Fieldwork & Practicum

Education and early childhood students are expected to satisfactorily perform the following essential functions in fieldwork and or practicum settings. (All students will be held to the same standards with or without reasonable accommodations, as ensured by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

Skills and Abilities

Mobility, Strength, and Motor Skills

Students must demonstrate gross and fine motor ability (balance, coordination, speed, and agility) and strength to move independently throughout a classroom setting, to move equipment/children if necessary, to ensure safe and effective environments, and to respond to unexpected situations in a timely manner.

Examples:

Have the mobility, strength, and dexterity to be able to lift and carry a child up to 25 pounds, and in case of emergency, up to 50 pounds; interact at each child's level and retrieve children who wander and/or run from the group.

Have the ability to stand and sit; reach with hands and arms; and kneel, bend, squat, and crawl.
Be able to sit down on the floor and get up again quickly.
Be able to maneuver in small spaces, including standing, walking, bending, and range of motion of extremities.
Be able to write and/or record observations.
Possess sufficient energy, physical endurance, and environmental tolerance (weather, lighting, dust, odors) to interact, supervise, and support active children indoors and outdoors during a three-hour practicum shift.

Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Abilities

Students must demonstrate sufficient auditory, visual, and tactile ability to monitor and assess the needs of each child.

Examples:

Demonstrate adequate hearing and vision in order to supervise children from across a 20 foot room.
Possess tactile abilities to notice changes in temperature.
Demonstrate visual and auditory abilities to observe individual and groups of children, while monitoring safety, social interactions, nonverbal cues, and for signs of physical abuse or neglect.

Communication Skills

Students must demonstrate suﬃcient verbal and nonverbal abilities to communicate clearly, exchange information, and develop relationships with children, families, and staff in the early childhood environment. Demonstrate body language beneficial to working with linguistically diverse children and families.

Examples:

Understand and respond to oral and written communications and directions.
Impart information; verbally and nonverbally communicate appropriately with children, families, and others.
Be able to read, write, understand, and respond to written instructions, communications, and materials.
Be able to effectively use verbal and nonverbal communication to guide children's behavior.

Interpersonal/Intrapersonal Skills

Students will demonstrate emotional initiative, stability, self-regulation, and maturity necessary to cooperate and function eﬀectively with diverse staﬀ and families, and support the physical, emotional, and social development of all children.

Examples:

Demonstrate the ability to work with children consistently and competently to ensure safety, observation, and assessment of all situations involving a child, group of children, and coworkers.

Adapt to changing duties and needs of the work environment, including retaining new information as related to the program, the profession, and the needs of each child.
Exercise independent judgment to effectively solve problems and make decisions.
Be able to stand or sit in front of groups of children and present class materials.
Be able to multitask: stay in control and adequately supervise a group of several children who are performing different activities. Should have skills to meet the needs of small and or large groups of children while also being aware of the other children in the room; and helping those with special needs or problems at any given time.
Demonstrate physical and mental wellness so as not to interfere with childcare responsibilities.

Cognitive Skills and Abilities

Students must exhibit critical thinking skills to effectively collect, interpret, and integrate information for making sound judgments that promote positive safety for children, learning outcomes, and professional behavior.

Examples:

Ability to reason and make decisions to keep children safe.
Ability to respond and resolve urgent situations in a timely manner.
Ability to prioritize multiple tasks such as ensuring safety and positive outcomes.

Analyze and integrate data obtained from written, verbal, and observational sources. Plan and facilitate learning experiences utilizing this data.
Apply developmental theory to practicum interactions, activities, planning, and assessment.
Be aware and sensitive to diverse learners and be able to adapt learning experiences accordingly.
Understand and carry out responsibilities as a mandated reporter of suspected child abuse and/or neglect.

Professionalism

All SMC practicum students are expected to:

Follow the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
Adhere to the rules and regulations of the fieldwork site.
Attend all fieldwork shifts and be ready to work on time. This may mean arriving 5-10 minutes early to account for parking and storing belongings before the shift begins. Students are also expected to remain for their entire shift.
Notify mentor teacher (or others as directed by your professor) in advance of any absence and arrange for a make-up date.
Maintain good personal hygiene and standards of professional appearance consistent with policies of field work site.
Maintain professional interactions with staﬀ and families. Personal discussions and interactions (including babysitting for families) are not considered professional.
Adhere to the cell phone policies of your fieldwork site. Keep your phone on silent during fieldwork hours. If you need to make/receive an urgent call or text, make arrangements with your mentor.
Refrain from eating, drinking, or chewing gum in the classroom unless permitted by fieldwork site.
Refrain from the use and abuse of any substance that may impair the ability to attend to children in a reliable manner. This includes prescription drugs, recreational substances, and herbal/homeopathic medicines.
Refrain from taking photos or videos of the children unless required for an assignment. All assignment photos/videos must be approved by fieldwork site.
Respect confidentiality of children, families and staﬀ. Do not discuss children, families, or staff at a practicum site outside of that setting. Posting photos or information about children, families, and staff of a practicum site on social media is prohibited. (See Confidentiality Agreement in Appendix D)

Ethical Behaviors

Education and Early Childhood students are expected to exhibit the highest levels of integrity and ethical conduct by adhering to the SMC Student Code of Conduct and the Academic Honesty Policy. In addition, students are required to follow the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct is based on several core values that provide guidance in decision-making and conduct for professionals working with young children. Early childhood educators make a commitment to:

Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle.
Base work with children on knowledge of how children grow and develop.
Appreciate and support the bond between child and family.
Recognize that children are best understood in the context of family, culture, community, and society.
Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual.
Respect diversity in children, families, and colleagues.
Recognize the children and adults achieve their full potential and the context of relationships that are based on trust and respect.

These core values are integrated into the Education and Early Childhood courses and should serve as a model for professionalism in the college classroom and in education and early childhood settings.

Students will study and learn to use the Code of Ethics through coursework, and are expected to model these values in daily interactions.

Mandated Reporters Policy

Practicum students enrolled in programs at Santa Monica College are mandated reporters under California law regarding child abuse reporting. All practicum students are required to adhere to this policy and fulfill their legal obligations as mandated reporters.

The first step in meeting mandated reporter requirements in the State of California is to complete the online training. SMC practicum students are required to complete the 4-hour, Child Care Provider training, accessed at https://mandatedreporterca.com/.

At the end of the training, you will receive a certificate of completion. The certificate will need to be submitted to your practicum instructor and practicum site. The training must be completed before fieldwork at your practicum site can begin. You are also responsible for adhering to any child abuse reporting policy in place at your practicum site.

Once you have begun your fieldwork, you will have a legal duty to report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect that you encounter in a timely manner. This includes situations where you have direct knowledge or witness signs or symptoms of abuse or neglect. In such situations, you should immediately inform your practicum instructor about the suspected abuse or neglect. Your practicum instructor will join you in the next steps, including:

Communicating with your mentor teacher and the director of your practicum site
Reporting to child protective services agency, as needed

These are very sensitive situations, and the confidentiality of the child and all related parties must be protected and respected. Practicum students who make good faith reports of suspected child abuse or neglect are protected by law from civil or criminal liability. If you think that you are experiencing retaliation for reporting, please contact your practicum instructor.

Appropriate Fieldwork Attire

Students should adhere to all rules and regulations of their fieldwork site. Students who arrive at their site inappropriately dressed may be sent home and directed to return in proper attire.

Neatness & General Appearance:

Students should arrive to their placement sites appearing clean, neat, and well-groomed.
Fingernails should be clean and trimmed so not to scratch the children.
Clothing should allow students to comfortably and easily sit on the floor, bend over, walk, and run without indecent exposure.
Clothing or accessories with mature or disturbing imagery should not be worn. Some placement sites do not permit media characters (such as Disney or Marvel) to be worn around the children; consult your site to be sure.

Jewelry/Accessories:

Jewelry is best kept to a minimum and should not have sharp edges that may scratch children. Keep in mind that young children may grab anything dangling or shiny, so it is best not to wear anything of value or that could present danger to the children or yourself.

Footwear:

Shoes should allow for necessary movement during activities or an emergency. Tennis shoes, flats, or shoes that protect feet and ankles from injury and allow running are best.
Open-toed shoes, heels, and flip-flops are not recommended.

Colored Hair/Tattoos/Piercings:

Some placement sites may have individual policies on brightly colored hair, visible tattoos, and piercings/gauges or other body alterations. Please consult your site for guidance on these issues.

Media Devices

Adhere to the policies of your fieldwork site regarding use of media devices.
Media watches such as Apple watches should have the display and sound turned oﬀ so as not to distract the children.
Cell phones should be on silent during fieldwork hours so as not to distract the children. If you need to make/receive an urgent call or text, make arrangements with your mentor teacher.
As stated in the Confidentiality Contract (Appendix D), students may not capture images or record audio or video of children, families, or teachers at any time during coursework, observation, or fieldwork. Taking pictures or recording audio or video of children, families, or teachers is strictly prohibited unless specific arrangements have been made with your mentor teacher.

Personal Possessions

Adhere to the policies of your fieldwork site regarding storage of your personal possessions.
Students should not bring weapons of any kind to their fieldwork site.
Students are responsible for the care and safety of their personal possessions.
Fieldwork sites are not liable for loss, damage, or theft of student possessions (See Liability for Personal Possessions in Appendix E).

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