Preschool Education (Birth–Age 4)Preschool Education Birth to Age 4

Test Format and Sample Questions

The Preschool Education (Birth–Age 4) Birth to Age 4  subject area test consists of approximately 80 multiple-choice items. You will have two and one-half hours to complete the test.

Each of the questions will contain four response options. You will choose the best response out of four options, and indicate A, B, C, or D.

The table below presents types of questions on the exam and directs you to examples of these formats among the sample items that follow.

Table of Question Formats

Type of Question	Sample Question
Direct question Choose the response option that best answers the question.	Question 1
Command Select the best response option.	Question 8
Sentence Completion Select the response option that best completes the sentence.	Question 9
Scenario Examine a classroom situation or a student composition. Then select the response option that best answers a question, recommends a course of action, or gives the appropriate evaluation or teacher comment.	Question 20

Sample Questions

The following questions represent both the form and content of questions on the examination. These questions will acquaint you with the general format of the examination; however, these sample questions do not cover all of the competencies and skills that are tested and will only approximate the degree of examination difficulty.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of typical and atypical early childhood development

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following are examples of gross motor skills?

Choose an answer

1. running, kicking, tying
2. jumping, climbing, sliding
3. throwing, hopping, cutting
4. cutting, tracing, scribbling

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of typical and atypical early childhood development

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A working mother has put her one-year-old daughter in childcare. The mother is not very satisfied with this arrangement. Lately, her daughter seems to favor her primary caregiver over her mother. The mother considers enrolling her daughter in another childcare program because she is concerned that her daughter is becoming too attached to her primary caregiver.

Based on the information above, are the mother's concerns a valid reason to enroll her daughter in another childcare program?

Choose an answer

1. Yes, because research shows that a child's attachment to more than one caregiver in the early years is detrimental to social development.
2. Yes, because a childcare program that encourages a caregiver to become attached to a child is violating professional standards.
3. No, because children can form multiple attachments, and the daughter will not be harmed by her attachment to her caregiver.
4. No, because a child forms only one attachment, which is to the mother, and the mother has nothing to worry about.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of early childhood foundations, standards, and professional practices

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Constructivists focus on

Choose an answer

1. children's relationships with their peers.
2. methods used for controlling a child's behavior.
3. physical maturation patterns and how they affect children's development.
4. active involvement of children with their social and physical environments.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of early childhood foundations, standards, and professional practices

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The Florida VPK V P K  program serves children who reside in Florida and

Choose an answer

1. turn age 4 on or before September 1 each year.
2. have parents who are employed by a school.
3. come from low socioeconomic families.
4. are English language learners.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of early childhood foundations, standards, and professional practices

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

When a child requires assistive technology, which agency can provide materials, training, and support for early care teachers?

Choose an answer

1. Early Steps
2. Early Intervention
3. Florida Department of Children and Families
4. Florida Developmental Learning Resource System

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of issues and practices for engaging culturally diverse families and communities

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following best describes the importance of parent participation in a classroom?

Choose an answer

1. Parents can provide necessary assistance to the teachers.
2. Children are more comfortable when their parents are present.
3. Parents are able to make a direct contribution to their children's education.
4. Teachers can have an opportunity to observe the parent-child relationships.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of issues and practices for engaging culturally diverse families and communities

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following is the most appropriate accommodation for the screening of non-English-speaking 3- and 4-year-olds?

Choose an answer

1. providing a translator to assist with the screening
2. documenting the parents' answers to items when the child cannot answer
3. omitting screening items that require the child to speak at any length
4. delaying screening until the child learns more English

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of issues and practices for engaging culturally diverse families and communities

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Identify the most common barriers that can limit parents' access to quality childcare.

Choose an answer

1. licensing standards, staff qualifications, and health codes
2. licensing standards, financial constraints, and building codes
3. transportation, financial constraints, and parents' education
4. transportation, staff qualifications, and parents' education

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of issues and practices for engaging culturally diverse families and communities

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A lack of family efficacy, the family's confidence in their ability to help their children succeed in school, and the embarrassment associated with this struggle would most likely

Choose an answer

1. allow families to contribute more to the hidden curriculum.
2. mean the family does not value any type of academic education.
3. increase family involvement and participation in school activities.
4. cause families to avoid participating or coming into the classroom.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of curriculum and developmentally appropriate practice

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following activities best demonstrates cause and effect relationships?

Choose an answer

1. explaining the origins of current events
2. constructing a tower out of blocks
3. stringing beads of various colors
4. popping a balloon with a pin

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of curriculum and developmentally appropriate practice

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following activities is most appropriate for the development of cognitive skills in 4-year-olds?

Choose an answer

1. memorizing the alphabet and learning to write their names
2. working in workbooks, with ditto sheets, and with flash cards
3. exploring, classifying, observing, and manipulating material
4. memorizing facts, watching demonstrations, and role-playing

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of curriculum and developmentally appropriate practice

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following materials are the most appropriate for supporting the development of mathematical and logical thinking skills for 4-year-olds?

Choose an answer

1. telling-time transparencies, addition flashcards, play money
2. plastic counters, handheld calculators, computer software
3. numeral-number flashcards, arithmetic worksheets, paper-plate clocks
4. attribute blocks, measuring rods, unit blocks

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of curriculum and developmentally appropriate practice

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The objective of an activity is to recognize the squares in the block center. The child successfully chooses all the squares. A follow-up horizontal activity is to have the child

Choose an answer

1. locate the triangles in the block center.
2. lay the squares into the shape of a rectangle.
3. count the number of squares in the block center.
4. identify other squares in and around the classroom.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate learning environments

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A preschool child is actively engaged in sharing of materials and open communication with classmates, as organized by the lead teacher. Which of the following types of play is this child displaying?

Choose an answer

1. solitary
2. parallel
3. associative
4. cooperative

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate learning environments

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

To learn the meaning and structures of written language in a print-rich environment, young children need

Choose an answer

1. props to act out stories that have been read.
2. direct instruction of the components of writing.
3. to see print used daily in meaningful ways around them.
4. exposure to the alphabet letters high on the walls in the classroom.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate learning environments

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The feeding and sleeping schedules for infants should be

Choose an answer

1. adjusted to meet each infant's individual needs.
2. assigned according to the age of each infant.
3. set by the availability of the caregivers.
4. determined by each infant's parents.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate learning environments

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A preschool teacher notices that a child frequently sits under a table to read a book. The child's behavior indicates a need for a new arrangement of the furniture in the classroom. Which of the following best meets this need?

Choose an answer

1. a quiet solitary area
2. a larger library and reading area
3. assigned seating for each student
4. the addition of a sand and water table

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate guidance that supports the self-regulation and social-emotional development of young children

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following would best promote social and emotional development in infants?

Choose an answer

1. arranging the room so that infants have private space
2. providing a variety of toys for infants to share
3. arranging the room so that infants can see and interact with the same caregiver
4. providing a variety of activities to occupy the infants' time

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate guidance that supports the self-regulation and social-emotional development of young children

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following is the most effective method to develop intrinsic motivation in young children?

Choose an answer

1. using a teacher-directed approach.
2. using a child-centered developmental approach.
3. implementing a commercially prepared curriculum.
4. implementing a reward system for academic achievement.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate guidance that supports the self-regulation and social-emotional development of young children

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

During a home visit, a teacher notices that a child's family member is speaking to the child in a very harsh tone of voice, and the child begins to cry. The child is not a member of the class for which the teacher has oversight, but a toddler in the teacher's class lives in this home as well, and is being supervised by the family member with the harsh tone.

Which of the following is the most appropriate course of action for this teacher to take?

Choose an answer

1. approach the adult with the harsh tone and politely tell them to stop
2. immediately leave the premises and report the incident to the appropriate authorities
3. provide the parent with resources on positive discipline strategies at the next parent conference
4. explain to the child's parent how inappropriately the other member of the household is behaving

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate guidance that supports the self-regulation and social-emotional development of young children

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following responses to a toddler's temper tantrum will best support healthy emotional development?

Choose an answer

1. Calmly soothe the child and quietly verbalize understanding of the child's frustration.
2. Figure out the cause of the tantrum and then provide the child with what they need.
3. Walk a short distance away and ignore the child's behavior.
4. Pick the child up and place them in an isolated area.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of children with varying exceptionalities and special considerations and the impact on families

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which two groups of children are served by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act?

Choose an answer

1. prenatal and infants
2. infants and toddlers
3. toddlers and preschoolers
4. preschoolers and transitional kindergarteners

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of children with varying exceptionalities and special considerations and the impact on families

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A child in a classroom has a traumatic brain injury. Which of the following describes a possible cause?

Choose an answer

1. toxins
2. infection
3. accidental fall
4. reduced oxygen

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of children with varying exceptionalities and special considerations and the impact on families

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A 3-year-old child with physical disabilities attends an inclusive preschool setting. Which of the following is the best strategy for the teacher to use for this child to have the most success in the gross motor area?

Choose an answer

1. exaggerating the contrast between darker inside rooms and outside
2. adapting tricycles by using straps to help keep the child's feet on the pedals
3. using classroom equipment to create obstacle courses; on, in, up, and over
4. giving the child opportunities to engage in sliding or bouncing on equipment

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of children with varying exceptionalities and special considerations and the impact on families

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The best strategy for identifying family concerns and priorities relating to an IFSP I F S P  is to

Choose an answer

1. review the plan every two years to reassess the information.
2. appoint a child advocate who will work specifically with each family.
3. recognize the integrity of each family as the primary decision maker.
4. engage special education experts to decide which areas should be assessed.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 8—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate screening, assessment, and evaluation

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

In assessment, the  start emphasis mean end empahsis  is

Choose an answer

1. one of three points that divides a distribution into four equal portions.
2. the middle score in a distribution.
3. the score that occurs most frequently in a distribution.
4. the average of a set of scores.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 8—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate screening, assessment, and evaluation

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Typically, a screening program for children uses an instrument that

Choose an answer

1. leads to intervention planning.
2. identifies normal or possibly delayed development.
3. determines initial and continuing eligibility for programs and services.
4. aids in making a diagnosis.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 8—Knowledge of developmentally appropriate screening, assessment, and evaluation

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

After administering a variety of assessments, a preschool teacher realizes that several children in the class are having difficulty writing their own names. One child writes their name backwards but can recognize most of the letters. Another child knows only some of the letters of their name. Another child does not recognize their name and cannot write any of the letters.

Which of the following learning experiences should the teacher provide next?

Choose an answer

1. showing a video about alphabet writing and sounds to assist children in writing their names
2. asking children to practice writing the letters in their names in lieu of unplanned play time each day
3. inviting a special education support teacher to work with each child, individually, in writing their names
4. scaffolding the writing task by having a model of each child's full name displayed around the classroom

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 9—Knowledge of health, safety, and nutrition

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A caregiver notices several sores near a child's nose and mouth. If the caregiver thinks the sores are lesions, the caregiver should

Choose an answer

1. wash the sores and cover with bandage.
2. apply antiseptic cream to the affected area.
3. make sure the affected area is clean and dry.
4. exclude from group settings and call the parent.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 9—Knowledge of health, safety, and nutrition

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Identify the early signs and symptoms of conjunctivitis.

Choose an answer

1. fever and general body rash
2. flat, spreading, scaly, ring-shaped spots
3. severe itching and small, raised, reddened areas
4. eye redness, eye discharge, and crusted eyelids

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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