Evaluating the program - One of the most powerful tools for improving your program is observation.  By examining the environment, you can tell what works well and what doesn't and then make needed improvements. There are activities that would be successful if:

• you had more space
• you had more materials
• your teachers had more training
• you had more time
• you had more funding
• you had more/less students
• you had more teachers
• you had involved parents

The term "objectivity" implies without bias or interpretation. While it may be tempting to make interpretations of what you see in an observation, it defeats the purpose.  To be objective, ask yourself the question, "if a group of ten people were to view the same scene, would all ten descriptions sound the same?" The more specific our description is, the less subject it will be to varying interpretations.

Objectivity goes hand in hand with accuracy.  Accuracy requires specific actions described in the order they actually happened, the exact words that were spoken, the time it took for an activity to occur, and as with objectivity, no judgments or interpretations made in the recording of the event.

Accuracy and objectivity are the twin components of effective observations.  While it is possible to be objective and not accurate, (by avoiding judgments but getting the facts wrong or the sequence of events out-of-order) or to be accurate but not objective (by getting the sequence of events right, but by drawing conclusions or making judgments), both factors are important.

Valid or Faulty - Inferences can be valid or faulty.  It is very important to use caution and professional judgment when making inferences.  Positive expectations are much easier to accomplish.  Negative expectations are much more difficult to overcome. 

Barriers to Observations - Some barriers to doing observations include:

• Not enough staff
• Not enough funding to hire additional staff
• Large turnover of students or teachers
• Un-involved parents
• Confidentiality issues

This is by no means complete.  You will have your own barriers to add to the list to overcome in your facility.

Not enough staff:  This is a chronic complaint from all child care facilities even when observation is not an issue.  However, there are several resources to tap in order to get additional adults in classrooms in order to free time for teachers to observe students.  Ask for parent volunteers, college or high school early childhood program interns, grandparents, or schedule supervisory staff into classrooms.

Not enough funding to hire additional staff:  Another chronic complaint from all child care facilities.  Grant writing and other funding sources need to be explored.  It is important for child care facilities to collaborate with community agencies and resources to become involved in programs that provide additional funds and personnel.

Not enough training. It can be difficult to find specific training for observation skills: There are several good publications to help staff members find out about the best way to observe.  The next best thing is to practice, perfect individual skills, and become confident with applied skills.

Not enough time:  This is probably the easiest barrier to overcome.  Efficient scheduling combined with creative staffing can open up time periods to do observations.

Large turnover of students or teachers:  This barrier is one to live with.  There are times when turnover is slow and other times when turnover is high.  Creating and maintaining a quality program will provide a stable environment and low turnover rates.

Un-involved parents: Communication is the key to getting parents to become an interested party when there are developmental concerns for children.  It is wonderful when parents can do some observations of their own children to help set up appropriate lessons for children.  Parents always want the best for their children and child care providers need to make parents part of the team, not an outsider.

Confidentiality issues: Confidentiality is a critical issue for observations.  It is necessary to have a specific process in effect for how reports are written, who has access to the report, and how the report is used.

Diary Observations

This is the oldest type of observation method. Diary observations are also called periodic overviews.  They are the weakest type of observation method in that they are usually unsystematic in nature and are of variable reliability. Diary observations are written accounts in a narrative form of what happens during a brief period of time. Entries may vary from minimal, daily commentary to very detailed reports. This type of observations method is most valuable when used in conjunction with other forms of recording observations.

Anecdotal Observations Anecdotal observations record information about a single selected event or behavior.  They can range from notations about developmental milestones to behavioral descriptions.

Checklist -  A checklist is a specific list of items, skills, or behaviors to be performed.  The observer checks off the skills or behaviors that are exhibited by the child observed.  Checklists often require a "yes", "not yet", or "sometimes" response.  Checklists are often used for safety and health assessments.

Rating scales - his type of observation focuses on designated behaviors and requires the observer to judge the degree to which the behaviors are exhibited.  They usually use a numerical scale or the use of descriptive phrases in a specific order.

Sampling Observations 

Sampling observations are generally used to study children's behavior.

• Time sampling requires the observer to check for the presence or absence of a particular behavior during specified time intervals, say every 5 minutes.
• Event sampling observations study the conditions under which a particular behavior appears.  The observations are only made when the behavior under study is present. 

Your Observations 

 It is best to prepare yourself for observations rather than to just jump in and start writing down details.  Be sure to have a specific purpose in mind for the observation, think about the method of observation and form you want to record your notes on.  Feel free to experiment with making your own observation form to fit what you are trying to accomplish.

Running records 

This method of observation is time-consuming.  Running records are used to collect narrative information over a specific time period.  The observer records as much as possible about behavior and skills.   Running records provide comprehensive portraits of children and their interactions with other children, their environment, teachers, and other aspects of their lives.