Infant CLASS Tool Overview Looking at What Matters

In this overview of the infant tool, educators will understand how to recognize effective educator-child interactions and why interactions matter for children at each level of development. The Infant CLASS tool is used in classrooms with children ages birth-18 months.

Responsive Caregiving Domain

• Relational Climate Dimension 
  The connections, emotions, and respect conveyed by warm and supportive adults and infants’ responses to those interactions build a positive relational climate that nurtures trust and security - the foundation for healthy infant development in all early childhood settings.
• Teacher Sensitivity Dimension 
  Sensitive educators help infants feel secure as they learn that their world or environment is a predictable and comforting place. Sensitive educators are aware of all infants in the classroom. They are attentive to their signals and cues, verbal or nonverbal, including the educators' availability to provide infants with comfort and support in resolving distress in a timely manner.
• Facilitated Exploration Dimension 
  Educators facilitate exploration and learning during routine care and playtime when they actively participate in infants' experiences and provide intentional opportunities for them to engage in their learning. Educators watch infants see their interests and then build on those and adjust to further their interests and hands-on experiences.
• Early Language Support Dimension
  This dimension describes how educators are intentional about facilitating infants’ language development and communication skills as they engage in back-and-forth exchanges verbally and nonverbally, label and describe classroom events and actions, imitate or initiate words and sounds, and extend infants’ language and communication attempts by adding words to the infants’ actions.

Toddler CLASS® Tool: Looking at What Matters 
Educators will gain an understanding of how to recognize effective educator-child interactions and the importance of why interactions matter for children at each level of development. The Toddler CLASS tool is used in classrooms with children ages 15-36 months.

Emotional and Behavioral Support Domain

• Positive and Negative Climate Dimension 
  Educators will gain an understanding of the dimensions of positive and negative climates. Participants will observe the importance of providing children with warm and respectful relationships and learn what creates a negative emotional environment.
• Teacher Sensitivity Dimension
  Educators will observe the importance of being aware and responsive to all children’s academic, social, and emotional needs.
• Regard for Child Perspective Dimension
  Educators will gain an understanding of the dimension and observe the importance of demonstrating flexibility and following a child’s lead while still providing structure and routine.
• Behavior Guidance Dimension 
  Educators will learn indicators that make up this dimension, reflect on behaviors that establish expectations, redirect misbehaviors, and become self-aware of their own behaviors and how they affect interactions with children.

Engaged Support for Learning Domain

• Facilitation of Learning and Development Dimension
  Educators will reflect on behaviors that show their active role in classroom experiences with Toddlers and plan ways to increase the facilitation of learning and development in their classroom.
• Quality of Feedback Dimension
  Educators will gain an understanding of providing detailed responses to children and how these responses promote children’s learning, understanding and expanded participation in learning activities.
• Language Modeling Dimension
  Educators will gain an understanding of how to support children in using more language and expose them to a variety of language through interactions.

PRE-K CLASS® Tool: Looking at What Matters
Educators will gain an understanding of how to recognize effective educator-child interactions and the importance of why interactions matter for children at each level of development. The Pre-K CLASS tool is used in classrooms with children ages 3-5.

Emotional Support Domain

• Positive and Negative Climate Dimension
  Educators will gain an understanding of the dimensions of positive and negative climate. Participants will observe the importance of providing children with warm and respectful relationships and learn what creates a negative emotional environment.
• Teacher Sensitivity Dimension 
  Educators will observe the importance of being aware and responsive to all children’s academic, social, and emotional needs. 
• Regard for Student Perspectives Dimension
  Educators will gain an understanding of the dimension and observe the importance of demonstrating flexibility and following a child’s lead, while still providing structure and routine.

Classroom Organization Domain

• Behavior Management Dimension
  Educators will learn indicators that make up this dimension, reflect on behaviors that establish expectations, redirect misbehaviors, and become self-aware of their own behaviors and how they affect interactions with children. 
• Productivity Dimension
  Educators will reflect on behaviors that show their active role maximizing children’s learning time so they are involved in learning activities throughout the day, know the classroom routines, and have quick and effective transitions. 
• Instructional Learning Formats Dimension
  Educators will reflect on behaviors that help children engage while participating in hands-on activities so it expands their involvement and makes learning fun and interesting. 

Instructional Support Domain

• Concept Development Dimension
  Educators will gain an understanding of prompting children to use higher order thinking skills as it focuses on creativity, experimentation, real-world applications, and problem solving to help children gain a broader understanding of concepts rather than rote instruction. 
• Quality of Feedback Dimension
  Educators will gain an understanding of providing detailed responses to children and how these responses promote children’s learning, deepen their understanding, and expanded participation in learning activities. 
• Language Modeling Dimension
  Educators will gain an understanding of how to support children in using more language and expose them to a variety of language through interactions.