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Developing Early Learning Guidelines: Key Process Strategies

The process used by a State or Territory to develop early learning guidelines can impact the content of the guidelines, the language used to write them, stakeholder endorsement, and the public and political will generated to implement them.

Include All Representatives of the Early Childhood Community

To create a unified vision of early care and education and ensure that guidelines are applicable to all children across early care and education settings, States and Territories should obtain input from a cross section of educators, policy-makers, providers, and parents who represent the following:

• Child care, Head Start, early intervention, and prekindergarten programs;
• Young children who are English-language learners and those with special needs; and
• Children in center-based care; family child care; and family, friends, and neighbor care settings.

Determine the Purpose and Scope of the Early Learning Guidelines Document

It is important to establish agreement from the outset regarding the purpose and intended use of early learning guidelines. This may involve discussions on the nature of child development, the appropriateness of guidelines, the role of assessment, and the values underlying the group’s approach. Many States and Territories have developed guiding principles to reflect their agreement on these issues and establish the boundaries of their documents.

Develop a Strong Foundation and Culture of Collaboration

The development of early learning guidelines is often a catalyst for new levels of collaboration among early care and education stakeholders. Challenges faced by groups developing early learning guidelines include changes in group membership, group relationships, and the resource and political contexts in which the work is being done. Collaborative efforts are supported by the following:

• Relying on principles of collaboration, such as commitment and good faith efforts;
• Referencing the group’s overall goals as ways of finding compromise and avoiding turf issues; and
• Sharing information and keeping all members up-to-date on activities and timelines.

Establish a Support Infrastructure

While the outcomes of group work depend on including appropriate stakeholders and establishing vision and commitment, the progress is equally dependent on the establishment of a supporting infrastructure, which includes the following:

• A leader or executive committee to make key decisions;
• A facilitator to direct attention to group processes and task completion;
• Committees and workgroups with well-defined tasks and timelines;
• Formal and informal channels of timely communication; and
• Access to resources such as time, finances, and personnel.

Resources

Developing and Implementing Early Learning Guidelines: The Case of Rhode Island is available on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/goodstart/ri-study.html.

Selected Resources on Early Learning Guidelines is available on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/goodstart/selected-res-guide.html.

The Child Care Bureau’s CD-ROM, Supporting an Early Learning Framework: State Child Care Administrators Meeting, August 2003, contains a video clip and PowerPoint presentations for the workshop “Early Learning Guidelines: Where We Are, Where We Are Heading. ” Information focuses on determining the purpose and scope of early learning guidelines. The CD-ROM is available at no cost and may be ordered online from NCCIC at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/sam2004.

Updated April 2007