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| A Framework for Reviewing Early Learning Guidelines |
Most States review other guidelines and resources when developing or revising their early learning guidelines. This document identifies examples of a variety of characteristics of early learning guidelines as well as a suggested approach to organizing a review of early learning guidelines resources.
Identify key components of interest to the group, including the four areas identified in the Good Start, Grow Smart initiative. The guidelines should do the following:
Many guidelines have an introduction, background, or overview section that describes several aspects of the State’s efforts, including its intent in developing guidelines, who led the effort and worked on the guidelines, what research or other resources were referenced, what ages and settings the guidelines apply to, whether the guidelines explicitly align with State K–12 standards, the approach to including children with special needs, and the consideration of language and cultural diversity.
A review of the text of the guidelines or the appendices may turn up useful information. Some guidelines’ documents have companion pieces, including parent or teacher guides, that may be appropriate for review. Often the State Web site or contact person can be helpful in locating specific information.
The review of guidelines will focus primarily on the actual guidelines, benchmarks, and examples provided in the States’ and Territories’ documents. Questions to ask include the following:
The following are examples, not best practices, and are meant only to serve as a way to look at specific features of early learning guidelines to get ideas about how to make States’ and Territories’ guidelines most useful and effective for the children and providers in the State or Territory.
A list of State early learning guidelines is available on the Web at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/goodstart/elgwebsites.html.
Arkansas’ Early Childhood Education Framework aligns the “developmental learning strands” (or standards) with benchmarks for 3- and 4-year-old children. Elements of program quality are specified within the context of implementing the standards and benchmarks. Arkansas has also developed materials for families to support the use of the standards at home. A Framework for Infant and Toddler Care aligns with the Early Childhood Education Framework and specifically addresses the developmental needs of children ages birth to 3 years.
Arkansas Framework for Infant and Toddler Care (July 2002) is available on the Web at www.arkansas.gov/childcare/bench.pdf.
Arkansas Early Childhood Education Framework (2004) is available on the Web at www.arkansas.gov/childcare/Framework34.pdf
California’s Desired Results represents a comprehensive system including program standards and a variety of training activities. The Desired Results system is being phased in and its use is required of all programs or providers receiving public funds. The guidelines cover a broad age range. It is one of the few State sets of standards that explicitly address the early learning needs of infant and toddlers.
California’s Desired Results for Children and Families (July 2001) is available on the Web at www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/desiredresults.asp.
The guidelines are written in an easy-to-read narrative style and include developmentally appropriate information for each K–12 standard. The guidelines make a clear link to alignment of curriculum between early care and education and public school. These guidelines recognize that early learning standards are not an attempt to “push down” the expectations of school-age children, but are meant to validate the learning that takes place in the preschool years.
Colorado’s Building Blocks to Colorado’s Content Standards (August 2003) is available on the Web at www.cde.state.co.us/earlychildhoodconnections/early.htm.
Indiana’s guidelines explicitly identify how one developmentally appropriate activity or interaction (identified in these standards as a “scenario”) can be used to address multiple domains, including language and literacy, social-emotional, cognitive, physical, self-help, and other areas of development. Further, the scenarios are applicable to a variety of care settings, including in family settings. Some are also applicable to second-language learners.
Indiana’s Foundations for Young Children to the Indiana Academic Standards for Young Children from Birth to Age 5 is available on the Web at www.doe.state.in.us/primetime/pdf/foundations/indiana_foundations.pdf.
Louisiana received permission from Connecticut to use its guiding principles. If sections of another State’s or national organization’s guidelines are appropriate or useful for your State’s guidelines, consider asking permission to use or adapt the sections. Guiding principles, or other preamble or introductory sections, give caregivers and other key stakeholders an understanding of the State’s vision for children, understanding of and beliefs about how children learn, and the role families and providers play in supporting early learning.
These are center-based standards that include adaptations for children with special needs. The placement and language of the adaptations illustrate how providers can make adaptations and indicate the importance of attending to children’s special needs.
Louisiana’s guidelines identify how each performance indicator is linked to a variety of measures, including child outcomes, program standards, and national and State-developed assessment tools (Head Start Child Outcomes, Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, etc.).
Louisiana chose to focus on developing guidelines for 4-year-old children, in part because the effort was led by the Department of Education and also because it wanted to focus on public prekindergarten. Louisiana has recently completed infant and toddler guidelines under the leadership of the Child Care Division within the State Department of Social Services, and the Head Start Collaboration Office.
Louisiana’s Standards for Programs Serving 4-Year-Old Children (2002) is available on the Web at www.doe.state.la.us/DOE/assessment/standards/PDFs/PrekStandards6-02-02.pdf.
Louisiana’s Standards for Infant and Toddlers (2003) is available on the Web at www.dss.state.la.us/Documents/OFS/LAEarlyLearningGuide.pdf.
Missouri chose to take one domain—literacy—and develop the guidelines and related implementation materials for parents and providers. The State has since developed guidelines in the social-emotional and science domains. Missouri began by developing guidelines and implementation materials in one domain; other States take a broader approach by developing guidelines in multiple domains and then creating implementation tools. These decisions are made based on available human and fiscal resources, as well as staff and consultant availability.
The parent handbook serves as a vehicle for providing parent information on child development and opportunities for involvement in the child’s learning. The teacher guide gives some curriculum and program organization strategies to implement the guidelines. Both of these guides can be used as a sourcebook for more intensive training workshops or programs.
Missouri Pre-K Literacy Standards is available on the Web at http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/fedprog/earlychild/PreK_Standards/Literacy_Standards.pdf.
Guidelines refer to what children need to know, understand, and be able to do within a specific developmental domain. Some alternative terms for guidelines are standards, expectations, and outcomes.
Benchmarks are descriptors that identify progress toward, or attainment of, knowledge and competencies in a particular domain. Benchmarks may also be known as indicators, building blocks for learning, or objectives.
Examples refer to observable behaviors of the skill or knowledge identified, often using language appropriate to a variety of care settings. Some alternative terms used are, Steps for getting there, snapshots, and representative examples.
Wyoming’s guidelines use a format that allows the reader to understand the clear progression from the domain to the subset of skills, the standards, and the performance indicators.
The Snapshots on page 4 of the Early Childhood Readiness Standards indicate the behaviors expected of children within a variety of care settings. See particularly Snapshots associated with Performance Indicators 3 through 6, which could apply to any setting, including the home.
Performance Indicator #8 includes adaptations for English language learners.
These standards address the key skills and knowledge that research has shown to support emergent literacy. These are receptive and expressive vocabulary, phonological awareness, book knowledge and appreciation, print awareness and concepts, early writing, and alphabet knowledge. This set of standards covers the language and literacy areas comprehensively and sets high expectations for children and caregivers within an appropriate context.
Wyoming’s Early Childhood Readiness Standards (September 2002) is available on the Web at www.k12.wy.us/SAA/standards/earlychild.pdf.
These guidelines are an example of a resource developed by a national group in collaboration with CTB/McGraw-Hill. Included is a review of the most recent research on how young children learn mathematical concepts. In the “Vignettes,” adjustments in materials and expectations appropriate for 3-year-olds, and 4- and 5-year-olds are identified.
PreK Guidelines for Learning and Teaching (October 2002) is available on the Web at www.ctb.com/media/articles/pdfs/resources/PreKguidelines_summary.pdf.
Updated April 2007
| The document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Child Care Bureau, or the National Child Care Information Center is intended or is to be inferred. For additional information on this or related topics, please contact the National Child Care Information Center at (800) 616-2242 or info@nccic.org. |
