Curriculum in Head Start

By Helen H.Taylor, Associate Commissioner, Head Start Bureau

Curriculum plays a vital role in achieving Head Start's goal of enhancing the social competence and schoolreadiness of children. The 1998 legislation reauthorizing the Head Start program, passed in October 1998 by Congress, places additional emphasis on this goal and establishes additional outcome standards in this central area of Head Start program quality.

The key to a quality educational experience continues to be the development of a quality Head Start curriculum implemented in keeping with all of the Program Performance Standards by grantees and delegate agencies of excellence. This issue of the Bulletin provides a comprehensive overview of curriculum in Head Start, responds to commonly asked questions, and identifies Head Start resources that programs can use in developing a curriculum to meet the particular needs of children in their communities.

In the Reauthorization, Congress mandated that the Program Performance Standards be expanded to require that children:

1. (1) develop print and numeracy awareness;
2. (2) understand and use an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary;
3. (3) develop and demonstrate an appreciation of books; and, for non-English-speaking children,
4. (4) progress toward acquisition of the English language. In addition, Congress augmented Head Start Performance Measures to include the following outcomes: "that children know that letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named, recognize a word as a unit of print, identify at least 10 letters of the alphabet, and associate sounds with written words."

However, this does not mean that we drill children on the alphabet or enforce rote learning!

In Head Start, curriculum is implemented within the context of sound child development principles and what we know about how children develop and learn. One of our highest priorities is-and always has been- to improve the educational experience of every child in Head Start, whether enrolled in center-based, home-based, family child care, or in a locally designed program option.

No one does early childhood education like Head Start. We will continue to enhance the quality of services we offer to children and families and to serve as the nation's laboratory for innovations in the early childhood field. Together, we can achieve the goals we have set for ourselves, and the goals set by Congress.

 

Please Read Me First

By Michele Plutro

Readers rarely read the Head Start Bulletin the way they read a novel or short story, from page one to the end. However, starting at the beginning and reading through to the end is the most effective way to read and benefit from this particular issue.

This issue of the Bulletin begins with the Head Start Program Performance Standards' definition of curriculum and a context-setting article by E. Dollie Wolverton, Chief of the Education Services Branch at the Head Start Bureau. An article by Ron Lally provides an overview of curriculum for infants and toddlers.

Next, each element of the Head Start definition of curriculum is highlighted. The Head Start Program Performance Standards define curriculum as a written plan that includes:

• Goals for children's development and learning;
• Experiences through which they will achieve the goals;
• Roles for staff and parents to help children to achieve these goals; and
• Materials needed to support the implementation of a curriculum.
• Curriculum in Head Start is also based on the Program Performance Standards and Sound Child Development Principles.

There is a two-page description of each of these aspects of the definition, as well as "real life" examples of how programs across the country are implementing each aspect. A partial list of available Head Start resources is also provided for each element of the definition.

This first half of the Bulletin (pp. 8-18) is followed by contributions from Head Start staff and T/TA providers (pp. 19-29) that can further develop an understanding of curriculum implementation in Head Start, along with a curriculum checklist and a series of questions and answers.

In addition, this Bulletin, like other issues, is rich with suggested resources to expand learning, thinking, and planning (pp. 32-35).

Few aspects of Head Start matter to children as much as curriculum. This is true across all program options and settings-center-based, home-based, and family child care, in both Head Start and Early Head Start. Children remember their Head Start experiences: how they spend their time; what they do and accomplish; how successful they feel; who notices; and what staff and parents do as part of these experiences called curriculum.

The term "curriculum" might not come to mind when you hear children making joyful sounds or talking about the good food they shared with their friends, the bus ride, the variety of books, the water table, building with blocks, songs, or even hugs-but that's what it is all about for the child.

This issue of the Head Start Bulletin provides an illustrated definition of curriculum as it is referenced in the Program Performance Standards.This, in turn, provides a solid foundation for focusing on curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation in your Early Head Start programs. But this issue of the Bulletin does not attempt to convey all we need to know about curriculum in Head Start, and it is not a substitute for ongoing staff development and reflective supervision.

The more effectively programs select, adapt, create, plan, implement, and evaluate their curriculum, the more children are able to talk about it and gain from it, and the more vivid the memories and other positive outcomes are likely to be.

Michele Plutro is an Education Specialist in the Head Start Bureau's Education Services Branch, T: 202-205-8912, E: mplutro@acf.dhhs.gov

 

 

The Curriculum: A Written Plan for Action

By E. Dollie Wolverton

Curriculum in Early Head Start and Head Start is a written document that serves as a road map for implementing a quality child development and education program.

No two curricula in Head Start and Early Head Start look exactly the same.There are two basic approaches programs use to determine the curriculum. Staff and parents may base a curriculum on an already-developed model and adapt or "tailor" it for the group of children being served. Or staff and parents may develop a local curriculum. Either way, the curriculum must be in keeping with all requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards and based on sound child development principles.

Performance Standards and Child Development Principles

The standards first require that when serving infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, including children with disabilities, the curriculum must include:

1. (1) The goals for children's development and learning—what do we want children to achieve this year?;
3. (2) The experiences through which they will achieve these goals—what learning experiences will we offer them?;
5. (3) The roles of staff and parents in helping children achieve these goals—what are our individual and shared responsibilities as a team to help children achieve the goals?; and
7. (4) The materials needed to support the implementation of the curriculum—what furniture, equipment, and supplies are appropriate for the ages and stages of children's development?

Think of these four aspects as the framework for the curriculum. As we continue to develop or adapt the curriculum,we also have to keep in mind the child development principles that guide the ways in which we work with children. Such child development principles are universal, applying to all children regardless of their gender, race, culture, or country of origin. They include:

• Patterns of growth and development are orderly and sequential—all children learn to walk before learning to run, and all children babble before they use words.
• Human growth and development proceeds from simple to complex—children learn individual words before they learn to put words together into sentences, and children use their hands to eat before they use a spoon.
• Learning is influenced by the child's social and cultural context—what their culture values and doesn't value influences what and how children learn.

Next, we have to make certain that the curricula we develop or adapt are consistent with all of the Program Performance Standards. We do this because Early Head Start and Head Start are comprehensive child development programs, concerned with all aspects of children's education and development (including medical, dental, mental health, and nutritional development) as well as staff qualifications and the roles of parents and other adults in program planning and implementation.

Curriculum Influences

Even though each program across the country must mold its curriculum to the Program Performance Standards and to sound child development principles, we all know that all Early Head Start and Head Start programs do not look alike. Nor would we want them to. Each community has its own context and characteristics, strengths and needs.These individual differences must be taken into account when a local program is "tailoring" or designing the curriculum.

Some factors to consider, for example, are how location and context influence program goals, child experiences, roles of staff and parents, and learning materials and environments. Is the program located on an Indian reservation, in a migrant camp, or in the middle of a major city? What do parents and staff feel children need to know? Do children need to know water, hurricane, or earthquake safety? What are the cultural beliefs and traditions of the families served? (Articles on pages 9, 11, and 13 of this Bulletin illustrate how environment and culture influence the curriculum.)

To fine tune our teaching approaches and the learning experiences within the curriculum, we need to be aware of a number of things about each infant, toddler, and preschooler. What do the children already know? What are they interested in? What are the temperaments, languages, cultural backgrounds, and learning styles of the children? All of these elements, and many more, must be considered when adapting or developing a curriculum. Like each child, each curriculum is a unique creation.

Goals for Children's Development and Learning

"Goals" describe what competencies we want children to develop. While each child is unique, there are some overarching goals for children in Head Start. One such overarching goal is to increase the child's everyday effectiveness in dealing with both his or her present environment and later responsibilities in school and life. Examples of more specific goals are:

• Develop positive and nurturing relationships with adults and peers
• Develop a sense of trust and security
• Identify and solve problems
• Express thoughts and feelings
• Think critically
• Increase self-confidence
• Respect the feelings and rights of others
• Use creativity and imagination
• Work independently and with others
• Develop literacy, numeracy, reasoning, problemsolving, and decision-making skills that form a foundation for school readiness learning

Experiences for Mobile Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

For every goal identified, developmentally appropriate experiences are selected from the program curriculum, planned, and intentionally presented to children. For example, one goal for children is to gain increasing competence in the area of numeracy. Children need active, hands-on experiences to develop age-appropriate mathematical understanding. Teachers take advantage of everyday materials, daily routines, and child interests to foster emergent mathematical thinking within the curriculum. Staff members create environments and select materials that support mathematical thinking, and they engage children in meaningful conversations about the work they are doing. Experiences that support learning include:

• Classification: Shells, juice cans, and Legos are great for sorting and classifying by size, color, shape, or use, and for making patterns or counting.
• Patterning: Stringing beads in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, or playing dominoes and matching the number of dots.
• One-to-one correspondence: Distributing napkins, plates, and cups-putting one in front of each chair at a table.
• Ordering and sequencing:The process of ordering relationships: more/less; bigger/smaller; big/bigger/biggest; small/smaller/smallest.
• Providing books to children, such as Anno's Counting Book, and reading other stories about number concepts.

Observations and Ongoing Assessment

Once we've identified the goals and presented an array of learning experiences to support progress toward them, we assess children's prior knowledge and then track their progress in meeting the goals through ongoing assessment, observation, and recording of the child's development. Parents and other adults in the child's life are encouraged to share with staff things they know about the child. No one knows the child better than his or her immediate family.With such input, parents and staff can plan a curriculum that reflects the needs and interests of each child in a group, whether the child is an infant, toddler, or preschooler. All of the information we gather allows us to individualize learning experiences (increasing or modifying the degree of challenge) to make the Early Head Start and Head Start programs relevant and meaningful for every child.

The information on each child's progress towards achieving the goals is referred to as a "child outcome." This outcome tells us how the child is different at the end of the program than he or she was at the beginning. Sometimes this is referred to as "value added." How has the child benefited from his or her time in Early Head Start or Head Start? What documentation or "proof" do we have?

Evaluating the Curriculum

Throughout the year, staff and parents take time to discuss the ways the curriculum seems to be working for the children as a group and for individual children. Based on these discussions of child progress, changes are made to keep the curriculum responsive and supportive of children as they grow and learn, as their interests expand, and as their skills and knowledge change.

In Closing

I hope my comments have helped you to understand why having a written curriculum-a "roadmap"-is important; why a curriculum helps to ensure that nothing related to children's development and learning is overlooked; and why, although the overall curriculum is planned for a given group of children of a certain age range, we consciously "individualize" the curriculum for each child within the group to support each child's rate of development as well as individual interests, temperaments, languages, cultural backgrounds, learning styles, and prior knowledge. The learning environment is, therefore, arranged to accommodate a variety of children's strengths and needs, and to stimulate learning across all domains of development: social, emotional, cognitive, and physical.

And Remember...

Have Fun. My wish for each of you is to enjoy, nurture, and have fun with the children and their families, as well as to support them as they thrive and learn.

Some sources of guidance for implementing curriculum in Early Head Start and Head Start include:

• Guidance to the Program Performance Standards
• Zero to Three
• WestEd's Training Program for Infant and Toddler Caregivers
• The Guide and Video for Head Start Education Coordinators
• The Head Start Home-Based Training Materials
• The Head Start Family Child Care Training Materials
• Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community
• Head Start's A Creative Adventure - Art, Music, Movement, and Dialogue
• NAEYC's 1997 Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Early Childhood Education
• NAEYC's Learning to Read and Write (birth to 8 yrs)
• The National Research Council's Starting Out Right - Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (birth to 8 yrs)
• NHSA's "Position Paper: Reading and Writing Now!"
• Early Intervention - Early Special Education Recommended Practices, Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Early Childhood
• The Council's "Essentials" for the college-based CDA
• Journals and early childhood education magazines
• Research, college courses, child development texts

 

A Responsive Approach to Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers

Infants Have Their Own Curriculum: A Responsive Approach to Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers

By J. Ronald Lally

Infant-toddler programs often look like either watered-down versions of preschool or glorified versions of baby-sitting. Unfortunately, most of the curriculum approaches and lesson plans that program managers require don't necessarily improve practice.

In infant-toddler programming, what is usually seen is the implementation of curriculum extremes. For example, one common curriculum approach is based on the belief that very young children need only safe environments and tender loving care and that specific attention to learning is inappropriate. Another even more common approach is based on the belief that in order for infants and toddlers to grow and develop cognitively they must be stimulated intellectually by adult-developed and -directed lessons and activities, carefully planned ahead of time and programmed into the child's day. Both of these positions are based on a lack of true understanding of infant-toddler development.

In high-quality infant-toddler programs, the interests of the child and the belief that each child has a curriculum are what drive practice. It is understood that very young children need to play a significant role in selecting their learning experiences, materials, and content. Curriculum plans, therefore, do not focus on games, tasks, or activities, but on how to best create a social, emotional, and intellectual climate that supports child-initiated and child-pursued learning and the building and sustaining of positive relationships among adults and children.

Planning a Responsive Approach to Curriculum Development and Implementation

Responsive curriculum planning focuses on finding strategies to help infant-toddler teachers search for, support, and keep alive children's internal motivation to learn, and their spontaneous explorations of people and things of interest and importance to them. This should begin with study of the specific children in care. Detailed records of each child's interests and skills are kept to give guidance to the adults for the roles they will take in each child's learning. It should also be realized from the start that plans should not be static. Adaptation and change are critical parts of the learning process and should be anticipated. Once an interaction with a child or small cluster of children begins, the teacher has to be ready to adapt his or her plans and actions to meet the "momentary" needs and interests of each child.

Appropriately developed plans are strategies to broaden the caregiver's understanding of, and deepen their relationship with, each child and family. Good planning should:

1. 1) reflect activities that orient the caregiver to the role of facilitator of learning rather than the role of "director" of learning;
2. 2) assist the caregiver in reading the cues of each child; and
3. 3) prepare the teacher or home visitor to communicate effectively with other adults in the child's life. Another essential component of planning is attention to a responsive learning environment and specific attention to how environments should be changed. The planning of learning environments is more important to infant-toddler development than specific lessons or specific activities. The environment must be seen as part of the curriculum, creating interest and encouraging and supporting exploration. Research has shown that much of how infants and toddlers learn best comes not from specific adult-directed lessons but from teachers knowing how to maximize opportunities for each child to use natural learning inclinations.

Selecting or Developing a Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers

From all we know about how infants and toddlers learn best, we know that they must have a hand in selecting what they learn. Therefore, the infant or toddler should be an active partner in the process of "selecting" curriculum content. The curriculum should be dynamic enough to move and flow on a daily basis with the infant's developing interests and changing needs. In this way, the curriculum is responsive and respectful of what the children bring to and want from these early experiences.

A general point of caution: Do not select a curriculum or planning format that is simply a prescribed sequence of adult-initiated and -directed activities that leaves the child out of the process of selecting what is focused on and pursued. Both the child and the caregiver should play a role in the selection process, with the child initiating the activity at times and the caregiver at other times.

Curriculum planning, implementation, and supportive materials should anticipate developmental stages and allow for individual variations in learning styles and temperaments. These aspects of curriculum must be broad enough in scope to respond to all developmental domains simultaneously.

Responsive Curriculum

In a responsive curriculum, implementation of subsequent planning has to do with caregivers preparing themselves and the environment so that infants and toddlers can learn-not in figuring out what to teach children. "Lesson planning" involves exploring ways to help caregivers get "in tune" with each infant-toddler they serve and learn from the individual child what he or she needs, thinks, and feels. Even "in-tune" teachers need to plan and replan how to form a relationship with each infant-toddler to best meet the child's needs and relate to the child's unique thoughts and feelings. Very little positive learning will take place, regardless of what daily plans look like, if the curriculum and planning do not include:

1. 1) Grounding caregivers in the family culture, and in the cognitive, social, and emotional experiences in which infants and toddlers are naturally interested;
2. 2) Developing a safe and interesting place for learning;
3. 3) Establishing small groups for learning and care;
4. 4) Selecting materials appropriate for the individual needs and interests of the children served;
5. 5) Optimizing program connections with the child's family; and
6. 6) Establishing management policies that support the child's need for security in care and continuity of connection with the caregivers.

J. Ronald Lally, Ed.D., is Director of the Center for Child & Family Studies at WestEd in San Francisco, California, and the Program for Infant-Toddler Caregivers. He also directs a subcontract with the Early Head Start National Resource Center. For more information, contact the Center at 415-331-5277 or the Program web site at http://www.pitc.org/.

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Specific Factors to Consider When Developing An Infant-Toddler Curriculum

1. 1) Infancy has three stages. Between birth and age three, a child goes through three distinct developmental stages: young infant, mobile infant, and toddler. The type of care and experiences given should change when the child's stage changes and should also take into consideration transitions between stages.
2. 2) Infants learn holistically. Infants do not experience social, emotional, intellectual, language, and physical learning separately. Adults are most helpful to the young child when they interact in ways that reflect an understanding of the fact that the child is learning from the whole experience, not just the part of the experience that the adult gives attention.
3. 3) Relationships are primary for development. The infant is dependent on close, caring, ongoing relationships for positive physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth. Infants develop best when they are sure of having trusted caregivers who can read their cues and respond to their needs.
4. 4) Infants are developing their first sense of self through contact with others. An infant or toddler learns most of how he or she thinks and feels by imitating and incorporating the behaviors of those who care for her or him-how they first see themselves, how they think they should function, how they expect others to function in relation to them.
5. 5) Home culture is an important part of a child's developing identity. Because an infant's sense of self is such a crucial part of a child's make-up, early care must ensure that links with family, home culture, and home language are a central part of program policy.
6. 6) Infants are active, self-motivated learners. Environments and activities that keep motivation, experimentation, and curiosity alive must be constructed to facilitate the infant learning process.
7. 7) Infants are not all alike—they are individuals with unique temperaments. Because of these differences, staff need to individualize and adapt to each child.
8. 8) Language skills and habits develop early. The development of language is particularly crucial during the infant-toddler period. Quality care provides many opportunities for infants to engage in meaningful, experienced-based communication with their caregivers, and have their communications acknowledged and encouraged.
9. 9) Environments are powerful. Infants and toddlers are strongly influenced by the environments and routines they experience each day. This is particularly true for very young infants who cannot move themselves from one environment to another. The physical environment, group size, daily schedules, plans, and routines must foster the establishment of small intimate groups in which relationships with trusted caregivers can develop.
10. 10) Adults exhibit strong emotions and opinions when entrusted with the care of infants. Parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers often experience heightened emotions about how to care for infants and toddlers. Strategies for dealing with conflicts that may emerge between parents and staff must be considered by each program.

 

 

Goals

Goal: To establish and maintain trusting relationships as a basis for exploration of the world

• Young infant: To learn that people respond when I am in need
• Mobile infant: To learn that people protect me when I explore my world
• Toddler: To learn that it's O.K. to try to do things independently of others
• Preschooler: To learn that I can work alone or with others and know that adults are there for me if I need them

Head Start Resources

• Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations
• Setting the Stage: Including Children with Disabilities in Head Start (Training Guide)
• Curriculum in Head Start/Individualizing in Head Start (video and user's guide)
• Enhancing Children's Growth and Development (Training Guide)
• For Children, Life is a Creative Adventure (video, adult guide, and wallchart)
• Leading the Way: Disabilities Services and the Management Team (Training Guide)
• Nurturing Children (Training Guide)

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Seeds of Growth and Development: Curriculum Goals for Migrant Children
By Bob Stechuk

In families of migrant farm workers parents typically work together, often beginning before sunrise and ending after sunset. A six- or even seven-day work week is common. Employment may last three or four months, or no more than a day. Once a particular job is completed, families may move hundreds of miles to obtain other employment. These conditions characterize some of the significant factors in the lives of the children of migrant farm workers.

The Migrant Programs Branch funds 25 grantees and 41 delegate agencies across 33 states. Annually, Migrant Head Start (MHS) programs serve more than 30,000 children from birth through compulsory school age as their parents provide agricultural products for the U.S. and the world.

Meeting Your Program Needs

Commercially available curricula offer little that is directly applicable to the migrant population. To develop relevant goals, MHS programs must draw upon their knowledge of the migrant lifestyle, the individual needs of children, and family strengths—including parents' life goals and goals for their children.

Developing goals that focus on these areas is consistent with the learning strategy termed "elaboration" by Chamot and O'Malley. Simply put, elaboration allows children to communicate - frequently and in-depth—on topics that are personally meaningful. It is through such communication that children expand their linguistic and many other capabilities.

In Weld County, Colorado, agricultural fields extend as far as the eye can see. At the Jefferson MHS center, the fields extend into the classrooms as well. Stalks of corn grow in the entry foyer. A basket of local crops brought in by a parent, including onions, cucumbers, corn, and chilies, waits in the Science Area for several different activities to take place.

At California's Chico Center, parents visit the classroom to talk about their work and to create and maintain an on-site vegetable garden. At the Live Oaks Center, staff members take pictures of parents working in the fields. The photos are enlarged and copied to use in the classrooms so children may reflect and comment on the value of their parents' work. At the Woodlawn MHS Center, local crops such as tomatoes, corn, and squash are the basis of many curriculum goals, ranging from an investigation of seeds to experiments with planting. Children especially enjoy grinding corn into meal, mixing the dough, and then tasting and talking about the product of their efforts.

At the Woodburn center in Oregon, individualized, daily transitions are both a goal of the curriculum and a method to meet the needs of children. Individualized transitions can be observed as children finish eating breakfast. Those who finish early move on to individual, paired, or small group activities. Children brush paint at easels or finger paint at tables, act out a family routine in the drama area, read or be read to, work with puzzles, or help teachers with clean-up tasks. Children who want to spend more time at breakfast are allowed to move at their own pace.

Although these activities occur simultaneously, the classroom environment is purposeful and orderly. The teachers' approach permits children to make choices about how and where they spend their time. This combination provides children with enough freedom so the environment is relaxed, and enough structure so they can make appropriate decisions for themselves.

These examples highlight two key principles for informing classroom practice. First, curriculum goals should incorporate familiar objects and patterns of events, including patterns of communication. Second, classroom materials and social interactions (both teacher-child and child-child) should be arranged to invite comments and questions. Elaboration for migrant children (who change physical, cultural, and linguistic environments frequently) supports social-emotional development, as well as cognitive and language goals.

All the goals described above make deliberate use of migrant children's background knowledge and present conditions of migratory life in a positive light. Background knowledge is a context for curriculum goals. When it underlies the curriculum, children can demonstrate their highest levels of cognitive and communicative abilities. When learning experiences are meaningful, integrated, and child-centered, the curriculum goals, like development itself, belong to the child.

Bob Stechuk is a Quality Development Associate for the Migrant Head Start Quality Improvement Center, T: 202-884-8726.

 

 

Experiences

Goal: To support the development of children's language and literacy

• young infant: Having a trusted adult read short stories on a regular basis
• mobile infant: Having favorite stories reread and recognizing familiar characters
• toddler: Engaging in finger plays when actions illustrate objects, such as three fingers representing three monkeys jumping on a bed
• preschooler: Drawing or painting pictures and asking the parent or teacher to write what the child says the picture is about

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Head Start Resources

• Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations
• Setting the Stage: Including Children with Disabilities in Head Start (Training Guide)
• Curriculum in Head Start/Individualizing in Head Start (Multimedia Kit)
• Effective Transition Practices: Facilitating Continuity (Training Guide)
• Emerging Literacy: Linking Social Competence to Learning (Training Guide)
• For Children, Life Is a Creative Adventure (Multimedia Kit)
• Nurturing Children (Training Guide)
• Responding to Children Under Stress
• Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviors: Relationships Are Key (training guide)
• Translating the IEP into Everyday Practice

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The Experiences Through Which Children Will Achieve These Goals
Understanding Culture Through Experiences
By Brenda Krupa

One of our primary goals at the Fairbanks Native Association (FNA) Head Start in Fairbanks, Alaska, is to help our children develop an understanding of our native culture and its influence on our lives and values. One experience that helps our children learn more about who they are and where they come from is our trip to Steven's Village fish camp.

The camp is on the Yukon River, about 20 miles downstream from the village. About 80 people live in Steven's Village, and their livelihood is fish farming. This group is a sharp contrast to those of us who live and work in Fairbanks with a population of 80,000.

At the end of the last school year, 39 FNA Head Start students, parents, and staff got on buses and traveled to the fish camp to experience the difference between living in the city and living off the land and water. For many children, this was the first time they had witnessed the calm power of the Yukon River, but to most of our parents this sight was as familiar as the skin they walk in. They grew up in villages around Alaska, fishing and hunting to survive. In fact, some of our parents return with their families to spend each summer at their ancestral fish camps.

The weeks before we left for Steven's Village were filled with rich experiences of our native culture. We made miniature birch bark canoes to show our children what their ancestors and families have done for centuries. Also, we helped the children understand that they must respect the power of the Yukon River, exposing them to boat and water safety. The Yukon River is the largest river in North America, and its lulling quiet can be deceptive, masking its force and danger.

Our overnight trip to the fish camp gave the children a deeper understanding of the real workings of a fish camp. The highlight of the trip was the children seeing a real-life fish wheel. A fish wheel resembles the back end of an old steamboat; it spins in the water with large scoops that catch fish and funnel them down to the fishermen. When the children fished for themselves and went hunting for roots, they also got a sense of what life is like when people depend on the river and the land for survival.

We camped on the river and, when night fell, we lit a campfire. Our parents, staff, and children gathered around the fire and told stories. We cooked over the fire, and more importantly, we danced and sang together. We sang our traditional songs, parents danced with their children, and we showed our children how we danced together in our villages.

It is difficult to articulate the feeling of togetherness that we experienced on this trip. It was an evening to get in touch with our traditional values and allow our children to develop a clearer understanding of themselves and their ancestors. We feel a sense that we are one, connected by our culture and beliefs, and this brings with it an immense sense of pride. We are extremely lucky to have such a strong cultural heritage and such a deep sense of belonging to a greater family-our cultural family.

We could not have had a successful trip to the fish camp without the involvement of parents. The trip allowed them to share their culture and identity with their children through genuine experiences. But it was not only parents who brought their knowledge with them-grandparents were also involved. One of our grandmothers acted as our protective guide during the night. Since we camped very close to the Yukon River, we had someone on watch at all times to make sure that none of our little ones wandered too close to the water. That night, Grandma sat up on a hill all through the night to keep watch. Many other parents offered to relieve her, but she wanted to stay and watch the children-all her children-to make sure they were safe.

We chose to visit Steven's Village fish camp because it offered us materials and opportunities that aren't available in our Head Start center, and it provided an invaluable learning experience for our children. Our classroom goals and teachings became transformed into meaningful cultural experiences that helped our children develop pride in their traditions and tribal way of life.

Brenda Krupa is Director of the FNA Head Start, T: 907-456-4989, F: 907-456-5311.

 

 

Staff and Parent Roles

Goal: To support the development of children's motor skills

• young infant: Place a rattle in the baby's hand
• mobile infant: Put brightly colored objects around the play area to encourage mobile infants to develop the ability to crawl or walk to them
• toddler: Offer words of encouragement as toddlers try new things, such as jumping, feeding, drawing, or painting
• preschooler: Encourage participation in activities such as an obstacle course that requires running, jumping, and crawling by ensuring that they are attractive to the children as well as safe

Head Start Resources

• Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations
• Setting the Stage: Including Children with Disabilities in Head Start (Training Guide)
• Building Supportive Communities (Training Guide)
• Engaging Parents (Training Guide)
• Fun and Learning for Parents and Children
• Head Start Handbook of the Parent Involvement Vision and Strategies
• Home Visitor Handbook
• Linking Our Voices
• Nurturing the Promise
• Our Stories Keep Us Connected
• Partners in Decision Making (Training Guide)
• Translating the IEP Into Everyday Practice

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What Staff and Parents Do to Help Children Achieve These Goals Curricula for
Indian Head Start Programs
By James E. Kennedy

Seminars hosted by the American Indian Programs Branch often discuss curriculum in Indian Head Start programs. Participants identify several key components of curriculum for Indian programs, including the importance of community involvement and cultural relevance. The need for a holistic approach-one showing the interconnectedness of the world-is also emphasized. To provide these key elements, staff and parents must be involved in choosing or developing the curriculum, and the agency must provide ongoing training on the implementation of the curriculum.

Curriculum Development

A culture-based curriculum requires the support and involvement of parents. Some parents may serve directly on the curriculum development team, but support from all parents is critical. Head Start staff must involve parents in the curriculum development process and provide training on various elements of the curriculum.

Developing a curriculum for Indian Head Start presents many challenges, because the issues of cultural relevance are central and quite complex. Each curriculum is individualized to support the philosophy, history, culture, and language of the tribal setting in which the children are served. In addition to being adapted to the local program setting, there are certain common processes and components that every quality curriculum should have.

Development of Indian curriculum must involve a team of individuals from the community that assists staff throughout the process. These individuals offer a range of knowledge and experience and become the ongoing advocates for the program. Ideally, the team includes Head Start staff, parents, representatives from the schools and other agencies, tribal elders, and experts in native language, history, and culture. The role of the team is to set program goals (or review existing ones) and propose specific experiences that support the cultural heritage. As the curriculum is implemented, the team reviews its effectiveness and provides suggestions for any needed adjustments.

In some programs, the curriculum is supported by a theme-based approach to ensure inclusion of important cultural components and to show how the world and skills are interrelated. By beginning with common themes, children are able to initiate activities based on their own experiences. They help generate ideas for discussion and exploration. This approach is consistent with the learning styles that Indian children develop before entering the Head Start setting, as well as with the participatory learning style and philosophy of Native Americans.

The success of a culture-based curriculum will be determined, in part, by the extent to which its goals and expectations are shared at home and within the community.

James E. Kennedy served as Director of Program Development at Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc.

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Essential Components

There are some essential elements related to culture and heritage that are to be included in Indian curriculum:

• Native language
• A bilingual approach that includes English language skills
• A bicultural approach that includes the culture of society outside the reservation
• Symbols, stories, art, and music from the tribe's culture and heritage
• An understanding of past and current tribal structure and roles

It is essential that non-reservation programs enrolling American Indian children also be sensitive to and inclusive of these essential elements.

 

 

Materials

Goal: To support the development of children's language and literacy

• young infant: Short books of cardboard or fabric
• mobile infant: A few familiar pictures placed at children's eye level at various places around the room
• toddler: Puzzles of varying complexity that include familiar storybook characters
• preschooler: A variety of accessible culturally-appropriate books featuring familiar characters in new situations

Head Start Resources

• Head Start Program Performance Standards and other Regulations
• Setting the Stage: Including Children with Disabilities in Head Start (Training Guide)
• Guide for Education Coordinators in Head Start
• Head Start Facilities Manual
• Including Children with Significant Disabilities (Training Guide)
• Multicultural Principles for Head Start Programs

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The Materials Needed to Support the Implementation of the Curriculum
A Little Can Go a Long Way
By Jane Davidson

My class of four-year-olds had been playing airplane for a few weeks with a row of cardboard boxes. To add richness to the play, I took the children to a local flying school to see some real airplanes. The most exciting part of the trip was when the owner let the children climb inside one of the planes. They were awed by the buttons and dials that filled the dashboard, spreading across the whole front of the plane.

On the way home we talked about what the inside of the plane was like. Brianna wanted to know, "Why did it have so many clocks?" She assumed all the dials were clocks. After the children left for the day, I turned the bulletin board in the block corner into an enormous dashboard. Circular "dials" were glued onto the dashboard, and small sticky dots where scattered here and there as buttons. A moveable steering wheel was attached in the middle of the dashboard.

Cockpits and Cardboard

At circle time the next day, we discussed what types of dials and buttons pilots might need. Peri said, "You need a start button." She decided it should be green, so I wrote "start" over the green button. The children told me to write "stop" over the red button. We labeled a dial for speed, another for gas, and one to tell the temperature of the clouds.

As soon as playtime started, Nick, Cole, and Jolonda began labeling the other dials. Nick used the blocks to build the body of the plane. "Oh no! It's crashing," called Cole, who began making loud noises and running around the area.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "The engine is broke," he told me. "Do you need tools to fix it?" I asked. Cole liked this idea, so we got some plastic tools out of the closet, only to discover that the engine wasn't broken-it was missing! We looked in the closet for something we could use to build an engine so the plane wouldn't crash. We found a box of straight and curved plastic tubes that fit together to make long curving pipes. Cole and Jolonda became engine assemblers, while Nick piloted the plane so it would not crash before the engine was done.

The plane flew smoothly until Cole discovered that the engine was on fire. "Do you have a fire extinguisher?" I asked. Cole picked up a cylindrical block, pointed it at the engine and made water sounds. "I got it just in time," he declared with relief.

Moon Rocks and Muffin Tins

Over time, the plane evolved into a rocket that could find aliens in space. Four sets of steering wheels and dials were constructed. A picture of the planets was posted in the cockpit corner to help children decide on a destination. Cardboard stars, small nerf balls (planets), and a beach ball globe of the world were hung from the ceiling. Telescopes were made from paper towel rolls.

House furniture was used to enclose another small area. A crawl-through tunnel connected the two areas. One corner held a small table with a scale for weighing moon rocks, and a muffin tin for sorting them. Equipment to walk in space was placed near the exit. Liter soda bottles became air tanks by attaching two elastic, backpack-like straps. Small plastic baskets with pipe cleaner handles were handy to collect moon rocks, and in each basket was a pair of tongs or a melon baller for picking up the rocks. Additional colored rocks were scattered on the floor just outside the rocket.

The children loved the new space play area. Cole pointed at the poster and shouted, "Let's go to Mars!" Wilson put on an air tank, picked up a basket, and began his space walk. He found it took a lot of effort to pick up the rocks with the tongs. But, he informed me, "You can't use your hands, cause the rocks on Mars are too hot."

Amy weighed and sorted all the rocks that Wilson found. She's not much of a pretender and hadn't been involved in the rocket play—but she loves organizing things. Sorting the rocks offered her a perfect entrance to pretend play. To my surprise, the pipelines, which were a central part of the block area play, were totally ignored in the new rocket. The tongs, rocks, air tank, and planet poster were now the center of attention.

As I look back over the month I am amazed at how a few props—cardboard boxes, plates, paper, cardboard, rocks, tongs, a planet poster, and empty soda bottles—along with a small amount of guidance from a teacher and input from children, can lead to a month of rich, imaginative play.

Jane Davidson, Master Teacher at the University of Delaware Laboratory Preschool, is a contributor to Head Start's A Creative Adventure. She may be reached at T: 302-831-1278, E: jdavidso@udel.edu.

 

Program Performance Standards & Sound Child Development Principles

The Curriculum Must Be Consistent with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and Based on Sound Child Development Principles Standards, Curriculum, and Emergent Literacy
By Cindy Bewick, Pamela Murchek, & Mary Salman

Staff at our program recently sat down and thought about how to use curriculum in planning emerging literacy experiences. As the discussion began, Pam Murchek, our Hartford teacher, shared the following story:

I make poster board name cards for each child with their first name on the front and their last name on the back. The cards are used in helping children keep attendance and assigning classroom jobs; they also act as templates for name puzzles. I keep all the cards in a basket by the job chart so children may "read" them whenever they wish.

One day, Steve and Cody, both four-year-olds, sat on the rug playing with the stack of classroom name cards. I sat down with the two boys, and we took each name card and matched it to the name spots on the circle-time rug. Steve realized the card he was holding matched the name where he sat. Cody then took the name tag he was holding over to his spot. He called us over and showed us how it matched his name on the rug. The difference between the two names became obvious to both.

Use of name tags is consistent with the Head Start definition of curriculum by having GOALS (recognizing and matching letters and words); EXPERIENCES (using your name card, go around the room and find your cubby, coat hook, placemat, etc.); and MATERIALS (each child's name printed onto cards, which are then placed on the circle rug, and on a cubby, coat hook, nametag, placemat, and job chart tag); and this curriculum is based upon SOUND CHILD DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES (matching letters and words is challenging but achievable for Steve and Cody and therefore appropriate for their age). Pam's ROLE as the teacher is obvious. PARENTS also have a ROLE as they help write the name tags, place tags around the room, or play a name-matching game. They can extend the learning by playing similar games at home.

Curriculum in Action

Pam also talked about her center's garden and how it works its way naturally into the curriculum throughout the year.

In lesson plans, Pam and parents write activities and goals and explore various materials to use with the children that involve the gardening experience. Pam also uses a variety of professional resources on curriculum, nature, and gardening with young children.

Goals, experiences, and activities at the beginning of the year often involve grouping or counting small sets of vegetables, matching "real" vegetables to their pictures, cooking vegetables in a variety of ways, and tasting them. Adults read stories and informational books aloud daily. By the end of the year, children are matching vegetable name cards to pictures of the vegetables that have the words written underneath them. Some also copy the words onto their own papers to add to a classroom garden book. Others draw and label a garden layout that they might use at home. Graphs contain lists of favorite vegetables and the best way to "make 'em taste good." Children read favorite garden books to themselves and to friends and adults.

Parents play a big role in helping the children have positive experiences in exploring vegetables and trying new foods. Many parents enjoy taking fresh vegetables and herbs home with them, which helps us to promote healthy food choices at school and home.

The wonderful thing about the garden is that all the materials are multisensory, useable indoors or outdoors, and easily translated into representational writings and drawings as individual children demonstrate those tasks. Emergent literacy is not left out of this curriculum-it is an integral part of learning about and exploring the garden.

Curriculum in the Classroom

As we continued our discussion, we confirmed that emerging literacy is a strong part of our current curriculum. We weave writing, reading, and numeracy skills into the classroom on a daily basis. As children sign in for attendance, count the number of children present, tell stories from pictures in a book, calculate the number of napkins needed at the snack table, or read the many labels throughout the classroom, they practice a variety of literacy- and numeracy-based skills. Tasting vegetables, writing choices on a graph, and counting the resulting quantities link sensory experiences to symbolic and abstract written records. Even gross motor activities, such as a child jumping into hoops while others count the number of jumps, help children learn.

Cindy Bewick is Education Services Manager, Pamela Murchek is Center-Based Family Educator, and Mary Salman is Education Services Assistant Manager at Tri-County Head Start in Paw Paw, Michigan, T: 800-792-0366.

 

 

Curriculum and Reauthorization
By Cindy Bewick, Pamela Murchek, & Mary Salman

• Have you discussed the 1998 Head Start Reauthorization Act with your colleagues?
• Are the new Education Program Performance Standards and Performance Measures circulating faster than the latest best seller?
• Do you wonder what the new legislation means for your curriculum?
• Do you think you must immediately hire a consultant, buy new materials, change your activities, and develop new teaching strategies?

These questions and many others are on the minds of Head Start education staff throughout the country. Tri-County Head Start in Paw Paw, Michigan, is no exception. We have explored how we make professional decisions about curriculum, and we've identified possible pitfalls. We've also taken a close look at our curriculum to see if it is compatible with the new mandates from Congress, and we realize there are two relatively simple steps in this process.

Step 1: Have a working knowledge about child development principles. When adults are knowledgeable about early childhood development, they present appropriate curriculum. In addition, each child's learning style and cultural context must be addressed by presenting appropriately challenging experiences that allow for positive achievement and engage children in multidisciplinary activities. Both are necessary to make curriculum meaningful for children as well as adults.

Step 2: Understand curriculum as defined by the Program Performance Standards. Before you can recognize curriculum, you must have a clear understanding and working knowledge of the definition. It's not enough to list the different aspects. You must be able to apply the definition and evaluate whether something IS or is NOT Head Start curriculum. The rewards for this understanding are increased program quality, and the ability to act as an informed professional and to share accurate information with families and community partners.

In Paw Paw, we wrote self-instructional units for staff on how to achieve these two steps. Throughout each unit, Wow, GERMS! serves as a reminder for each part of the definition. Here's how it works:

Wow = WRITTEN plan

GERMS =

GOALS and objectives for children's develop- ment and learning

EXPERIENCES or activities to meet the goals

ROLES of staff and parents

MATERIALS, space, and equipment necessary for optimal development and learning

SOUND child development principles and the Head Start Program Performance Standards

Wow! These GERMS are AMAZING because they help staff remember the curriculum definition and apply the definition. We suggest they think about how quality curriculum is contagious—the better it is, the greater it spreads, and the more children learn-and that they picture children learning and being challenged because of these good germs. We ask that they see families with big smiles saying, "Wow, GERMS are great for curriculum!"

Cautions in Implementing a Curriculum for Your Head Start Program

We have identified two things to watch out for in developing curriculum: folks marketing curriculum that does not meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards (and GERMS reminds us of what we must have), and pressure from others.

Remember that child development principles form the foundation for everything we do in Head Start. Be an educated consumer. Carefully review curriculum and related materials BEFORE you purchase them, and make sure they have germs and fit your program goals.

Caution #1: Some publishers are more concerned about selling their product than offering quality curricula based on sound child development principles. Beware of statements such as:

• This will make it easy to meet the Performance Standards and Performance Measures.
• Head Start children will develop print and numeracy awareness with these activities.
• These are the 10 letters all Head Start children must know!

Caution #2: How many times have you heard other people say:

• Research shows that direct instruction is the only effective teaching strategy.
• A little skill and drill never hurt anyone.
• Doing written work will make it easier for them in kindergarten.

The results of teaching children primarily through "drill" comes nowhere near our goals for quality curriculum in Head Start. We don't expect a child to walk before (s)he crawls, so why would we expect a child to read and write before (s)he can hold a pencil, make controlled marks, or recognize his/her name?

Your curriculum must be based on sound child development principles and be individualized to meet the specific needs of each child in your program. As you plan your curriculum, ask yourself the following:

• Are the goals suited for children's individual development?
• Do I rely on the various learning domains and disciplines?
• Do my experiences, teaching strategies, and materials allow an appropriate degree of challenge?
• Am I knowledgeable about the developmental sequences for reading, writing, and numeracy?
• How are parents involved in developing curriculum? Are their roles evident?
• How do I use children's, parents', and my own ideas to develop plans based upon ongoing observation and assessment, rather than falling back on "old plans"?
• What evidence do I have that individual children have increased their knowledge and skills?

Conclusions

Our team reached several conclusions when discussing the Program Performance Standards, the Performance Measures, and the 1998 Reauthorization Act. Most importantly, we understand that much of the new legislation reflects our current curriculum. We will not immediately hire a new consultant, completely change our activities, throw out current quality teaching strategies, or use any other reactive response. We WILL assure that all children have the opportunity to engage in intellectually challenging experiences based upon the Program Performance Standards' definition of curriculum (think Wow, GERMS). We will also demonstrate how children learn as a result of their Head Start participation. As long as we continue to implement a quality curriculum as defined by the Head Start Program Performance Standards, we achieve quality outcomes for children.

Cindy Bewick is Education Services Manager, Pamela Murchek is Center-Based Family Educator, and Mary Salman is Education Services Assistant Manager at Tri-County Head Start in Paw Paw, Michigan, T: 800-792-0366.

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The Process of Developing a Head Start Curriculum

All published curriculam need modification to suffice as a Head Start curriculum. Necessary modifications may include:

1. (1) individualizing the curricular practices to meet the needs of every Head Start child, including those with disabilities;
2. (2) expanding the scope of the curriculum to address all aspects of Head Start programming; and
3. (3) assuring that the curriculum reflects the families served and the local community.

Modifying or developing a curriculum is a process that programs must go through-one that involves staff and parents and community partners. At least four phases are usually involved:

1. (1) gathering background information;
2. (2) gathering materials and potential resources;
3. (3) the process of developing and implementing the curriculum; and
4. (4) evaluating the outcomes. These phases are outlined in the chart below.

Background Information

• Program's philosophy
• Head Start Program Performance Standards
• Community assessment and other information regarding the community's cultural heritage, and physical and safety issues
• Information on the children's ages and assessments

Materials to Review

• Published curricula
• Activity books/ activities
• Specific interests and needs identified by:
• staff/parents
• cultural heritage
• physical necessity
• IEP/IFSP

Process—involves staff and parents

• Examine background and program information.
• Develop desired program outcomes.
• Evaluate published curricula in light of information from previous examination.
• Identify additional ideas from community resources.
• Work with staff and parents.
• Identify and review published curriculum if appropriate to use as a base from which to develop the Head Start curriculum.
• If a published curriculum is not selected, identify specific goals around which to structure the Head Start curriculum. These goals drive decisions on environment, schedules, activities, experiences, and materials to implement goals. Review goals to ensure that the curriculum follows good child development practices and encompasses the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Identify additional goals to supplement those included in the published curriculum, if a published one is selected.

Outcome

A Head Start curriculum that includes:

• Goals for all children;
• Experiences for children;
• Activities for parents and teachers to foster children's development;
• Materials to be used; and

A curriculum that is consistent with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and based on sound child development principles.

 

 

Planning For Linguistic and Cultural Diversity—We Must Continue to Respond
By Michele Plutro

Head Start has always embraced the ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity of its enrollment and the communities in which it operates. Head Start programs have responded to diversity as an opportunity for children and families to learn about different cultures and customs. Instead of reducing opportunities for bilingualism among children, Head Start has built upon the skills and culture that each child and family brings to the program.

Multicultural Principles in Head Start

To formalize Head Start's commitment to diversity in enrollment, program design, and services, Head Start developed Multicultural Principles for Head Start Programs and distributed it in 1992. In 1996, these principles were expanded and incorporated into the revised Program Performance Standards, which became effective on January 1, 1998.

Four elements of Head Start's overall philosophy are particularly relevant to the task of developing and implementing multilingual and multicultural programing: building trusting relationships, being sensitive to cultural preferences of families, building bridges between cultures for both children and adults, and acknowledging that staff and parents are in a true partnership.

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families has completed a "Descriptive Study of Head Start Bilingual and Multicultural Program Services." This study revealed that, across the country, families enrolled in Head Start programs speak more than 150 languages and dialects. For more than 160,000 of Head Start children (nearly 20 percent), the language spoken in the home is not English. Though Spanish is the most common, Chinese, Hmong, and Vietnamese are also spoken by a significant number of Head Start children and families.

Resources

There are a number of publications and web sites that can help Head Start programs expand and refine services to bilingual children and families and to speakers of languages other than English (see p. 35). As an example, the NAEYC web site includes "Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity - Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education." NAEYC's position statement reads, "For young children, the language of the home is the language they have used since birth, the language they use to make and establish meaningful communicative relationships, and the language they use in constructing their knowledge... The home language is tied to children's culture, and culture and language communicate traditions, values, and attitudes."

One final example from NAEYC summarizes the importance of encouraging linguistic and cultural diversity in all early childhood programs: "For the optimal development and learning of all children, educators must accept the legitimacy of children's home language, respect (hold in high regard) and value (esteem and appreciate) the home culture, and promote and encourage the active involvement and support of all families, including extended and nontraditional family units."

Related literature suggests a number of guidelines for curriculum planning that respond to diversity, including:

• Becoming conscious of personal biases and working to overcome them.
• Learning the most important child-rearing values held by each family.
• Supporting children's speech patterns and emergent language.
• Structuring some child experiences and activities around materials contributed by parents.
• Reflecting parents' occupations and talents in classrooms, on home visits, in community celebrations, and in other program activities.
• Avoiding a "holiday syndrome" or holiday-driven approach to curriculum.
• Developing some activities in which groups of children can focus on "alikeness" as well as difference.

As programs continue to grow and change in keeping with both the Program Performance Standards and community and family design, there are always new sources of useful information.

Michele Plutro is an Education Specialist at the Head Start Bureau. For more information, contact her at T: 202-205-8912 or by e-mail at mplutro@acf.dhhs.gov. For more information on the Head Start Bilingual and Multicultural Study, contact Henry Doan at T: 202-260-2667 or hdoan@acf.dhhs.gov.

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Web Site Resources

The Center for Study of Biracial Children http://www.csbc.cncfamily.com/

The National Academy of Sciences http://www.nap.edu/

The National Association for the Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org/

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/Hispanic

Yahoo's Education web page http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/

 

 

A FRAMEWORK FOR DISCUSSING HEAD START CHILD, FAMILY, AND PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND OUTCOMES

This chart provides an overview of key Head Start policies and systems for defining, tracking, and improving program quality and outcomes. This framework will form the basis for additional Head Start Bureau initiatives to implement provisions from reauthorization, including the integration of additional Program Performance Standards and Performance Measures, and the incorporation of the Performance Measures into local program self-assessment and program monitoring.

HEAD START PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND OTHER REGULATIONS

45 CFR Parts 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304 and Guidance, 1305, 1306, and 1308 and Guidance

"The foundation of a quality, comprehensive, child development program."

CURRICULUM

"What are the experiences that support children's learning and development and lead to positive child outcomes?"

• A philosophy shared by the program and the parents, and a planned, organized, and consistently implemented curriculum, support child development and education in Early Head Start and Head Start.
• The curriculum is a written plan that addresses the goals for children's development and learning and includes the children's experiences, roles of staff and parents, and materials needed to support the implementation of the curriculum.
• The curriculum is consistent with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and is based on sound child development principles about how children grow and learn.
• The Head Start Program Performance Standards require that qualified staff, in partnership with parents, select and adapt or develop a curriculum. Staff members also implement and individualize the curriculum to support each child's learning and developmental progress.
• Staff receive consistent and ongoing training on the philosophy and appropriate implementation of the curriculum.

AREAS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR CHILDREN - FAMILIES - PROGRAMS - COMMUNITIES

"How are our children progressing and what are the changes in families, programs, and communities?"

• The Head Start Program Performance Standards include the physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and language areas of children's development and learning.
• Curriculum is the critical mechanism for achieving Head Start's goal of enhancing the social competence and school readiness of children. The 1998 reauthorization of the Head Start Act by Congress emphasizes this goal and mandates several new measures of Head Start quality and performance.
• Each child receives screening for develop-mental, sensory, and behavioral concerns upon entry to the program.
• Through ongoing child observation and assessment, staff and parents follow children's progress from arrival at Early Head Start or Head Start to the time they leave. This information is used to individualize the curriculum for children and to determine what the outcomes are...what children accomplish over a period of time as a result of meaningful, cumulative experiences.
• The Program Performance Standards identify specific areas where families, because of their enrollment in Early Head Start or Head Start, are to be involved through the family partnership agreement process in their children's development and learning; in increasing their own literacy; and in the governance process.

PROGRAM SELF-ASSESSMENT AND ONGOING MONITORING

"How are we doing?"

• Grantees establish procedures for the ongoing monitoring of their own operations, as well as those of their delegate agencies, to ensure effective implementation of all Federal regulations.
• At least once a year, Early Head Start and Head Start agencies conduct a self- assessment to check how they are doing in meeting their goals and objectives, and in implementing the Head Start Program Performance Standards and other regulations.
• The process involves the policy group, governing body, parents, staff, and the community.
• The results of the self-assessment process influence the agency's program planning-the continuous improvement process.

FEDERAL ON-SITE SYSTEMS MONITORING

"What is the level of compliance with Head Start regulations?"

• After the first full year of operation, grantees are monitored every three years.
• A review of whether effective management systems are supporting the implementation of a comprehensive child development program leading to positive child outcomes.
• A partnership between Federal and grantee staff to monitor the progress of Early Head Start and Head Start grantees in implementing the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• A team of Federal staff and experts conducts an on-site review of grantee management systems and program quality through a combination of focus groups and individual interviews; observations; discussions with parents, staff, and policy group members; and written program documents.

HEAD START PROGRAM PERFORMANCE MEASURES

"Congress wants to know: How is the Head Start program doing nationally?"

• Head Start's Program Performanc