Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011

1. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011

2. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Course Objectives • History of special education preschool and Head Start programs • Mind Mapping to meet the needs of preschoolers • What makes a high quality early childhood program • eGuidelines across Domains • What is curriculum? • CLASS • Assessments – what we use and why • Assistive Technology

3. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Why are we here at an Early Childhood Institute? • High quality early education produces long-lasting benefits • Federal, state, local decision makers are asking critical questions • What should young children be taught? • How do we know if they are developing well? • How do we decide whether programs for young children are doing a good job? • We want to nurture healthy, happy, competent children! (Source: NAEYC and NAECS/SDE position statement “Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation – Building an Effective, Accountable System in Programs of Children Birth through Age 8”, 2009)

4. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 We want participants to gain: • Increased knowledge and skills on: • What is needed in an effective system of early childhood education • How to implement a system that supports a reciprocal relationship between a supportive learning environment, assessment, and curriculum/instruction • How to meet our required professional responsibilities • Increased collaborative partnerships among early childhood educators • Personal reflection and goals

5. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 KWLD • What do I Know? • What do Want to Know? • What I have Learned? • What I would like to Do?

6. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Economic Opportunities Act

7. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 1965 “No American child shall be condemned to failure by the accident of his birth.”

8. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 1965 Lady Bird Johnson at the opening of new Head Start Program

9. 1968 • Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Handicapped Children’s Early Education Program

10. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act PL 94-142

11. 1986/1990 • Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) PL 101-476 & 105-17

12. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 1995 Early Head Start

13. Legend: • Bear River Head Start • Coeur d’Alene Tribe Early Childhood Learning Center • Community Council of Idaho • Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership • Friends of Children and Families, Inc. • Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program • Mountain States Early Head Start • Nez Perce Tribe Early Childhood Development Program • North Idaho College Head Start • Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 Head Start • Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Head Start • South Central Head Start • Western Idaho Community Action Partnership • (Areas with striped coloring are served by the two programs corresponding to those colors.) • Served by more than 2 programs: • Coeur d’Alene Tribe Early Childhood Head Start, Mountain States Early Head Start, and North Idaho College Head Start • Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership, Community Council of Idaho, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Head Start • Community Council of Idaho, Shoshone-Bannock Head Start, South Central Head Start

14. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011

15. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Our Mission Head Start/Early Head Start

16. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Our Mission Special Education Preschool

17. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Who Qualifies for Special Education Preschool Services

18. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Federal Requirements IDEA

19. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Head Start

20. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Mother May I

21. Mind Map The Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011

22. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011

23. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 • Five Essential Characteristics of a Mind Map • The main idea, subject or focus is crystalized in a central image • The main theme radiate from the central image as “branches” • The branches comprise a key image or key word drawn or printed on its associated line • Topics of lesser importance are represented as “twigs” of the relevant branch • The branches form a connected nodal structure

24. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011

25. Building a High Quality, Supportive, Early Childhood Program The Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011

26. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 “Relationships are the active ingredients of Early Experience.” Dr. Jack Shonkoff ‘07

27. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 It’s ALL About Relationships • Within the physical and emotional environments • Between child and teacher • Between children • Within each child-- the integration of the developmental domains

28. How do those relationships “improve outcomes” and growth of young children? What does it look like? What types of growth and outcomes do you monitor or collect? What do we do with the information? How does it affect your programs and practice? Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011

29. What does “improved outcomes” and growth for young children mean? A positive result or consequence has resulted from the supports and services put in place for young children. A child has received benefit that improves his or her functioning in everyday life. Staff have a common understanding of the outcomes and growth to anticipate for children and what is needed to accomplish the task. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011

30. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011 Examples of “Outcomes” • School District ECSE programs: -Early Childhood Outcomes -Individual goals and objectives (IEPs) • Head Start programs: -Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework • Early learning standards: -Idaho Early Learning eGuidelines

31. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011 So, what does it take to accomplish valued and meaningful growth and outcomes for young children ? An interconnected system or framework of a supportive learning environment, assessment and curriculum.

32. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011 Mental Models Using visual frameworks to improve outcomes and growth for young children…

33. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011

34. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011 Explicit, Child Focused Instructional Strategies Embedded Learning Opportunities Curriculum Modifications and Adaptations High Quality Early Childhood Program The Building Blocks Model COLLABORATION A S S E S S ME N T Adapted from Gail E. Joseph Ph.D.

35. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 The Classroom is: • Warm and welcoming • Looks like children are active learners • Shows children’s work is respected • Well organized with child access to materials • Enough opportunities, variety and complexity • Supports relationships • Accessible, helpful traffic patterns • Self-regulating cues/signs • Flexible and responsive

36. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 High Quality Early Childhood Classrooms are: • Developmentally and culturally appropriate • Responsive to children’s needs and ideas • Includes all domains of learning • Thoughtfully planned for intentional teaching • Often is “‘commercial” • Linked to functional assessment

37. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Schedule and time • Waiting vsDoing (the studies) • Whole group meeting times • BIG time blocks for children’s self–directed play • Transitions! • Individual Instruction

38. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Building the Group Life • Group size and teacher /child ratios • Inclusion • Names and recognition • Nurturing friendships • Saying hello, saying good-bye • Rules and boundaries: buy-in

39. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Abundance for Learning Enough choice of things to do: the Musical Chairs dilemma (more than 1.5), a source of conflict and ‘bouncing around” and “drifting”.

40. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011

41. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 “ Our most important triumphs are failures that never occur.” -Kenneth Warner, Public Health

42. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Idaho Early Learning eGuidelines http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Portals/0/Children/IELeGuidelines/Idaho_Early_Learning_eGuidelines.htm

43. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 ELeG in Action • Idaho Early Learning eGuidelines: In the Preschool Classroom • Learning Environments • From guidelines to practice

44. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Idaho Early Learning eGuidelines • Exploring the eGuidelines • Planning for a child • Planning in the classroom • Working with a family

45. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011

46. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011 Early Childhood Curriculum

47. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011 Readiness “Ready schools are staffed with teachers who understand child development and how it impacts curricula, instruction and assessment” Dr. Jerlean Daniels, NAECY June 12, 2011 in response to NY Times article on school readiness

48. Early Childhood Summer Institute • 2011

49. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011 Curriculum • Reflection on a Word • Go around your table and each define the word “curriculum” • Make a “T” chart on provided paper with table definition at the top • Share your table’s definition with the group

50. Early Childhood Summer Institute 2011 High Quality “Curriculum” Definitions National Association for the Education of Young Children Council for Exceptional Children Division for Early Childhood A planned, sequenced program of study based on knowledge, skills and disposition standards/ competencies • A high-quality curriculum is thoughtfully planned, challenging, engaging, developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, comprehensive and likely to promote positive outcomes.