Curriculum Planning
Author/Source Unknown
GOAL:
The curriculum provides for all areas of a child's development - physical, emotional, social and cognitive.
CURRICULUM:
The curriculum shall clearly evidence an understanding of the needs of children and provide for their growth through enriching and stimulating experiences, suited to their age levels and stages of development.
PRESCHOOL DAILY SCHEDULE:
The written daily schedule shall provide a balance of activities on the following dimensions:
Indoor/outdoor;
Quiet/active;
Individual/small group/large group;
Large muscle/small muscle;
Child initiated/staff initiated.
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES:
The program shall provide a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and materials that are selected to emphasize concrete experiential learning and to achieve the following goals:
Enhance each child's unique potential for learning;
Increase each child's use of language and communication skills and support emergent literacy;
Foster physical and motor development;
Promote learning through spontaneous and directed play activities;
Encourage the development of appropriate emotional attitudes and social skills;
Foster a positive self-image;
Foster trust relationships with adults;
Encourage the child's developing sense of autonomy and independence;
Encourage an interest and curiosity about the world and instill basic concepts and root academic learning;
Expand the child's capacity for independent thinking, exploration, and problem solving;
Encourage sound health, safety and nutritional practices.
TODDLER AND PRESCHOOL PROGRAM COMPONENTS:
The program provides areas to accommodate and encourage small group and/or individual activities including:
Block building
Socio-dramatic play
Art
Music
Science
Math
Manipulatives
Book reading
Writing
PARENT INVOLVEMENT:
The program shall offer opportunities for the parents to share in their children's learning experiences.
PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY:
All programs shall follow a regular daily schedule. However, planned or routine activities shall be changed to meet the interests and needs of the children or to cope with weather changes or other situations which affect routines.
QUIET OR RESTING/SLEEPING:
Programs shall provide regular periods of quiet activity or resting/sleeping appropriate to the needs of the children. Infants and toddlers shall be in cribs only for rest or sleep. There shall be no restraining devices of any type used in a crib or elsewhere unless prescribed by a physician or other appropriately licensed/certified professional.
PROGRAM PLANNING:
There shall be a plan book on site which details program planning for at least a month in advance. The program planning shall be the responsibility of the head teacher. At least monthly, direct staff shall meet with the head teacher to consult on program planning and to plan for individual children. At least weekly, classroom staff shall discuss the program and plan for individual children's needs and growth.
INFANT/TODDLER PROGRAM:
The infant/toddler program shall evidence an understanding of the needs and development of very young children by providing experiences and environments which go beyond basic care and supervision. The program shall provide experiences which will foster the development of trusting relationships between adult and child. Infant programs shall schedule the same staff with the intent of developing and maintaining warm, reciprocal relationships between adults and children. The program shall provide an environment that promotes respect for individual feeding, sleeping and diapering patterns. The physical needs of the children shall receive prompt attention. Daily routines of feeding and diapering shall provide opportunities for learning (e.g. mirrors, mobiles, toys, language input, etc.).
The program shall provide activities that promote each of the following on a daily basis:
Language acquisition by statements of happenings, songs, stories, poems, fingerplays;
Cognitive/sensory learning by stimulation of the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch;
Gross motor skills;
Fine motor skills.
INFANT/TODDLER ENVIRONMENT:
The indoor and outdoor environments shall be organized so as to provide the children with ample opportunity for freedom of movement and exploration in safe, clean, open and uncluttered areas. Non-mobile infants shall be positioned to permit a wide range of visual stimulus. Positioning shall be varied throughout the day. Ambulatory infants and toddlers shall be permitted to freely explore a planned environment which provides opportunities to utilize their emerging skill to crawl, climb, pull to a stand, and walk.
*Submitted by Sherry
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