Eager to Learn Educating Our Preschoolers (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Program and Practice Standards
Program and Practice Standards
Pages 277-305
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From page 277... ...
At their best, the promise of standards is that they provide a floor for program quality; they ensure that what we know children are capable of mastering in the early years they indeed have the opportunity to master in all state-approved programs. At their worst, standards put a ceiling on quality; they become an end rather than a departure point for the design and aspirations embodied in a program.
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From page 278... ...
Instructional or performance assessments that relate to children ages 2 to 5 articulate standards that are consistent with developmentally appropriate practice, child development research, and Head Start performance standards, but specific standards of learning for the early childhood years are not well developed in all curriculum areas. Table 8-1 presents the standards for mathematics developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and those for reading and writing developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
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From page 279... ...
SOURCES: For reading and writing, information from Newman et al. (1999~; for mathematics, information from National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2000~.
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From page 280... ...
280 EAGER TO LEARN TABLE 8-2 Summary of State Content Stanclarcls for Teaching Children in Prekindergarten Programs Program Health, Safety, Cognitive State Name Standards Motor and Nutrition (General) AR Arkansas NAEYC Indoor,outdoor Encourage Support Better guidelines playthat good health cognitive Chance used as basis encourages and safety developm for state development child care of habits; accreditation, gross and fine and program motor skills appropriateness AZ At-Risk State Opportunity to Encourage Learning, Preschool guidelines for acquire and appreciation strategies Program comprehensive refine for health and as experin early childhood fundamental safety tation, thir programs movements games, pi; self-direct learning, i cation; ch encourage explore, q participate group disc give respc CA State State Facilitate Provide a Developm' preschool Preschool physicaland developmentally appropriat Program motor appropriate activities t Quality competence nutrition facilitate a Requirements component and child's cog a healthy developed environment that refers children to appropriate agencies based on their health needs
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From page 281... ...
; social skills, artistically tation, thinking concepts, and reading/writing, communication, and games, play, math-directed curriculum self-confidence, musically; self-directed activities materials independence, encourage learning, investi- multilingual respect, manners; child gation; children as appropriate; appreciation for initiated encouraged to day structured cultural diversity play explore, question, to facilitate and current events participate in child-to-child group discussions, talk give responses Ha mentally riate n Rent and 1y lament ers children opriate Is based on Health needs Developmentally Foster social and appropriate emotional activities that development facilitate a child's cognitive development Table continued on next page
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From page 282... ...
282 TABLE 8-2 Continued EAGER TO LEARN Program Health, Safety, Cognitive State Name Standards Motor and Nutrition (General) CO Colorado Standards Nutrition and Preschool based on hearth cervices Program NAEYC, by local cross- decision referenced to Head Start and state licensing DE Early Head Start Childhood Assistance Program FL Pre-K Early NAEYC Developmentally DAP DAP Intervention encouraged but appropriate Program not required practices (DAP)
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From page 283... ...
PROGRAM AND PRACTICE STANDARDS 283 Safety, trition Cognitive Social (General) Numeracy Language Emotional Aesthetics in and services earth st, and DAP Encourage exploration observation, and communication of knowledge DAP DAP Enhance DAP emotional maturity and social confidence comparison communication Activities Recognition of Encourage Express dealing with pictures words, cooperative ideas and counting ABCs, and play and work; thoughts concepts and stories; positive interaction in creative resorting understand and with other children, ways, objects; shape tell stories; self-help skills; including end size understand pride; care end that writing is self-control crafts, drawing, and music Table continued on next page
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From page 284... ...
284 TABLE 8-2 Continued EAGER TO LEARN Program Health, Safety, Cognitive State Name Standards Motor and Nutrition (General) KY State State Indoor/outdoor Assist Encourage Preschool regulations activities;play understanding exploratio Program reflect areas with safe of nutrition concrete NAEYC, end appropriate exper~ent~; Head Start equipment learning; standards integrate c across cot areas tints learning)
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From page 285... ...
PROGRAM AND PRACTICE STANDARDS 285 Safety, Cognitive Social trition (General) Numeracy Language Emotional Aesthetics Encourage Materials Language Assist Space and Landing exploration; for math and experience development of material for tion concrete problem approach interpersonal dramatic experiential solving (language skills, self- play, art, learning; understanding management block integrate skills and use among and independence; building, across content children and positive self- cooking, areas (integrative adults, esteem, self- house learning)
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From page 286... ...
Behavior (in keeping with management age appropriate, serving the child should be environment and family as should be safe outlined in the and minimize state created the risk of Individualized transmission Family Service of communicable Plan (I FSP)
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From page 287... ...
opportunities end encourage (in children's end economic and Rated to make compar- math native diversity, develop appreciation program isons, analyze, language and social skills; for the arts er observe, plan, English) ability to have by means of 'learning; end discuss child-initiated dramatic to a experiences, play and teacher- play, art, rare observations, and initiated play; and music :ant; feelings; science smooth transitions e health activities in work between activities; ety of areas encouraged good a; meal manners earning noes; us food provided; nurse, Behavior ~ropriate, lament be safe .
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From page 288... ...
asking qu MN Learning Follow Develop Meet Help deve Readiness NAEYC appropriate children's cognitive guidelines but physicalskills daily skills not part of nutritional requirements needs NE Early NAEYC Childhood Projects NJ Early Localities DAP Provide DAP Childhood Determine their supplementary Program own standards health, Aid within general nutrition and state guidelines social services NY New York DAP outlined State in state Prekinder- regulations garten Program
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From page 289... ...
PROGRAM AND PRACTICE STANDARDS 289 Safety, Cognitive Social trition (General) Numeracy Language Emotional Aesthetics d secure Encourage Each child's Receive positive Development nutritious exploration, primary attention, of imagi ~vailable spontaneous language constructive nation, each learning valued end discipline, respect; appreciation day; experiences, used for encourage of art, music, n creative communication; child-to-child poetry, red to problem-solving auditory interaction, prose, and that skills, decision- discrimination; interpersonal wonders of It's making skills listening end relation; the natural Cal needs utilizing different speaking skills build esteem, world; t methods and autonomy, dramatic techniques, respect for others, play asking questions multicultural awareness Help develop Help develop It's cognitive appropriate skills social skills nal and emotional well-being ~ DAP DAP DAP DAP DAP nentary n and ,ervices Table continued on next page
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From page 290... ...
provided educational facilities daily; program program in provided complies with classroom appropriate state setting board of education requirements
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From page 291... ...
PROGRAM AND PRACTICE STANDARDS 291 Safety, trition Cognitive Social (General) Numeracy Language Emotional Aesthetics lament eve m facilities nodate dren, , and ble; provided Ha mental onal n in om Curriculum DAP DAP appropriate for child ren's developmental level Instructional models reflect a comprehensive study of current test data, instructional trends and research, and school and community demographics Table continued on next page
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From page 292... ...
. Decisions; informatia linked to mean~ngf~ relevant, concrete VA Virginia Preschool VT Early Core Indoor/ Encourage Encourage Education Standards outdoor good nutritional, problem s Initiative for Center- physical health, and experimer Based development; safety practices; mastery tt Programs strengthening provide a safe, learning b in Vermont large and small clean, and doing; acid muscles; healthy learning encouraging environment; eye-hand provide coordination; a meal/snack body awareness, at least every rhythm, and three hours movement; age appropriate equipment
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From page 293... ...
I.e., praise effort, allowing children to be independent) ; cultural diversity Creative expression and .
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From page 294... ...
this endeavor were based on information from fiscal year 1996 that was provided by contacts from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. From this information, Ripple and colleagues identified 31 states with preschool education programs that met their criteria for inclusion in the studying It should be noted that the preschool education standards differ from, and in most case are more stringent than, state licensing standards for child care programs serving children ages 2 to 5.
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From page 295... ...
, each fin Massachusetts, all programs must be NAEYC accredited. In addition, programs located in public schools must meet state standards.
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From page 296... ...
Structural specifications include materials available in the classroom, the site and layout of work and play areas, safety demands that ensure appropriate classroom and playground equipment, health and nutrition, class size, teacher-child ratios, and teacher qualifications. With regard to classroom materials, standards require reading materials to promote language development (Arkansas)
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From page 297... ...
Program standards also addressed the domain of socioemotional development. Most state program standards mentioned aspects of developmentally appropriate practices, such as positive selfesteem, social skills, emotional well-being, and behavioral selfregulation.
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From page 298... ...
Both systems serve children at risk of school failure because of poverty, home language other than English, and developmental disabilities. Currently 17 states require preschool teaching certification for early childhood teachers in the public schools (Knitzer and Page, 1996~.
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From page 299... ...
In 1972, Head Start established the child development associate program nationwide, in order to meet the needs for skilled early childhood teachers (Hinitz, 1998~. The CDA identifies six competencies indicating basic skills that a teacher must master to teach young children: (1)
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From page 300... ...
. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards The primary mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is to establish high, rigorous standards and develop a voluntary accreditation system to recognize exemplary teachers.
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From page 301... ...
In 1996, the NAEYC board charged a new committee to review the principles and make clearer the relationship of the practices to developmental principles. The current version of developmentally appropriate practices (Bredekamp and Copple, 1997)
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From page 302... ...
The principles of developmentally appropriate practice have been widely accepted and endorsed by other professional groups and incorporated into teacher education programs through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
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From page 303... ...
All states have mandatory licensing regulations based on minimum standards for the care and education of young children and include requirements for the facility as well as for staff-child ratios and teacher education. The licensing standards vary enormously from state to state (see Table 8-3 for a recent review of child care licensing)
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From page 304... ...
Some states exempt large numbers of family child care homes, church-sponsored programs, part-day programs, and school-sponsored programs from all licensing requirements. Indeed, it has been estimated that nationwide, more than 40 percent of all children in early childhood education and care attend programs that are legally exempt from state regulation (Adams, 1990~.
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From page 305... ...
PROGRAM AND PRACTICE STANDARDS 305 ment of regulations reflects not only a difficulty in building a national consensus around the content of the recommendations, but also the fear that more stringent requirements could result in higher parent fees, the need for additional government investment, and the reduced availability of care (Gormiey, 1992, 1995~.
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