Based on what you have learned about the development of school-age children, explain:

a. why it is developmentally appropriate to have this age group play a major role in planning their own program. Your answer must be a minimum of two hundred words in paragraph form.

b. why helping children develop peer relationship skills is one of the most important roles of the adults working in a school-age care program. Your answer must be a minimum of three hundred words in paragraph form.

Part B: Observation

For this part of the assignment, you will need to plan to observe a school-age care program. Try to arrange a time when most of the children are there and are actively engaged in the program. You will need to coordinate this with the director of the program or the practitioners working in the program and it is important to assure the practitioners that all the information included in your assignment will be kept in the strictest confidence. If this is not an option, please feel free to observe family or friends' children in a learning context (if necessary). Plan to observe for at least 1 hour.

From your observations, explain how this program is supporting and promoting the following:

a. fine motor development (a minimum of 4 examples)

b. gross motor skill development (a minimum of 4 examples)

c. cognitive development, including language and literacy (a minimum of 5 examples)

d. a positive sense of self in children (a minimum of 4 examples)

e. the development of positive peer relationships (a minimum of 3 examples)

f. emotional development (1 example)

g. moral development (1 example)

Use specific examples to support your ideas and explain exactly what skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes the children are developing. Your responses are to be in paragraph form.