"The teacher's first duty is to watch over the environment, and this takes precedence over all the rest. Its influence is indirect, but unless it is well done there will be no effective and permanent results of any kind, physical, intellectual or spiritual."
Maria Montessori

The early childhood professional takes on numerous roles: She inspires; she nurtures; she fosters creativity in the young and impressionable minds of tomorrow. And while each one of these roles holds equal importance to the other, none is more important than the role of the observer:

• You observe children's cognitive abilities during floor play and group activities.
• Their social/emotional skills are assessed by observing their interactions with peers and adults throughout their daily routines.
• Fine motor skills are observed when they are engaged in tabletop activities (i.e., coloring, cutting, etc.) and at other times during the day when they are required to use the small muscles in their hands.
• Gross motor skills are observed out on the playground, when children run, jump, kick, throw, etc.
• And their adaptive (i.e., self-help) skills are assessed throughout the day when they are expected to perform various tasks (i.e., toileting, dressing, hygiene, feeding, etc.).

But let's face it, when you have 15, 20, or more children in your class, it is extremely difficult to focus your attention on each of the five developmental domains per child: Cognition, communication, social-emotional, physical, and adaptive. The 'key,' however, is to know exactly what to look for in each one of your students, so that you can make an informed decision when determining whether or not there may be a 'delay' in a given area of development.

As professionals in our chosen fields of study, it is our responsibility to possess a wealth of knowledge in the area of child development. To lack basic knowledge of what children should and should not be able to do in their preschool years could prove detrimental to their academic and social growth, as they progress from one stage of development to the next. When assessing the 'whole child,' you are looking at a total of five developmental domains:

Cognition Development (thinking and learning skills):

• Problem-solving skills (e.g., puzzles, nesting cups, etc.)
• Playing with toys in a purposeful and functional manner
• Understanding of basic concepts (e.g., size concepts, quantitative concepts, numerical concepts, etc.)
• Interest in books and ability to answer questions about a story
• Counting skills (e.g., rote/1:1 correspondence)

Communication development

Communication consists of three sub-domains:

• Expressive Language: Ability to vocalize needs, wants, thoughts, and ideas.
• Receptive Language: What a child understands/comprehends (ability to follow directions).
• Articulation: Ability to clearly produce speech sounds.

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