Application Overview: Excellence in Early Childhood Education Birth through Preschool

Congratulations on your nomination for the TN Early Educator Awards!  YOU ROCK!!!!!

Here’s a quick glance at the application questions. We’re providing this so you can see the whole thing at once – because on the application itself the questions are mostly one per page. (You’ll see what we mean). So take a look below then head back to your personal application link and get started!

Section 1: Basic Information 

This section includes some basic information about you, your employment history, and some names of references whom we’ll contact to confirm your employment and great work.

Section 2: Questions on the 5 primary selection criteria 

These questions will help us understand your skills in supporting the development and learning of children birth through preschool.   

💡Tip: Aim for 175 – 200 words or so per answer; but there’s no penalty for shorter or longer answers.

Child development and learning  

1. What are the most important developmental milestones you expect the children you teach to meet this year?   Tip: Show us your understanding of developmental milestones in each domain: language/literacy; cognition/math; social-emotional; physical; and approaches to learning! 

2. Describe a specific example of how you adapted your teaching approach to meet the developmental needs of a child or group of children. 

Nurturing, responsive relationships 

3. What are some of the things you do to welcome/get to know new children into your classroom/program? 

4. Describe a situation where a child (or children) in your care was emotionally distressed. What did you do to handle the situation? What is your typical approach/response to children’s emotional distress? (Examples might include a child having trouble separating from their parents, children having a conflict with each other, a child refusing to cooperate, a child who lashes out in frustration, an infant crying for an extended period of time, etc.) 

5. How do you create and enforce rules that guide behavior in your classroom/program? 

Developmentally appropriate teaching practices 

6. Describe how you create an engaging, age-appropriate learning environment for the children in your care (e.g. classroom design, centers, materials and schedule). 

7. How do you plan and implement enriching learning experiences that meet the needs, abilities, and interests of the children in your care? 

8. What is the process you use to assess how the children you teach are meeting early learning developmental standards? 

Partner with families 

9. How do you engage families as partners in their child’s development and learning? 

10. What is your approach when parents do not respond to your communications or become agitated when interacting with you? 

11. Describe how you typically handle a situation where you see a child and/or family in need of resources or services (examples might include a child without proper clothes, a parent in emotional distress that is impacting their child, a child with potential developmental delays, a parent who doesn’t speak English, etc.)  

Language and literacy 

12. Describe specific strategies you use to support young children’s oral language/verbal development. 

13. How do you use children’s literature and informational books in your teaching? 

14. What strategies do you use to increase and enhance children’s vocabulary? 

Section 3: Love of teaching questions 

💡Tip: Aim for 175 – 200 words or so per answer; but there’s no penalty for shorter or longer answers.

1. Why did you decide to teach young children?  

2. What has given you the most joy in teaching?  Include a specific example of a situation that brought you that joy. 

Ok let’s get started! Head back now to your own personal application link. Reminder: It’s in the email to you from Jenny@tqee.org via Survey Monkey.

Due date: 11:59pm CST on Sunday August 25^th.     Now let your AWESOMENESS shine!