During placement, I also attended a number of program consultations. These consultations were very insightful to me, as it demonstrated how valuable each member’s input was. Everyone brings different skills and experiences to the table, and it all goes towards the benefit of the child and the family (McKague, 2022). One of the consultations that I attended was for a preschool room. My supervisor taught me that with program consultations, the first thing we should do is to observe the environment, and see how the children are participating in the program. We need to look see how the educators interact with the children, and how the classroom is set up. After, I spoke with my supervisor about the observations I made.

 

One aspect of the program that I noticed was that the center did not do circle time. The reason for this was that their program philosophy was child-led learning. This was an interesting experience for me as I got to learn new ways to introduce child-led learning, and it was insightful to hear how the educators applied this learning philosophy. Once the observations were complete, my supervisor along with the educators and program supervisor went out into the hallway to discuss the program.

 

From this meeting, it taught me how important collaboration is in program consultations. Our role as the Resource Consultant is to be there to support the program staff, and to listen to their input. In order to identify their needs, we need to understand what the staff thinks are their strength and weaknesses. As the meeting progressed, the educators were eager to hear about the strategies that my supervisor had to offer, and they were excited to introduce new ideas that they thought would improve the program. The meeting was a positive one as everyone’s voices were heard, and they felt involved and valued in the process.

 

In terms of conversations relating to current research, my supervisor mentioned that CICC's Resource Consultants produced monthly tip sheets for the centers that they oversee. The purpose of these tip sheets is to educate the families whose children attend the childcare programs. Each month was focused on a different learning topic. I was given the opportunity to create two tip sheets for the months of October and December. It was a rewarding and educational experience as I got to see the tip sheets that I made posted on the message board in the childcare centers that we visit weekly. I plan to continue this practice as a future Resource Consultant. I find that it is a great way to distribute information, and connect with the families.