(1) ONB providers must facilitate activities to support child learning and understanding.

(2) ONB providers may facilitate child learning and understanding through a variety of techniques such as:

(a) Using a variety of teaching strategies such as different techniques, curricula, or styles and natural materials to address different learning styles, abilities, developmental levels, and temperament;

(b) Helping children enter into and sustain play;

(c) Encouraging children to participate by asking questions and providing guidance;

(d) Providing opportunities for children's creativity;

(e) Linking concepts and activities to one another and to the children's lives and interests;

(f) Noticing and responding to teachable moments;

(g) Clarifying and expanding children's understanding;

(h) Describing and discussing children's learning processes;

(i) Encouraging children's efforts and persistence;

(j) Showing tolerance for mistakes;

(k) Using diverse vocabulary;

(l) Leading discussions and activities;

(m) Providing materials during the day, including daily routines such as meals and transitions, to encourage communication in English and children's home languages when possible; and

(n) Using scaffolding methods to gradually move children toward stronger understanding and greater independence in the learning process.

(3) ONB programs must emphasize children's exploration of the natural world. This must be accomplished by implementing the techniques described in subsection (2)(a) through (n) of this section, and providing modeling and teaching that encourages:

(a) Opportunities for child-directed inquiry;

(b) The children's curiosity through open-ended experiences and questioning;

(c) Respectful, reciprocal, and sustainable interactions with nature, including the local fauna, flora, and delicate ecosystems; and

(d) Engaging children in diverse environments.

(4) ONB programs, as operating primarily outside and potentially in unenclosed spaces, must prioritize behavior management and children's development of habits that keep them safe in such environments. This must be accomplished by:

(a) Establishing boundaries through visual cues, such as cones or rope;

(b) Teaching children to stop and return, such as through words or the use of other calls;

(c) The appropriate use of consequence for unsafe behaviors;

(d) Engaging children in developmentally appropriate assessment of risky play, pursuant to WAC 110-302-0315.

(e) Ensuring children are engaged in areas that suit the developmental level of their behaviors; and

(f) Positioning ONB staff at locations within the ONB program space to ensure the ONB provider has the ability to respond to dangerous situations.