I had to think outside the box to help
develop Brady’s language and speech delay skills along with numbers. The activity had to be
challenging enough to foster improvement but not so challenging that he would become
discouraged and lose interest. He also seems to understand more than he can say, so I made sure
to reinforce words that he does know while mixing in new words to build his vocabulary.
I chose this artifact for a couple of reasons. It is something that I’m proud of, something I
worked on with others and is a passion of mine. Brady is a very rewarding child for me to work
with, so the fact that I felt like he was learning and we were building a relationship at the same
This assignment really reaffirmed that I like working with special education learners. Brady is a
very bright boy who is learning speech and language, but the language/speech barrier makes the
teaching process similar to working with children with delays and disabilities. I also learned that
This artifact shows a work connection for me because I would like to work as a special education
teacher (possibly) in the future. Working with children who have delays or special needs like
Brady helped to foster that goal and helped to prepare me for that future.
INDIVIDUALIZED ACTIVITY PLAN
Manchester Community College
NAME: Numbers Car Wash CENTER: Math Age of Child: 3 ½
CURRICULUM AREA: Math THEME (if applicable): Cars
OBSERVATION OF CHILD’S CURRENT BEHAVIOR AND DEVELOPMENTAL
NEED(S):
• Very quiet
• Whispers/only talks with close friends
• Keeps to himself/doesn’t show much emotion
OBSERVATION OF CHILD’S INTEREST(S):
• Cars/Trucks
Relevant Standard(s):
1. Social and Emotional Development. Emotional Expression. (Ages 3 years). Express their
feelings with greater frequency
2. Cognitive Development. Concept of number, quantity, ways of representing numbers, one-to-
one correspondence, and counting. (Ages 3 years). Show an interest in counting 1 to 10, may
hold up fingers to indicate quantity.
3. Physical Development and Health. Gross Motor Skills. (Ages 3 years). Show increased
confidence in their ability to coordinate large muscles and interest in new ways to use large
muscles.
4. Physical Development and Health. Fine Motor Skills. (Ages 3 years). Show increased
confidence in ability to coordinate small muscles and interest in new ways to use small muscles.
Name of Activity & RESOURCE:
Numbers Car Wash
http://inspiredbyfamilymag.com/2016/04/20/fun-game-learn-numbers/
SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES: (Objectives must relate to the observations and
standards listed above) Child will be able to . . .
1. Use his fine motor skills to use the spray bottle with ease and appropriately
2. Be able to match what number I say to the number on the board with the bottle
3. Have fun and be confident in what he’s doing
How do you plan to DOCUMENT children’s achievement of these objectives?
Create a checklist of the learning objectives and check off each one he reached
Materials and Set-up:
• Spray bottle
• Dry erase marker
• Contact paper
• Car shaped foam
PROCEDURES:
Introduction:
Ask him if he wants to do a car activity. Bring him over and explain that each number I call, he
has to squirt the car with the same number on the bottle. Hand him the spray bottle.
Detailed Sequence of Activity Steps:
Call out numbers in this order- 2,5,9,1,3,4,8,6,7,10
Conclusion:
Give a high five and say “Good job! Did you like this car activity?”
COOPERATING TEACHER SIGNATURES/COMMENTS:
This activity was approved on __________________.
______________________________________ (Date) (Teacher signature)
This activity was implemented on __________________.
______________________________________
Comments: (date) (teacher signature)
EVALUATION OF STUDENT RESPONSE:
Participants: B.M.
Interest Level of Children: Very interested, smiled.
Evaluation of Objectives:
1. B. was able to use his fine motor and gross motor skills with the spray bottle to wash the cars
once I demonstrated how. He used it with ease and appropriately.
2. He was able to match the numbers I called out except for the number 6 and 7. He only mixed
up those two.
3. He had fun and laughed at what he was doing. He smiled at the end and kept the spray bottle
for a while.
Name, briefly explain, and give a rationale for a follow-up activity based on the needs
and/or interests of the children:
Learning Shapes with Toy Cars. Have shape cut outs with the pavement on the shape like a
track, with whatever hot wheels vehicles. This is a great follow-up activity based on the interest
of the child because he loves cars and it teaches him basic shapes.
SELF-EVALUATION OF TEACHING:
• What was the most effective part of this activity? What did YOU do that made it
successful?
The most effective part of this activity was the activity itself. I made this successful by letting
him use the spray bottle and having him do how many times he wants. I also made it successful
by using his favorite color (blue) and using food coloring dye into the waters so it looks cool
when it hits the cars and board.
• What was the least effective part of this activity? If you were to do the activity again, what
would you do differently? Why?
The least effective part of this activity was the introduction. He was in the car center when I tried
to call him over to do the activity but he didn’t want to leave. If I were to do the activity again, I
would bring over the activity or point to what I have and show him so that way he leaves the
center he’s at with ease.
• What accommodations or modifications did you make while implementing the activity?
Why did you make these modifications or accommodations? Be specific.
The accommodations/modifications I made while implementing this activity was every time I
called out a number, I asked what color the car was that he was washing. Another modification I
made was dye the water in the spray bottle blue, his favorite color. I made this modification so
it’s more fun and exciting for him. I made the other modification because I was testing his
knowledge on colors and it was a way for him to talk; even if it was just one word.
•What did you learn about teaching from planning and implementing this activity?
I learned about teaching from planning and implementing this activity by being patient and don’t
push when and if he decides to talk. Another thing I learned is every little thing I adjusted in his
interest (the blue water) was well worth it and should be continued in other lessons.
B: NAEYC Standard 2
Status: Completed
This artifact supports NAEYC Standard 2: Building Family and Community Relationships
This semester long project was built on the goal of improving lives of families in the local
community. We decided to create a food can drive for low-income families in need for the
greater-Manchester area. We set up boxes with a sign attached to them at schools, grocery stores,
some retail stores and more. We collected over 100 cans, which was a lot considering we had to
I chose this artifact to demonstrate my learning because it is something I worked on with others,
and something I am proud of. The community relations section is something that I would like to
improve on because I haven’t had the time recently in my schedule to volunteer the way I used
to.
I learned a few things about working with others in my field through this assignment/project.
First, sometimes your partners for your project aren’t willing to put the same amount of effort as
others and even doing something small will make a difference in the community, if you witness
I can connect to this artifact through the community because I know that I helped families who
really needed help and who were hungry (or going hungry) within the community that we
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves. Our names are Kayla
Legacy, Ashley Rolon, Becky Desjardins, and Briana Isabelle. We are students of Manchester
Community College taking Child, Family and Community Relations course. Part of this course is
a project where we give back to an organization in the community. As a group, we chose Early
Head Start as our organization because we have all had an opportunity to spend time in your
facility.
We would like to present our idea of providing a care package for one family from each
of your classrooms. We would ask that the teachers from each classroom choose a family that
would benefit the most from receiving these care packages. The care packages would include:
necessary toiletries, dried food goods, special treats for the child.
As of right now, Ashley and Kayla are currently in Infant/Toddler Practicum at your
center, so if you have any comments, questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.
Contact Information:
(603)566-7628 (603)315-5487
klegacy015@students.ccsnh.edu rdesjardins526@gmail.com
C: NAEYC Standard 3
Status: Completed
This artifact supports NAEYC Standard 3: Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support
In this artifact, I observed Kataleya, who is 4 years and 4 month old girl, who I saw three times a
week (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday) for 3 hours every day. I observed her from January
2017 to May 2017. In this time, I also assessed and documented her academic, social and
physical progress and behaviors. She was not a typically developing child. She has a vision and
hearing delay, although she is very bright and loves to learn new things.
I chose this artifact for many reasons. First, it was something that shows growth, something I
want to remember and something I wish I could have done more with. I am very proud of what I
was able to do and to see her progress so much over the course of a few months. I want to
remember Kataleya because she is strong-willed and learning so much- even with the delays she
This artifact shows both a personal and professional connection for me because growing up, I
was diagnosed with a learning disability and I know the struggle it can take on everyone (not just
myself). This experience also led me to become interested in the special education field.
Kataleya’s Portfolio
Introduction
Kataleya is 4 years and 4 months old. She is small in height and weight. She has brown, curly
hair and brown eyes. She is friendly and pretty open. She likes playdough and dramatic play.
Kataleya does have a vision problem that causes her to wear glasses and bring everything close
to her face. Another thing that she has a delay with is her hearing. She has a hearing loss of over
50%. She has hearing aids in both ears and a separate mic for the teacher so it comes out clear.
Kataleya has really great gross motor movement and literacy development.
Assessment
It was difficult to assess Kataleya on every developmental area because she needed verbal and
visual support provided. If you look at her assessment/scoring sheet, she has made progress or
has stayed the same. There are an equal amount of sections where she is either making progress,
meeting age-expectations or exceeding expectations. There is only one sub category where she
scored ‘having difficulty’ in the writing to convey meaning. Overall Kataleya did well but has
much more to learn.
Language/Literacy
Kataleya’s language development is a little below average, but also has to do with her not
hearing well. She mostly is making progress in all sections and meets age-expectations in using
conventional grammar and following directions, along with engaging in conversations and social
rules of language. She is able to follow directions really well and can hold a conversation
relatively well. Kataleya’s literacy is great. She uses and likes to look at books. She meets or
exceeds age expectations in most categories. She is slowly making progress in rhyming and
writing her name.
Mathematics
Kataleya is doing relatively well in the mathematic section. She did not score low on anything.
She is making progress on patterning, comparing and measuring and spatial relationships. She is
able to count to 10, starting at 0 and is able to name 3 shapes: square, triangle, and circle.
Kataleya has great basic math skills but still has much to learn but making progress slowly.
Cognitive
Kataleya’s cognitive development is average (at age-expectations). She is able to persist when
she wants, especially always asking why, she uses classification skills and thinks symbolically.
She likes to create art work and build her own things, mostly with playdough. She engages in
sociodramatic play often and always have something new every day. Kataleya’s cognitive
development is average (meeting age-expectations) and continues to progress.
Physical
Kataleya’s physical abilities/development are okay. She is slowly making progress and starting
to do different movements. She is starting to strengthen her fingers and hands by having different
activities for her and her peers to do. She can jump relatively well, with landing both feet on the
ground. Her physical capabilities are okay. Kataleya’s physical development is good and has
much to work on, but making progress.
Social
Kataleya’s social skills are good. She has many friends and her peers love to play with her. She
can hold a conversation with everyone for the most part, but it can be difficult for her to interact
with peers. It’s difficult because with her hearing-aids she can’t hear everything, and her speech
can be muffled. Kataleya’s social development is good and meets age-expectations.
Status: Completed
Over the course of my student teaching practicum, we were supposed to know teaching strategies
were effective and vice versa. We were learning about this in class and were assigned to do a
journal entry every week and write about what was assigned to us. It was very eye opening and
interesting to see the different children and how the reacted to the different teaching strategies
I chose this artifact to demonstrate my learning because it is something that could work with
children (depending on the child) in general. Each time I am in the classroom now, it makes me
think back to what I could do differently and maybe try a different approach if my own
I can connect to this artifact through my own work because as an early childhood educator and
possibly, future special education teacher- I am sure I will see children with different learning
styles and behaviors; which they may need different teaching strategies. The more I know about
different teaching strategies, the more I will be better off when taking over my own classroom
5 October 2016
ECE 202
There are many strategies that are used and makes them effective; but there were not many
ineffective teaching strategies. These strategies that seem to work for the teachers are
acknowledgement, encouragement, modeling positive behavior, demonstrate positive behaviors
and actions, ask questions, and give assistance and directions.
Acknowledgement is great because it lets children know that we (us teachers) noticed by giving
positive attention. Encouraging children is another great teaching strategy because if they
encourage their children, it makes them want to learn and continue to do better. Modeling
positive behaviors and attitudes is good because it shows children rather than telling them.
Children are like sponges; the better the modeling, the better off they will be. Modeling is the
same as demonstrating. But demonstrating is great because the teachers can show the child how
to do something and then having them imitate you. Asking questions shows the child how to be
successful and wants to make them inquisitive and then makes them want to learn more; which
will make them better students. Giving assistance is another great teaching strategy I saw,
because it helps them become successful in the classroom and help children work on the edge of
their current competence. Giving directions is the last effective teaching strategy because it helps
children’s actions and behaviors when learning and shows them step-by-step directions which is
great for testing their memory.
The teaching strategies they use are all effective. There really wasn’t much of any ineffective
teaching strategies. The only thing I would add is for the teachers to create or add more
challenges for them to overcome and test their abilities/limits. An effective teacher or family
child care provider chooses a strategy to fit a particular situation. It’s important to consider what
the children already know and can do and the learning goals for the specific situation. If one
strategy doesn’t work, another will. By being flexible and observant, teachers can determine
which strategy may be the most effective.
E: NAEYC Standard 5
Status: Completed
This artifact supports NAEYC Standard 5: Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful
Curriculum
As a child I loved the season fall and I still do and since (at the time) it was just starting of the
fall season, I thought it would make sense for me to use the theme of fall as my thematic unit.
The children showed interest in the fall colors and the weather changing. I used these
observations to bring them into centers and activities, especially in dramatic play and science
centers.
I chose this artifact because it is some of my best work and it includes something I put a lot of
effort in and it involves my favorite season. The fact that I love to work with children and the
season fall, had helped me with my creativity for coming up with activities and different
materials for the children to explore and learn from. I would not have done anything differently.
I learned that while planning every detail out, early childhood education is a field that requires a
ton of flexibility, because nothing is going to go as the original plan that was in your head. I
learned that not a lot can be in your control at once, so it’s better to just go with the flow and
make sure that they just reach the goals that are originally set- no matter how they get there/reach
it.
I can connect to this artifact through my education because it was a huge learning experience for
Goals: (By the end of this unit, children will be able to….)
1. Learn the fall colors (red, orange, yellow, and green, brown)
3. Learn the fun, different activities you can do during the fall
ASSESSMENT PLAN
Background Knowledge Assessments:
Performance assessment which assess the child’s participation in daily activities and
reviewing student work along with their strengths and weaknesses
Formative Assessments (how will you assess progress towards the goals):
Performance assessment which assess the child’s participation in daily activities and
reviewing student work along with their strengths and weaknesses
TECHNOLOGY PLAN:
Create/Prepare the activities-various websites
Used google and Pinterest a lot
Books with CD’s to go with them and CD Player
Digital Camera to take pictures with the activities
Letter to Parents:
November 2016
Dear Families,
My name is Kayla Legacy and I am excited to introduce and implement this week’s theme with
your children. This week’s theme is ‘Fall All Around’! This is an amazing thematic unit for our
infants and toddlers because they get to learn about the season they are currently in which is
fall. They get to observe using their senses the world around them. During this theme week, the
children will be expected to learn about the fall colors, the fun activities you can do during the
season, the environment and how it changes and the different foods they can eat or use for
fun!
With this all in mind, our children will be more aware of the fall season. They will learn about
the world around them through their senses with fall being everywhere. With each of these
listed, I will be covering subjects in all areas, which include: math, science/sensory,
language/literacy, gross motor/outdoors, fine motor/manipulatives and creative art, music, and
dramatic play. At home you can let your child in the house find something that has the fall
colors or decorations or maybe even a tasting party (try pumpkin, apple, corn; etc.).
We are very excited about everything we have planned. Please don’t hesitate to call or email
Sincerely,
Kayla Legacy
Background Information for Parents & Teachers:
This background information is to help my fellow co-workers and children’s parents answer any
questions that a child may ask about the fall season. This is a basic topic, but I have provided
below, a list of URL’S, books, articles and more to help you and your child or student become
A book that is great for parents and teachers to read to their children would be ‘I Love Fall’
sensory book by: Alison Inches. It goes through most of the fall things that many families can do
and have all the seasons where there are certain links to certain things about that season. This
whole website is based on ages 18 months to 2.5 years. This is a great website to get different
An online article that is good to explain the basics of the fall season that everybody will
about-the-season-of-autumn/. This article is great because it talks about the season itself, gives
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/science-homework-help/123263-facts-
about-the-season-of-autumn/
https://kidskonnect.com/holidays-seasons/autumn/
http://www.adaycare.com/tthemes.html
http://busytoddler.com/2016/09/fall-activities-for-toddlers/
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/autumn-lesson-plans-and-ideas
http://teachingheart.net/afallunit.html
Books
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by: Lucille Colandro
Status: In Progress
This artifact is actually this portfolio itself. It showcases all of the growing and learning I have
done within my 3 years here at Manchester Community College and what my goals are as I head
I chose this artifact because it is a combination of all my best work and it is something I am
proud of because I worked very hard on it and all the assignments attached to this portfolio. It
Creating this artifact was really eye opening to just how far I have come, to thinking back to
where and when I started. All of the assignments were done within the past 3 years if not, the
I feel as though I have put my everything into this that I possibly can but did make some
mistakes or miss any parts of this portfolio, I would go back and fix them.
I can connect this artifact through personal, work, educational and community experiences
because they have all been included and improved in this portfolio and the artifacts in it.
G: NAEYC Standard 7
Status: Completed
This artifact is my final evaluation of this particular class from my cooperating teacher. I think it
shows that I have grown as teacher from the beginning of the semester to the very end.
I chose this artifact because it is something I am proud of, something I would still continue to
improve on, something I want to remember, and shows growth. I worked very hard as a student-
teacher (intern) and have always wanted to strive and improve every day, and I feel as though
this shows it. This artifact is really eye opening and shows my growth on just how far I’ve come.
I learned from this artifact that it is okay to score low, that just means that there is always room
for improvement and to learn more and become a better teacher. I also learned that with this
artifact, it is okay that not everything is in the excellent (#4) range. I have always been the person
to strive for straight A’s and always try to be perfect- but there is no such thing. This just proves
Some things I might have done differently is look at what was on the evaluation sheet first to see
what I would be scored on and then tried my best to do what I could remember and implement so
I can connect to this artifact through educational and work related experiences because this
proves that I am making progress as an educator and that I am doing okay for just starting out.
Future Professional Goals
IV: Future Professional Goals
After my last semester at Manchester Community College comes to a close, I will be working
much as I can before I start going back to school in the fall. I will be attending Keene State
College for a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education (birth to 3rd grade) and two
minors in Special Education and Psychology. While attending this school, I am hoping to work
at the lab school/day care that they have on campus or somewhere around a campus to get more
experience and earn a little income while I am away. My goal is to have my bachelor’s within
two years, but will most likely take longer because I have two minors that I need to take classes
for.
as a substitute teacher and work my way up to being a lead teacher in my own classroom
(anywhere from kindergarten to 3rd grade). Even though I want to be working in a public school
system, I would also keep my job as a lead teacher at the daycare I am currently at, just to add
more income when I first start out. Along with all of this, I also plan to go to the University of
New Hampshire and earn my Master’s in Elementary Education. But, I want to earn this as soon
as I graduate from Keene State College because I know if I take a year off, I will not want to go
back to school.
In 10 years, I plan on having my Master’s degree in Special Education as well. I would like to be
a full-time lead teacher in my own classroom (hoping kindergarten or first grade- if I got to
choose). I believe I want to work with the younger elementary children because I feel as though I
would do better and I have worked with children this age before and loved every minute of it.
Appendices
Letter of Recommendation