Ounce Scale MN Child Care Project

The Ounce Scale MN Child Care Project is a statewide training system administered through the MN Child Care Resource and Referral Network with financial support from the MN Department of Human Services. Twenty-three trainers are currently available to provide overview sessions, full training, and on-site consultation.

The Ounce Scale (2003) is an observational assessment tool for evaluating infants' and toddlers' development from birth to age 3 1/2. Its purpose is twofold: (1) to provide guidelines and standards for observing and interpreting young children's growth and behavior, and (2) to provide information that parents and caregivers can use in everyday interactions with their children.

The Ounce Scale has three elements:

The Ounce Scale is organized around six major areas of development:

  1. Personal Connections—It's About Trust: How children show that they trust familiar adults.
  2. Feelings About Self—Learning About Me: How children express who they are.
  3. Relationships with Other Children—Child to Child: What children do around other children.
  4. Understanding and Communicating—Baby and Toddler Talk: How children understand and communicate.
  5. Exploration and Problem Solving—Seek and Solve: How children explore and figure things out.
  6. Movement and Coordination—Body Basics: How children move their bodies and use their hands to do things.

The Ounce Scale MN Child Care Project goals include:

The Ounce Scale MN Warehouse was created to serve as a clearinghouse for Ounce resources, responding to the need for purchasing items in small quantities. Materials can be purchased directly from Pearson Early Learning. However, smaller quantities (particularly for the Observation Record, Family Album, and Spanish texts) are available through the MN Warehouse.
Ounce Scale MN Warehouse Order Form.

For more information, contact Julie Wasiluk, juliew@mnchildcare.org