Foundations of Curriculum

Essential Curriculum

• What should young children know?
• What do they already know?
• How can I design a classroom and experiences to support development and learning?

Essential Core: DAP

• Meeting children where they are in their development and supporting them in reaching achievable and at the same time challenging goals to promote their progress and interests
• Using practices that are appropriate to children's age and responsive to the social and cultural contexts in which children live

Essential Core: DAP

• Ensuring that goals and experiences are based on knowledge and research-based evidence-not assumptions-about how children learn and develop

"The curriculum consists of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and understandings children are to acquire and the plans for the learning experiences through which those gains will occur." - Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8 (2009, p. 20)

Curriculum - Assessment

• Assessment includes the tools and strategies staff members use to understand if children are developing, achieving the abilities appropriate for their age, and learning new skills.

In ECE, curriculum choices are often based on observational assessment.

Knowledge is Based on...

• ECE Standards and Guidelines