Designing Programs That are Good for Children and Family

Catalog description

An examination of best practices for children and families as defined by professional guidelines and the latest research. Includes a historical perspective of program development; a knowledge base related to child growth and development; working with children with special needs; effective communication among children, families and staff, and collaboration with community resources to support children and families. Module A: Programming for the Whole Child, includes an overview of child growth and development stages and their implications for program development, environmental designs for various ages, appropriate curriculum models for various groups, concepts of care that recognize the individual and group needs of children and evaluation processes to measure program quality. Module B: Programming for the Whole Family, includes a review of the research and professional principles and practices which support family involvement in all aspects of early care and education programs, including communication, decision making, cultural contexts, and community resources. Module C: Programming for Children with Special Needs, presents policies and practices for the identification of children with special needs, the collaboration with families and multi-disciplinary community resources to meet those needs, and working with program staff to support children, families and staff in the implementation of individual plans for education and care.