1. High Quality Early Childhood Education Programs

2. Today’s Agenda What are high quality programs?
What are the different models of childcare?
What are the federal programs?
What are the different curricula for early childhood education?

3. The Need for High Quality Early Childhood Education

4. President Obama’s State of the Union Address
January, 2015

5. The Critical Need for High Quality Programs
“In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children…studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families of their own. We know this works. So let’s do what works and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind.”  President Barack Obama, State of the Union, February 12, 2013

6. How Do We Benefit from High-Quality Early Childhood Education?

7. How do families decide what to do?
There are many reasons that parents seek high quality programs for their children. At your tables, please brainstorm characteristics of quality and other factors that influence decisions about early care and education.

8. Defining High Quality Programs

9. What is a high quality program?
To operationalize “high quality program,” we will use the NAEYC standards
Standards developed by panel of ECE experts and based on current empirical research

10. NAEYC Standards of Excellence in ECE
Promote positive relationships for all children and adults to encourage each child's sense of individual worth.
Implement a curriculum that fosters all areas of child development: cognitive, emotional, language, physical, and social.
Use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate effective teaching approaches.
Provide ongoing assessments of a child's learning and development and communicate the child's progress to the family.
Promote the nutrition and health of children and protect children and staff from injury and illness

11. NAEYC Standards of Excellence in ECE
Employ a teaching staff that has the educational qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment necessary to promote children's learning and development, and to support families' diverse needs and interests.
Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with each child's family.
Establish relationships with and use the resources of the community to support the achievement of program goals.
Provide a safe and healthy physical environment.
Implement strong personnel, fiscal, and program management policies so that all children, families, and staff have high-quality experiences.

12. Types of Childcare

13. Care provided by relatives, friends and neighbors
Types of Child Care
Childcare center
Family childcare home
In-home provider
Care provided by relatives, friends and neighbors

14. Child Care Centers Child Care Centers care for children in groups.
All states require centers to be licensed. Licensing does not insure quality but it does set minimum health, safety and caregiver training standards which centers must maintain.
Why do Parents Choose Child Care Centers?
They believe that larger groups, multiple caregivers and state inspections make programs safer for their children and make the arrangement more dependable. They respect the reputation of the child care program or the institution sponsoring the program.
Many parents believe that more staff, space, equipment, toys and the organized activities, provide a better learning environment for their children.

15. Family Child Care Providers
Family child care providers offer care for children in the provider's home.
Although requirements vary from state to state, most states require family child care providers be regulated if they care for more than four children. Many states have a voluntary regulation process for providers caring for four or fewer children.
All states set minimum health, safety and nutrition standards for providers. Most states require family child care providers to have a criminal records check and/or child abuse and neglect clearance. Many states require providers to have pre-service and/or on-going training. Most states inspect family child care homes annually or on a random sample basis.

16. Family Child Care Providers
Why do Parents Choose Family Child Care Providers?
They want to keep their children in a home-like environment.
They prefer to relate to a single caregiver and believe that children are healthier, happier and more secure in smaller groups.
Some parents like having all their children in the same group, or trust what they learned about the provider from friends. Sometimes they choose family child care because they find it closer to home, less expensive or more flexible.

17. In-home Care Givers
Provide care for children in the child's home, including live-in and live-out nannies and housekeepers.
Most states do not regulate in-home caregivers, but some states regulate nanny-placement agencies.
Many states do require in-home caregivers receiving child care subsidy payments to be screened through a criminal history check and/or child abuse and neglect clearance. A few require minimal training in health and safety.
Why do Parents Choose In-home Caregivers?
They believe their children will be safer and more secure in their own home. They believe that if they employ the caregiver to work in their home, they have more control over the kind of care their children will receive.
Some parents find in-home care is a more convenient arrangement for the family and may provide more flexibility. If there are several children involved, they may find that in-home care is not significantly more expensive than other forms of care.

18. The Federal Programs

19. Federal Programs Head Start
Started in 1965 in Johnson’s War on Poverty
Run by US Department of Health and Human Services
Provides comprehensive health, nutrition, education and parent involvement to children from low-income families.

20. What are the Head Start Programs?
A national program
Promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children
Provides educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services to children and families

21. Head Start Services Early childhood development and health services
Education
Child health and safety
Child nutrition
Child mental health
Services to children with disabilities
Family and community partnerships
Social services
Parent involvement
Transition and literacy

22. Head Start and Early Head Start Program Options
The center-based option
Full or half day
32-34 weeks a year
Periodic home visits
The home-based option
aid in improving parenting skills
assist parents as child’s teachers
field trips and classroom experiences twice a month
The combination option
combine center and home-based options
The family child care option
meets unique community and family needs

23. Head Start Programs Early Head Start Infants & toddlers Head Start
Ages 3 - 5
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start
Ages 6 mo. To 5 years
American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start
Birth to 5 years

24. Head Start Research Areas
Program quality
Head Start access
Cognitive impacts
Socio-emotional impacts
Parental involvement
Fade out effect
Early Head Start Research

25. Current Effects of Head Start
(Ludwig & Phillips, 2008)

26. High Quality Curricula

28. High/Scope Developed in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1962
David Weikart (former president of High/Scope Educational Research Foundation) opened first Michigan preschool
Origins were based in a response to recognition that low SES students had disproportionately low test scores and IQ scores and a desire to address this problem when children were 3-4

29. Impact of Participation in High/Scope

30. High/Scopes Guiding Principles
Children construct knowledge through their involvement with people, materials, events, and ideas, a process that is intrinsically motivated.
While children develop capacities in a predictable sequence, adult support contributes to children's intellect, social, emotional, and physical development.
Consistent adult support and respect for children’s choices, thoughts and actions strengthen the child's self-esteem, feelings of responsibility, self-control, and knowledge.
Careful observation of individual children's interests and intentions is a necessary step in understanding their level of development, and in planning and carrying out appropriate interactions with children.

31. High/Scopes Basic Long Range Goals for Preschool
Develop each child's ability to make choices and decisions about what to do and how to do it and how to use his or her own time and energy.
Develop each child's self-discipline and ability to identify, pursue, and complete self-chosen goals and tasks.
Develop each child's ability to work with other children and adults in group planning, cooperative effort, and shared leadership.
Develop each child's knowledge of objects, skill in the arts, and comfort with physical movement.

32. High/Scopes Basic Long Range Goals for Preschool
Develop each child's ability to express thoughts, ideas, and feelings; to speak, dramatize, and graphically represent experiences in order to communicate to others.
talking with adults
Develop each child's ability to comprehend other's spoken, written, dramatic, and graphic representations.
Develop each child's ability to apply his or her reasoning abilities to a wide range of situations using a variety of materials.
Develop each child's creativity, initiative, spirit of inquiry, and openness to knowledge and other people's view points.

33. MONTESSORI
sorting colors
promoting independence

34. Reggio Emilia
provoking thinking
this is a storm