Review

Environment: The Professional Handbook provides guidance on how to arrange the classroom, create a safe space, and set up engaging learning centers that support children's development in the ELOF domains. The Professional Handbook and Teaching Guides provide some suggestions for ensuring the physical environment is accessible for children with specific disabilities or special needs. However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to design the outdoor environment and minimally addresses how to include children's cultures or home languages in the physical environment.

Learning Materials: Big Day for PreK™ provides developmentally appropriate learning materials, such as books, magnetic letters, and manipulatives (e.g., snap cubes, attribute blocks). The Teaching Guides provide suggestions for learning materials to use in specific activities and learning centers (e.g., variety of blocks, such as hollow, unit, and handmade blocks). The curriculum provides some guidance for ensuring that the learning materials meet the unique needs of children with disabilities or other special needs, but the curriculum lacks adequate guidance on how to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages of children in the program.

Schedule and Routines: The Professional Handbook provides guidance on creating and posting the daily schedule and preparing for transitions. It also describes the specific classroom routines organized into three categories: meet and greet routines, engagement routines, and wrap-up routines. The organization of the Teaching Guides reiterates the guidance on how to establish a daily schedule and routines. The curriculum acknowledges the need to be flexible with the daily schedule, but it lacks specific discussion of how to adjust schedules and routines based on individual children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: C4L provides some specific guidance on how to design well-organized, engaging indoor environments. The "Organizing Your C4L Classroom" section in the Teacher's Handbook provides simple organizational guidelines for using visual cues throughout the classroom (e.g., labeling shelves) and for setting up the learning centers. For example, the curriculum suggests that the Art Center be near the sink or hand-washing tubs and the Construction Zone provide plenty of space for the children's creations. However, the curriculum offers little guidance on how to authentically include children's cultures or home language in the physical environment. Furthermore, it lacks guidance on how to set up the outdoor learning environment or ensure the physical environment is accessible for children with disabilities or special needs.

Learning Materials: The curriculum offers specific guidance on how to select developmentally appropriate learning materials. Each Unit lists required items from the C4L Pre-K Kit and Book Set, as well as materials needed for learning centers. In addition, the Weekly Materials Plans identify materials required for each lesson. The Teacher's and Director's Handbooks include limited guidance on how to ensure learning materials meet the unique needs of children with disabilities or other special needs (e.g., add materials when children with sensory issues have a difficult time with planned materials; teach vocabulary on an augmentative and alternative communication [AAC] device). C4L provides limited guidance on how to select materials that authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages of the children. The curriculum suggests labeling items in children's home languages and including items such as recipes, empty food boxes, and dolls in the dramatic play area that reflect skin colors, hairstyles, facial features, and special needs of the children in program.

Schedule and Routines: The Teacher's and Director's Handbooks include specific guidance on how to establish a daily schedule, such as descriptions of the four lesson types—Welcome and Read Aloud, Connect, Small Group, and Fast Focus—and sample schedules for half- and full-day programs. The Handbooks also provide specific guidance on how to support children during transitions. For example, the curriculum suggests teachers explain to children what is expected of them during transitions, provide plenty of warning before transitions, and use verbal, visual, musical, or physical cues to indicate transitions. In addition, C4L suggests turning transitions into games that promote children's thinking and learning (e.g., asking each child to pick up a specific number of objects or to look for a specific shape to put away). Even so, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to individualize schedules or routines based on individual children's needs or backgrounds.
 

Environment: The curriculum provides general guidelines on how to design well-organized, engaging indoor environments. It provides considerations on how to enhance children's use of space, strategies for incorporating learning centers, and ways to arrange the physical environment to support classroom management. The Handbook offers additional guidance for ensuring the environment is welcoming, as well as print- and math-rich. The curriculum lacks guidance on how to set up the outdoor learning environment. Furthermore, it does not address how to include children's cultures or home languages in the physical environment.

Learning Materials: Core Knowledge® provides a limited number of materials, including Social Skills Posters, Pictorial Schedule Cards, and the Stop and Think Social Skills CD. The Handbook provides suggestions for specific learning materials (e.g., manipulatives, books, measuring tools) to be used in specific activities ("Teaching Ideas") and learning centers. The curriculum mentions that effective teachers ensure classroom materials include some items in the child's home language but lacks further guidance on what materials should be included or how to select them. While the curriculum notes materials may need to be adapted for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs, it provides minimal guidance on how to ensure that learning materials are accessible. Finally, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to select and provide materials that authentically represent the cultures and ethnicities of the children.

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum includes specific guidance on how to establish a developmentally appropriate daily schedule. It offers sample schedules for half- and full-day programs and descriptions of what occurs during each part of the schedule (e.g., circle time, meals). However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to individualize schedules or routines based on individual children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: Volume 1: The Foundation and Volume 2: Interest Areas provide specific guidance on how to establish well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments that promote active exploration and support children's development across domains. The curriculum includes some specific guidance on how to include children's home languages and cultural artifacts in the physical environment. Universal design principles are discussed to ensure the physical environment is accessible for children with disabilities or other special needs.

Learning Materials: The Volumes provide guidelines on how to select developmentally appropriate learning materials for interest areas and support children's development in specific domains. The Intentional Teaching Cards and Teaching Guides offer suggestions for learning materials to use in specific activities. The curriculum provides some guidance for ensuring that the learning materials authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages of children in the program and meet the unique needs of children with disabilities or other special needs.

Schedule and Routines: Volume 1: The Foundation describes large group time, small group time, choice time, transitions, and daily routines (e.g., mealtimes, rest time). It also includes specific guidelines for setting up a daily schedule and sample schedules. The Beginning of the Year Teaching Guide and some Intentional Teaching Cards help teachers introduce children to the daily schedule and routines. There is some consideration of adjusting schedules and routines based on individual children's needs (e.g., discussing family mealtime routines; conducting small groups first in the home language and then in English later in the week).

Environment: The Teacher's Manual provides some guidance on preparing the learning environment for each of the instructional components. Most guidance comes in the form of questions that ask teachers to consider specific environmental features related to a particular part of the daily routine. For example, for Greetings, Readings & Writings, the curriculum asks teachers, "Are there hooks or cubbies labeled with each child's name and/or picture?" Other guidance is more specific such as, "You will want to label each lab with a sign, so children know where to go." The curriculum states, "Cultural sensitivity permeates everything teachers do, from purchasing supplies and setting up their rooms." However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to include children's cultures and home or tribal languages into the physical environment.  Additionally, it does not address how to ensure the physical environment is accessible for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs.

Learning Materials: The curriculum provides lists of learning materials that are developmentally appropriate and foster open-ended exploration and inquiry. For example, the Teacher's Manual includes lists of basic supplies for individual Learning Labs (e.g., blocks of various types, natural materials, beads). It also describes the materials needed for Gathering Circle (e.g., sharing sticks, calendar), Clues & Questions, STaR, and Plan & Play. Chapter 11 identifies the materials provided with each unit kit (e.g., trade books, resources). In addition, the beginning of each Theme Guide includes a list of materials needed for that unit. A limitation is that the curriculum does not offer guidance on how to include learning materials that authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and languages of the children and families, nor does it address how to ensure that learning materials are accessible for all children.

Schedule and Routines: The Teacher's Manual provides specific guidance for establishing a daily schedule and developmentally appropriate routines. It describes the instructional components: Greetings, Readings & Writings; Gathering Circle; Move It!; Clues & Questions; Rhyme Time; Getting Along Together; Plan & Play; STaR; Math Moments; and Question/Reflection. It also offers specific examples of three-, four-, and seven-hour schedules and describes morning routines for the children and teachers. The organization of the Theme Guides follows the suggested schedule and routines. Though the curriculum includes some guidance on how to adjust the schedule during the first few weeks of school (e.g., keep whole group activities brief, increase time for Plan & Play and outside time), it lacks further discussion on how to adjust schedules and routines based on children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: Various chapters of Foundations for Learning (e.g., "Learning Centers," "Emergent Writing," and "Science and Math") provide general guidance for classroom organization and how to set up the physical environment to promote flexible learning opportunities. In addition, the website offers a sample classroom layout. Outdoor Activities Learning Center provides some direction on how to set up the outdoor environment. The "Special Needs Adaptations" in the Volumes offer limited guidance on ensuring the physical environment is accessible for children with specific disabilities or special needs. Though the chapter "Teaching Dual and English Language Learners" in Foundations for Learning briefly mentions that there "be models of each child's home language and culture in each area of the classroom," the curriculum lacks guidance on how to include children's home languages and cultures in the physical environment.

Learning Materials: Learn Every Day™ provides guidance for selecting developmentally appropriate learning materials. For example, each lesson plan lists "featured" children's literature as well as required learning materials for large group, small group, and learning centers. Foundations for Learning includes some specific guidance for ensuring learning materials meet the unique needs of children with disabilities or other special needs (e.g., for children who cannot turn book pages independently, attach clothespins to pages; use a single-button switch on electronic devices; use line drawings with minimal clutter for children with low vision). The curriculum suggests enlisting the help of families to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages of children in the program.

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum provides guidance on how to establish a daily schedule and developmentally appropriate routines. Foundations for Learning includes sample daily schedules for full- and part-day programs, and various chapters include specific guidance for Center Time, Transitions, Large Group, Small Group, and Closing Circle. Foundations for Learning explains that the units and lessons are flexible (e.g., teachers may take however long they need to finish a unit, or change their plans as needed). Even so, the curriculum lacks discussion on how to adjust schedules and routines based on children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: Galileo® Pre-K provides specific guidance for classroom organization and interest centers through a principle it calls "Classroom Ecology." The Curriculum Guidebook describes the importance of setting up the physical environment with multiple, defined interest centers and materials to promote flexible learning opportunities. While the curriculum includes some outdoor activities and encourages teachers to utilize the outside environment, suggesting interest centers be set up outside, it lacks specific guidance on how to set up the outdoor space. The Curriculum Guidebook includes some information on ensuring the physical environment is accessible for children with specific disabilities or special needs. In addition, the curriculum provides some guidance on how to include children's home languages and cultures in the physical environment (e.g., "Consider incorporating the cultural practices and diverse family structures represented in your classroom population into the activities and materials presented in your interest centers."). However, specific guidance to ensure the physical environment reflects diverse cultural backgrounds or supports individual needs is limited.

Learning Materials: Galileo® Pre-K provides principles and guidance for selecting developmentally appropriate indoor and outdoor learning materials. The Curriculum Guidebook offers a list of suggested materials to use in each of the interest centers and some general guidance for selecting and arranging materials (e.g., "Materials should be neatly organized ..., reachable, and easily manipulated."). The G3 Activities Book includes lists of learning materials to be used in specific activities and instructions for how to set up the materials. However, the curriculum lacks guidance for ensuring the learning materials meet the individual needs of children with disabilities or other special needs and on how to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages of children in the program.

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum offers principles to support teachers in developing a daily schedule. For example, the Curriculum Guidebook suggests establishing routines to provide stability and predictability for young children to build their confidence and independence. The Curriculum Guidebook also recommends scheduling a variety of activity types (e.g., small group, large group, independent activities) in multiple areas of the classroom. The curriculum does not provide a specific schedule programs should follow. Instead, it offers a sample full-day schedule which includes times for a range of activity types, such as indoor groups, outdoor play, music and movement, art, writing, and independent exploration. Even so, it lacks discussion on how to adjust schedules and routines based on children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: The core curriculum resources provide specific guidance on how to establish well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments that promote active participatory learning and children's development in the ELOF domains. The curriculum offers some guidance on how to embed children's home languages and cultures in the physical environment, and it includes more specific and extensive guidance on how to ensure the physical environment is accessible for children with disabilities or other special needs.

Learning Materials: The HighScope Preschool Curriculum provides guidelines on how to select learning materials (e.g., providing varied and open-ended materials) as well as specific suggestions for developmentally appropriate materials for interest areas and learning experiences. The curriculum provides some guidance for ensuring that the learning materials authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages of children in the program. Guidance for adapting learning materials for children with disabilities or other special needs is embedded throughout many of the HighScope Preschool Curriculum resources.

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum explains the importance of having consistent, predictable daily schedules and routines. The core curriculum resources offer sample daily schedules and general guidelines for organizing daily routines, while Lesson Plans for the First 30 Days provides more specific guidance to teachers on the daily routines and how to familiarize children with the routines. There is some consideration for how to make routines more home-like for children and how schedules and routines may need to be individualized for children with disabilities or other special needs.

Environment: The curriculum provides minimal guidance on how to design well-organized, engaging indoor environments. It includes a few principles related to "Center Management," such as separating loud and quiet spaces or providing children with an area for alone time. There is no guidance on how to set up the outdoor learning environment. Furthermore, the curriculum minimally addresses how to include children's cultures or home languages (besides English and Spanish) in the physical environment.

Learning Materials: The DLM Early Childhood Express® provides developmentally appropriate learning materials, such as books, magnets, science tools, and puppets. The Teacher's Editions provide suggestions for learning materials to use in specific activities and learning centers (e.g., manipulatives, scissors, paper, recycled materials). The curriculum provides some guidance for ensuring that the learning materials meet the unique needs of children with disabilities or other special needs, but lacks adequate guidance on how to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages (besides English and Spanish) of all children in the program.

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum includes specific guidance on how to establish the daily schedule, such as sample schedules for half- and full-day programs, and embeds suggested time allotment for lesson plans throughout the Teacher's Editions. However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to engage in developmentally appropriate routines with preschool children or how to individualize schedules or routines based on individual children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: Welcome to Frog Street provides a general overview of setting up the physical space and learning centers, including tips for classroom management and safety. Assessment: A Portfolio Approach describes the importance of setting up the physical environment and materials to promote open-ended exploration. While the curriculum describes activities for the "Outdoor Learning Center" each week, it lacks adequate guidance on how to set up the outdoor environment. Guidelines and Strategies for Children with Special Needs provides some information on ensuring the physical environment is accessible for children with specific disabilities or special needs, but is not comprehensive. The curriculum lacks guidance on how to include children's home languages and cultures in the physical environment.

Learning Materials: Frog Street Pre-K includes developmentally appropriate learning materials, such as books, music CDs, magnetic letters, sequence cards, and manipulatives. The Teacher Guides give suggestions for learning materials to use in specific activities and learning centers. The curriculum offers some guidance for ensuring that the learning materials meet the unique needs of children with disabilities or other special needs. It also provides some materials in Spanish (e.g., books), and the Oral Language Cards are available in Arabic, Urdu, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and French. Finally, the curriculum lists a few specific examples of selecting learning materials that authentically represent the cultures and ethnicities of children in the program (e.g., make a number line using numerals associated with child's native culture, include photos of food from children's cultures).

Schedule and Routines: Welcome to Frog Street describes the various parts of a typical day: greeting circle, morning message, moving and learning, literacy lesson and centers, math and science lesson and centers, outdoor learning, and daily routines (e.g., restroom, rest time, lunch). It also offers suggested half- and full-day schedules to help teachers create their own daily schedules. The organization of the Teacher Guides reiterates the suggested schedules. The curriculum lacks guidance on how to adjust schedules and routines based on children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: Welcome to Frog Street provides general principles and tips for setting up the physical space and practice centers, including adequate space, safety, and open-ended exploration. The practice centers provide some guidance on environmental setup to support children's development in the ELOF domains. While the suggested daily schedule calls for outdoor learning, the curriculum lacks adequate direction on how to set up the outdoor environment; only some weeks provide an "Outdoors" practice center. There is some guidance for how to provide environmental supports for children with disabilities or other special needs, but minimal information on how to authentically integrate children's cultures and home languages into the learning environment.

Learning Materials: Frog Street Threes provides developmentally appropriate learning materials, such as books, music CDs, math manipulatives, and sequence cards. The Teaching Guides offer suggestions for using learning materials (e.g., blocks, playdough, recycled materials, materials from nature, scientific tools) in specific activities and practice centers. The curriculum provides some guidance for ensuring the learning materials meet the unique needs of children with disabilities and other special needs. It also includes a couple examples of how to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures and ethnicities of children in the program.

Schedule and Routines: Welcome to Frog Street Threes describes the various parts of a typical day: greeting circle, morning message, read-aloud times, moving and learning, STEAM lessons, math and literacy practice centers, and closing circle. It offers specific examples of half- and full-day schedules. However, the entire day is prescribed with routines and small and whole group activities, with little room for child-directed free play. The organization of the Teaching Guides reiterates the suggested schedule. Aside from tips on transitions, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to establish and support children's learning during developmentally appropriate daily routines (e.g., rest time, lunch). It offers a few examples of how to adjust schedules and routines based on children's needs (e.g., incorporating massage, connection rituals, and visual routines for children who are biting).

Environment: World of Wonders provides specific guidance for how to design a well-organized, engaging indoor environment that promotes active exploration and supports development in the ELOF domains. It includes specific guidance on how to set up centers, calendars, and circle time areas. Guidance for outdoor play recommends offering many portable play options, such as balls, jump ropes, bubbles, bean bags, and sidewalk chalk. In addition, the "Adaptations for Children with Special Needs" text boxes provide specific strategies and suggestions to support children with differing abilities. However, fewer supports are provided for how to adjust the environment to reflect children's unique cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 
 

Learning Materials: The curriculum suggests specific developmentally appropriate learning materials that foster open-ended exploration and inquiry. The units outline all included materials and suggest materials for learning centers and experiences. The curriculum provides support on how to adjust learning materials to meet the needs of children with various disabilities or suspected delays (e.g., special crayons or pencils, visual reminders, e-books). The curriculum also invites families to bring in materials that are representative of their children's cultures. However, overall there is limited guidance on providing learning materials that represent the unique cultures and home languages of children and families. 

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum provides specific guidance on how to establish a daily schedule and developmentally appropriate routines. The Welcome to the World of Wonders guide provides information on how to set up learning centers and establish routines. Learning experiences embedded within the social and emotional lessons provide support on classroom expectations, hand-washing, clean-up, and mealtime. However, the curriculum provides limited guidance on how schedules and routines can be adjusted based on individual children's needs and backgrounds. 

Environment: OWL provides guidance on how to design a well-organized, engaging indoor environment that supports all children's development in the ELOF domains. For example, the Planning and Assessment: Teacher's Guide with Professional Development Handbook includes a sample floor plan for setting up the indoor physical space and learning centers with tips on creating a print-rich environment and center management. There is no guidance on how to set up the outdoor learning environment. Adaptations for Children with Special Needs provides some information on using visuals in the physical environment to support children with specific disabilities or special needs but lacks specific guidance on ensuring the environment is accessible. The curriculum does not provide guidance on how to include children's home languages and cultures in the physical environment.

Learning Materials: For each unit, the Teacher Guides provide lists of "materials to gather from home and classroom" and suggestions for using the provided and recommended learning materials in specific activities and learning centers. The OWL Manipulative Kit is available at an additional cost. While some of the included learning materials (e.g., Take-Home Books) are provided in Spanish, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages of children in the program. There is limited guidance for ensuring the learning materials meet the unique needs of children with disabilities and other special needs.

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum provides guidance on how to establish a daily schedule and developmentally appropriate routines. The Planning and Assessment: Teacher's Guide with Professional Development Handbook provides sample daily schedules for part- and full-day programs. The resource describes the various parts of a typical day: morning meeting, literacy circle, center time, small groups, story time, science and social studies circle, math circle, and management routines (e.g., clean up, wash hands). The organization of the Teacher Guides reiterates the suggested schedule. However, the curriculum lacks discussion on how to adjust schedules and routines based on children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: The Guiding Documents provide some guidance on how to establish well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments that promote active exploration and support children's development across domains. For example, the guide includes information on how to set up learning centers and an outdoor environment that can be used for children to jump, run, and climb safely. Universal design principles are included to ensure the environment is accessible for children with disabilities and other special needs. However, the curriculum does not include guidance on how to include children's home language or culture in the physical environment.

Learning Materials: The curriculum provides lists of learning materials that are developmentally appropriate and foster open-ended exploration and inquiry. For example, the Guiding Documents include lists of basic supplies for learning centers (e.g., sand, water, and leaves for a discovery/sensory table and clay, acorns, and dried leaves for an art studio). The Guiding Documents also offer some specific information to ensure learning materials meet the unique needs of children with disabilities or special needs (e.g., visual timers, squishy balls or other concentration tools, headphones or earmuffs). Even so, limited guidance is provided on how to include children's home languages and cultures in the physical environment.

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum provides general guidance on how to establish a daily schedule and developmentally appropriate routines. The Guiding Documents include suggested daily schedules for full-day, mid-day, and half-day programs. Pre K for ME discusses the importance of predictable processes that provide structure and how the components of the daily schedule should be flexible based on individual contexts and programs. However, no specific guidance is provided on how to adjust schedules and routines based on individual children's needs. 

Environment: InvestiGator PreK 2018 includes specific guidance on how to design a well-organized, engaging indoor environment. The Research and Professional Guide describes how to select and arrange furnishings, display children's work, store materials, and establish Learning Centers with materials to promote flexible learning opportunities. It also outlines principles for designing the outdoor environment (e.g., include both structure and exploration, promote large-group, small-group, and independent play). Some additional support for setting up the environment is embedded in the Teaching Guides. The Research and Professional Guide provides some guidance on ensuring children‘s home languages are included in the physical environment. In addition, the Research and Professional Guide and Teacher Guides offer limited guidance on creating accessible physical environments for children with specific disabilities or special needs (e.g., children who are visually impaired should be seated close to print materials; a child in a wheelchair must be able to navigate all areas of the classroom safely and easily). Though the curriculum offers some guidance on representing cultural diversity in the environment, it does not offer ways to ensure the environment represents the cultures and ethnicities of the children and families.

Learning Materials: InvestiGator PreK 2018 includes specific lists of learning materials that are developmentally appropriate and foster open-ended exploration. The Research and Professional Guide presents a list of suggested materials for each of the Learning Centers and specific guidance for organizing and labeling materials (e.g., "Label each container with both a word and a picture describing the contents."). The lessons in the Teacher Guides and Investigate Math Activity Guide list learning materials to be used in specific learning activities and instructions for their use. The curriculum provides some guidance for ensuring that the learning materials meet the individual needs of children with disabilities or other special needs. For example, "Differentiation: Inclusion" callout boxes may describe ways to adapt materials for accessibility. The Research and Professional Guide offers specific guidance on how to select learning materials that represent the home languages of children in the program. However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures and ethnicities of children in the program. 

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum provides guidance on how to establish a daily schedule and developmentally appropriate routines. The Teacher Guides include sample daily schedules for half- and whole-day programs. The Teacher Guides also describe daily routines (e.g., Start Your Day, Health, Transitions) as well as "Explicit Lessons” (e.g., Opening Circle, Everyday Literacy, Small Group) that occur throughout the day. For example, the curriculum suggests using "Start Your Day" to share special events, display children's work, and discuss safety. Opening Circle might focus on domain-specific content such as oral language, literacy, or gross motor development. The curriculum, however, lacks discussion on how to adjust schedules and routines based on children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: Just for Threes 2018 offers specific guidance on how to design a well-organized, engaging indoor environment and some guidance for setting up the outdoor environment. The Research and Professional Guide describes how to select and arrange furnishings, display children's work, store materials, and establish learning centers with materials to promote flexible learning opportunities. It also outlines principles for designing the outdoor environment (e.g., include both structure and exploration, promote large-group, small-group, and independent play). The Research and Professional Guide provides some guidance on ensuring children's home languages are included in the physical environment. In addition, the Research and Professional Guide and Let's Investigate Teacher Guide provide limited direction on creating an accessible physical environment for children with specific disabilities or special needs. However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to include children's home language and cultures into the physical environment. Though the curriculum offers some guidance on representing cultural diversity in the environment, it does not offer ways to ensure the environment represents the cultures and ethnicities of the children and families.

Learning Materials: Just for Threes 2018 includes specific lists of learning materials for Learning Centers and learning experiences. The Research and Professional Guide presents a list of suggested materials for each of the Learning Centers and specific guidance for organizing and labeling materials (e.g., "Label each container with both a word and a picture describing the contents."). The lessons in the Teacher Guides list learning materials to be used in specific learning activities and instructions for their use. The curriculum provides some guidance for ensuring the learning materials meet the individual needs of children with disabilities or other special needs. For example, "Differentiation: Inclusion" callout boxes may describe ways to adapt materials for accessibility, and the Social and Emotional Development Kit and Outdoor Creative Play and Learning Cards offer some suggestions as well (e.g., providing an adaptive ball or slightly deflated ball can assist children with limited physical abilities). However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures, ethnicities, and home languages of children in the program. The Research and Professional Guide offers specific guidance on how to select learning materials that represent the home languages of children in the program. However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to select learning materials that authentically represent the cultures and ethnicities of children in the program. 

Schedule and Routines: The curriculum provides guidance on how to establish a daily schedule and developmentally appropriate routines. The Let's Investigate Teacher Guide offers sample daily schedules for half- and whole-day programs. This Teacher Guide also describes daily routines (e.g., Start Your Day, Health, Transitions) as well as "Explicit Lessons" (e.g., Opening Circle, Everyday Literacy, Small Group) that are embedded across the weekly plans in Just for Threes 2018. The sample daily schedules show times designated for Clean Up, Transitions, Outdoor Play (for whole-day programs), Snack, and Bathroom. However, the Just for Threes 2018 Teacher Guide does not include these samples in the Lesson Planner. In addition, the curriculum lacks discussion on how to adjust schedules and routines based on children's needs and backgrounds.

Environment: The Tools of the Mind^® Training Manual and online environment module accessed through eTools provide specific guidance on how to design an engaging environment that promotes learning and development across domains. Guidance focuses primarily on setting up the furniture and materials in the six indoor learning centers: Literacy, Housekeeping/Dramatic Play, Science/Sensory, Blocks, Art/Fine Motor, Math/Manipulatives/Table Toys. For each activity, a section called "Structure of this Activity" includes information about the materials and classroom setup. Throughout the materials, photographs show the different ways the space is organized and how children can be oriented to the materials. The curriculum provides some advice on how to include the child's home language into the physical environment, but there is no guidance for including children's culture or for making the environment accessible for children with disabilities or other special needs. In addition, the curriculum lacks direction on setting up the outdoor environment.

Learning Materials: Tools of the Mind^® provides specific descriptions of materials needed for each activity in "Structure of this Activity." The materials are developmentally appropriate, open-ended, and support children's play and exploration. For example, materials to support Make-Believe Play include props and books related to the play theme, as well as pictures of real-life roles and actions. Materials are rotated monthly as new Make-Believe Play themes are introduced. The curriculum provides learning materials, such as games and cards, that are used as "mediators" to support focused engagement during activities (e.g., a card with a picture of an "ear" to mean the child is the listener of a story). All materials are presented in English and Spanish. However, there is no specific guidance on selecting materials that authentically represent children's cultures or adapting materials to make them accessible for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs.

Schedule and Routines: Tools of the Mind^® provides a specific daily schedule with a detailed description of the activities in each time block, including Free Choice/Mystery Game, Opening Group, Make-Believe Play Center Block, Literacy Activities, Outside/Play, and Math/Science Activities. The daily schedule is consistent and alternates large- and small group activities with individual choice and active, child-initiated play. The activities have the same name and structure across the year (e.g., Share the News, Scaffolded Writing, Story Lab), but the theme changes and the level of complexity and cognitive demand increases as the year progresses. Teachers are encouraged to discuss with their coach and curriculum trainer how to tailor the schedule to meet the needs and constraints of the program, but no further support is provided. There is guidance on how specific routine activities may need to be adjusted based on individual children's needs.