Criterion 1
Evidence Base for Child Outcomes
Evidence from research demonstrates the curriculum has been associated with children's positive learning outcomes. The curriculum has been implemented and directly studied in early childhood programs. The research showed significant, positive effects on children's developmental outcomes. Evidence of effectiveness has been obtained in rigorous research studies, such as randomized controlled trials or regression discontinuity designs. Research studies on the curriculum have optimally included multiple, diverse groups of children and providers and educators.
Review Question
- Child outcomes: Has the implementation of the curriculum been associated with children's positive learning outcomes?
Other Information Included in the Review Summaries
- Rigorous design: Has the curriculum been studied using a rigorous research design?
- Sample and generalizability: Has the curriculum been studied with multiple samples representative of diverse children?
- Training: How much training was delivered to providers and educators in the studies before implementing the curriculum?
- Fidelity of implementation: Have studies of the curriculum assessed fidelity of implementation?
Criterion 2
Research-Based Curriculum
The curriculum provides research-based interactions and teaching practices to support children's development and learning. A research-based curriculum is consistent with studies on how children develop and learn. Specifically, it promotes interactions, teaching practices, and learning experiences that research has shown to be effective in supporting children's learning and development.
Review Question
- Research-based interaction and teaching practices: Does the curriculum promote interactions, teaching practices, and learning experiences that research has shown to be effective in supporting positive child outcomes in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains? Is the curriculum culturally relevant, researched-based, and supportive of high quality care as stipulated in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Final Rule?
Criterion 3
Scope and Sequence
The curriculum includes an organized developmental scope and sequence to support children's development and learning. A scope and sequence outlines what the curriculum focuses on and how the plans and materials support children at different levels of development. The scope refers to the areas of development addressed by the curriculum. The sequence includes plans and materials for learning experiences that progressively build from less to more complex, with the goal of supporting children as they move through the developmental progressions. A content-rich curriculum ensures sequences of learning experiences include multiple, related opportunities for children to explore a concept or skill with increasing depth. Sequences of learning experiences should be flexible to respond to individual children's interests, strengths, and needs.
Review Questions
- Scope: Does the curriculum include a clearly identifiable scope that addresses essential domains of learning and development for children?
- Sequence: Does the curriculum include sequences of learning experiences that progressively build from less to more complex to support children as they move through the developmental progressions?
- Does the curriculum provide multiple, related opportunities to explore concepts or skills with increasing depth?
- Do the sequences of learning experiences allow for flexibility in moving through them based on the interests, strengths, and needs of individual children?
Criterion 4
Alignment with the ELOF
The curriculum is aligned with the ELOF and in consideration of the CCDF Final Rule regulations. Aligning a curriculum with the ELOF identifies the extent to which ELOF domains and sub-domains are addressed in the curriculum. Curricula that are fully aligned are comprehensive and cover all areas of children's learning and development described in the ELOF. The curriculum is culturally relevant, researched based, and supports high quality care as stipulated in the CCDF Final Rule.
Review Question
- Alignment with the ELOF: Does the curriculum provide learning experiences to support children's development and learning in all ELOF domains and sub-domains?
Other Information Included in the Review Summaries
Alignment with the CCDF: Is the curriculum culturally relevant, researched-based, and supportive of high quality care as stipulated in the CCDF Final Rule?
The guidance below from the CCDF Final Rule reflects the importance of high-quality child care in the development of children.
- "Since 1996, a significant body of research has demonstrated the importance of early childhood development and how stable, high quality early experiences can positively influence that development and contribute to children's future."
- "High quality child care respects and supports linguistic and cultural diversity of children and their families."
- "State early learning and developmental guidelines should be research based and developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate."
Reference
Child Care and Development Fund, 45 CFR §98 (2016).
Criterion 5
Learning Goals for Children
The curriculum specifies learning goals for children. Learning goals are objectives for children's development and learning across multiple domains that are embedded in a curriculum. Developmentally appropriate learning goals are consistent with well-established developmental progressions. Measurable learning goals focus on observable skills, behaviors, and knowledge. Providers and educators should be able to use a curriculum's learning goals to individualize learning experiences for all children, such as children from diverse cultures, children who are dual language learners (DLLs), children who are tribal language learners, and children with disabilities or other special needs.
Review Questions
- Learning goals: Does the curriculum specify measurable, developmentally appropriate goals for children's learning and development?
- Are the goals supported by the learning experiences described in the curriculum?
- Does the curriculum provide guidance on how to use the learning goals to individualize learning experiences for all children?
- Learning materials: Does the curriculum come with or provide guidance on how to select developmentally appropriate learning materials that foster open-ended exploration and inquiry?
Criterion 6
Learning Environments and Routines for Children
The curriculum provides guidance on how to set up rich learning environments and developmentally appropriate routines. Rich learning environments are nurturing spaces that support the development of all young children. They offer developmentally appropriate schedules, routines, and indoor and outdoor opportunities for choice, play, exploration, and experimentation. Learning environments include age-appropriate equipment, materials, and supplies. They also reflect home cultures and are flexible to support the changing ages, interests, and characteristics of a group of children over time.
Review Questions
- Environment: Does the curriculum provide guidance on how to design well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments that promote active exploration and support all children's development in the ELOF domains?
- Schedule and routines: Does the curriculum provide guidance on how to establish a flexible daily schedule centered around developmentally and individually appropriate caregiving routines?
Criterion 7
Ongoing Child Assessment
The curriculum provides guidance on ongoing child assessment. Ongoing child assessment is a process of gathering information to understand and support children's development over time.
It includes continued observation and documentation of children's development and learning. The curriculum describes a process for ongoing observation and documentation and provide supports for providers and educators to use this process.
Review Questions
- Ongoing observation and documentation: Does the curriculum promote ongoing observation and documentation of children's developmental progress?
- Standardized and structured assessment instruments: Does the curriculum encourage the use of standardized and structured assessment instruments that are valid, reliable, and individually, culturally, and linguistically appropriate to assess children's developmental progress?
Criterion 8
Parent and Family Engagement
The curriculum promotes parent and family engagement. Parent and family engagement is a collaborative and strengths-based process through which early childhood providers and educators, families, and children build positive and goal-oriented relationships. It is a shared responsibility of families and staff that is built on mutual respect for the roles and strengths each has to offer. The curriculum provides culturally and linguistically responsive strategies to communicate with families and to engage families in children's learning.
Review Questions
- Communication with parents and families: Does the curriculum offer culturally and linguistically responsive materials or strategies for communicating with families about their children's development and the curriculum's learning experiences?
- Engaging parents and families: Does the curriculum offer suggestions for how to engage diverse parents and families in children's learning and development?
Other Information Included in the Review Summaries
Criterion 9
Learning Experiences and Interactions
The curriculum promotes rich learning experiences and interactions to support development across domains. Rich learning experiences support and extend children's skills, knowledge, and understanding of concepts. As children actively explore their learning environment through manipulating objects and investigating concepts, providers and educators interact with children to extend their exploration, thinking, and communication. Rich learning experiences are often integrated and support children's development across domains. They should be culturally responsive and linguistically responsive and inclusive of children with disabilities and other special needs.
Review Questions
- Active exploration: Does the curriculum encourage ample opportunity for children to engage in movement and active exploration?
- Interactions that extend children's learning: Does the curriculum offer guidance to providers and educators on how to engage in interactions that extend children's learning?
- Individualization: Does the curriculum include guidance to providers and educators on how to individualize learning experiences for all children?
Criterion 10
Cultural Responsiveness
The curriculum supports cultural responsiveness. Cultural responsiveness is a strengths-based approach to teaching and caregiving rooted in respect and appreciation for the role of culture in children's learning and development. A culturally responsive curriculum prompts providers and educators to learn about each child's strengths, abilities, experiences, and interests as developed within the child's family and culture. The curriculum provides guidance on how to modify and enhance curriculum plans and materials to build on these strengths, abilities, experiences, and interests to incorporate each child's culture into the classroom.
Review Questions
- Interactions: Does the curriculum support culturally responsive ways of interacting with diverse children and families?
- Learning experiences: Does the curriculum encourage caregiving routines and learning experiences for children that build on families' traditions, cultures, values, and beliefs?
- Learning materials: Does the curriculum suggest how to use learning materials that authentically represent the cultures and ethnicities of children and families?
Other Information Included in the Review Summaries
Criterion 11
Linguistic Responsiveness
The curriculum supports linguistic responsiveness. Linguistic responsiveness refers to teaching practices that support the learning, development, and engagement of children from diverse linguistic backgrounds. It includes supports for continued development of children's home or tribal languages by authentically incorporating them into the learning environment. Furthermore, linguistically responsive practices can facilitate English acquisition. Scaffolding strategies support children at any level of English knowledge to fully participate in the curriculum's learning experiences and learning environment.
Review Questions
- Linguistic responsiveness: Does the curriculum provide guidance on how to intentionally support the development and learning of children who are dual or tribal language learners?
- Scaffolding strategies: Does the curriculum provide research-based scaffolding strategies to support the development and learning of children who are DLLs?
- Home and tribal languages: Does the curriculum provide guidance on how to authentically incorporate children's home and tribal languages into the learning environment?
Other Information Included in the Review Summaries
Criterion 12
Individualized for Children with Disabilities, Suspected Delays, or Other Special Needs
The curriculum provides guidance on how to individualize for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs. Individualization for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs includes providing more specialized supports for children to access and participate in learning and social experiences and activities. Specialized supports may occur in a variety of ways, such as specific teaching practices and ways of interacting with children or adaptations to daily schedules and the learning environment. Individualizing for children with disabilities or other special needs enables all children to access, participate, and thrive in early learning settings.
Review Questions
- Teaching practices and interventions: Does the curriculum provide guidance on how to embed research-based teaching practices and other interventions in daily routines and learning experiences to support the development and learning of children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs?
- Learning environment: Does the curriculum include suggestions to ensure the physical environment and learning materials are accessible to children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs?
Other Information Included in the Review Summaries
Criterion 13
Individualization Based on Interests, Strengths, and Needs
The curriculum offers guidance on how to individualize based on children's interests, strengths, and needs. Individualization is a process of planning and implementing learning experiences that are responsive to each child's interests, strengths, and needs. Providers and educators reflect on their observations of each child, then plan the most effective ways to support each child's learning and development. When learning experiences are tailored to children's interests, they are more engaging and meaningful. Because children may vary in their developmental progressions, it is also important for providers and educators to plan learning experiences that are responsive to individual children's strengths and needs.
Review Questions
- Individualization based on interests: Does the curriculum offer guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on the interests of individual children?
- Individualization based on strengths and needs: Does the curriculum offer guidance on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs?
- Mixed Age groups: Does the curriculum offer guidance on supporting learning within mixed age groups?
Criterion 14
Professional Development Materials to Support Implementation
The curriculum offers professional development and materials to support implementation and continuous improvement. Professional development includes gaining the knowledge and skills required for effective implementation of a curriculum. Standardized training procedures include initial and ongoing training to support education staff as they learn to implement a curriculum with fidelity. They provide consistent content and delivery methods across training sessions. Curriculum materials to support implementation include resources that come with a curriculum to help education staff understand how to use it. The materials might also include resources to help education managers and coaches support education staff to implement the curriculum effectively. Professional development and materials to support implementation and continuous improvement should be designed to support providers and educators with a range of backgrounds and learning styles.
Review Questions
- Professional development: Does the curriculum offer standardized initial training and ongoing professional development opportunities for program leaders and education staff?
- Curriculum materials to support implementation: Does the curriculum include resources or tools to support fidelity of implementation and continuous improvement?
Last Updated: December 31, 2020