Transcript Types of Early Childhood Programs

Types of Early Childhood Programs
Chapter 2
Vocabulary Terms
Family child care
home
Child care centers
Custodial care
Montessori approach
Head Start
School-age child care
programs
Checking-in services
Parent cooperatives
Laboratory schools
Universal prekindergarten (UPK)
Accredited
Use pie graph on pg 37, 2-2
In addition…
Family child care homes
• Child care provided in a private home with a
small number of children
Child care centers
• Facilities that offer full day children’s programs
• Most popular type of care and education
• Some centers simply provide custodial care,
care focusing primarily on child’s physical
needs
In addition…
Kindergarten
• First Kindergarten
opened in 1837 by
Frederick Froebel in
Germany.
• Stressed play
• First American
Kindergarten opened in
Watertown,WI in 1856
• 3 basic scheduling
patterns: ½ day, full
day and full
day/alternating
• Emphasizes the growth
of the whole child
• Basic objectives to
develop positive
feelings about school,
develop independence,
develop positive selfconcept
In addition…
School-age Child Care
• Provide care for children
before and/or after school
• Sponsored by schools,
houses of worship or child
care centers
• An alternative is checkingin services, where workers
call home to see if child
arrived safely. This option
is only for mature children
who can take care of
themselves until parents
arrive.
Parent Cooperatives
• Formed and run by parents
who wish to take part in
their children’s preschool
experience
• Parents make administrative
decisions
• Fees are often less here than
at other programs
• Parents serve as classroom
aides
In addition…
Laboratory Schools
• University and college
affiliated programs
• Located on a college
campus
• Serve as a study group
for research
• Most have a highly
qualified staff, wellplanned curriculum
and up-to-date
facilities
High School Child
Care Programs
• Help train future child
care professionals
• High school students
plan and present the
curriculum under
supervision of a
teacher
In addition…
Universal Pre-Kindergarten
• Sponsored at the state level
• High quality, literary rich environment is
provided.
• Designed for 3 and 4 year olds.
Montessori Schools
Maria Montessori
Developed the theory
that children learn best
by being active
Montessori Approach
• Children “learn how to
learn”
• Children were allowed
to explore materials
that were meant to
instruct
• Stressed independence
• Teachers provide little
help
Head Start
Developed in the late 1960s by
the federal government
Designed to overcome the
negative effects of poverty on
young children
One of the most successful
preschool and family support
programs in the country
Curriculum
• Designed to build self-esteem
• Variety of learning experiences
to meet the children’s needs in
all four areas of development
• Parental involvement is at the
heart of the program
Nutrition
• Many do not receive nutritious
meals at home
• At least one snack and one hot
meal is provided each day
• Food is served that reflects the
child’s ethnic and cultural
preferences.
• Designed to help children
make healthy food choices and
develop good eating habits.
Head Start
Health
• All children given a
total health plan
• Dental, medical,
mental health services
provided for
• Children who have not
had childhood
immunizations prior to
enrollment are given
them
Parental Involvement
• Recognizes the parent
as the child’s first
teacher
• Parents are encouraged
to help recruit new
children, assist in the
center, and take part in
policy meetings
Sponsorship in
Early Childhood Centers
Public Sponsorship
•
•
•
•
Funded by federal, state or local governments
Some funds come through school districts
Federally funded example: Head Start
State funded example: laboratory school, high
school child care program
Sponsorship in
Early Childhood Centers
Private sponsorship
• Rely on parent fees to cover most of operating
expenses
• May be operated by a house of worship,
hospital or charitable organization
Sponsorship in
Early Childhood Centers
Employer sponsorship
• Reduces conflict between family and work
responsibilities
• Several options
• company-owned on site care
• contracting out to childcare chains or firms
• vouchers
Selecting a Child Care Program
Find a program that welcomes
the child and promotes all areas
of the children’s development
Cost
Location
Quality
• What are the program’s goals,
activities and schedule?
• Variety and balance
• Child to teacher ratio
Training and experience of staff
Staff turnover rates
Safe Environment
•
•
•
•
•
•
Security system
Smoke detectors
Fire extinguishers
Evacuation plans
Clean
Well maintained
As a teacher, your role will be
to give parents the needed
information to make an
informed decision
Center Accreditation
Being accredited certifies that a set of
standards has been met by an early childhood
program.
To be eligible, a center must:
• A self-evaluation on 10 categories
• A validation visit conducted on-site by trained
professionals
• A decision by a team of experts representing the
National Academy of Early Childhood Programs
Chapter 2 Review
Describe one aspect of each type of
program
Know about Montessori and Head Start
Give one example of each sponsorship
What are factors to consider when choosing
a child care program?
What is center accreditation?
Study your vocabulary terms