Review

Learning Goals: The curriculum does not specify learning goals for children's development and learning. Broad concepts of child development for children from birth to 36 months are introduced as part of the "Watch Me Grow!" handouts. Each handout includes three indicators of development in each of the following areas: Motor, Language, Thinking, and Feeling. However, these are not specific goals for children's learning and development. Finally, the curriculum does not offer guidance to engage families in identifying individual goals for children's development and learning.

Learning Goals: Baby TALK specifies measurable, developmentally appropriate goals for children's learning and development that are consistently supported by the learning experiences. The learning goals are based on the IELG, with one or two specific standards referenced within monthly activities. The curriculum provides guidance on how to engage families in identifying individual goals for their child's learning and development. Family Resource Assessment & Monitoring includes a section to assess the family's needs for resources related to child development concerns. The Baby TALK Individual Family Service Plan form, provided by the curriculum, is used to document goals agreed on by the parent and family support staff member, including goals related to child development.

Learning Goals: Parents as Teachers specifies measurable, developmentally appropriate goals for children's learning and development that are consistently supported by the learning experiences. "Child Development Charts" identify goals and milestones in four domains—Language, Cognitive, Motor, and Social and Emotional—for children 3–4 years old, 4–5 years old, and 5–6 years old. The milestones are phrased from the child's perspective (e.g., "I use four to six words in a sentence") and referenced in various places throughout the curriculum. For instance, "3 to 4 Years: What's Special About This Age?" provides more information on each goal and how parents can support their children in that area. In addition, the "Goal Setting" resource provides specific guidance on how to engage families in identifying individual goals for their children's learning and development.

Learning Goals: Parents as Teachers specifies measurable, developmentally appropriate goals for children's learning and development that are consistently supported by the learning experiences. "Child Development Charts" identify goals for children in four domains—Language, Cognitive, Motor, and Social-Emotional—for every few months from birth to 36 months. In addition, in the "Goal Setting" resource, the curriculum provides specific guidance on how to engage families in identifying individual goals for their children's learning and development.

Learning Goals: Each activity in the Learning Pods includes goals for children's learning and development. Most of the goals are measurable and developmentally appropriate. In addition, the Learning Pods include a set of "developmental objectives" listed by different "pre-academic skills" (e.g., Social-Emotional Preparation, Reading Preparation). The activities generally support children in making progress toward the goals, but the connection between the activities and the developmental objectives is not always clear. In addition, the curriculum manual provides a list of developmental indicators for some domains (e.g., Language Development), but there is no explicit connection between these indicators and the goals in the Learning Pods. The curriculum also provides strategies for home visitors to engage parents in identifying individual goals for their child's learning and development.

Learning Goals: Each curriculum activity includes goals for facilitating children's learning and development and supports children in making progress toward the goals. Some activity goals are too broad to be observable (e.g., "To prepare children to play sports"), but most activities include some observable behaviors or skills. In addition, the curriculum provides age-based (birth–36 months) developmental indicators in the "Child Development Milestone Charts." The milestones describe behaviors and skills that parents might observe in the following areas: Social and Emotional; Language/Communication; Cognitive; and Physical. The learning experiences support children in reaching the milestones across domains, but the connection between the developmental indicators and the activities in other sections of the manuals is not always clear. The curriculum also provides strategies for home visitors to engage parents in identifying individual goals for their child's learning and development.