Before You Enter the Classroom™ Foundations for Supporting Young Children

Before You Enter the Classroom™ is a visual quick-reference guide designed to help educators, support staff, substitutes, therapists, volunteers, and classroom teams build a foundation for supporting young children.

Many adults enter learning environments with good intentions but limited guidance about how to respond during everyday interactions. This visual provides five simple principles that help adults create safe, supportive, and relationship-based experiences for children.

The concepts are intentionally concise, making them easy to reference, discuss, and implement across classrooms and teams.

The five foundations include:

1. Foundations: Safety & Connection

2. Classroom Support Skills: Supporting Learning & Engagement

3. Teaming & Advocacy: Working Together for Children

Whether used during onboarding, professional development, coaching, or daily classroom practice, this visual helps establish shared expectations and common language among adults.

When adults are clear, children do not have to guess.