QUALITY CURRICULUM FOR QUALITY CARE AND EDUCATION.Professor Leah Adams,

Eastern Michigan University, USA**********

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5. Quality programs prepare children fortomorrow's world.

1. Quality programs have qualityenvironments.The environment in which the programtakes place does not need to be elaborate. Itdoes not need to be new. I have beenprivileged to visit child care programs inmany parts of the world. Sometimes I havebeen astounded by the beautiful facilitiesand the abundance of materials. I alsovisited a program with dirt floor and noglass in the windows that I thought was agood program which served its clientelewell. The environment does not have to befancy. It should however, be well suited tothe purpose of serving children. It should beof adequate size for the active play ofyoung children. Chairs, tables and bathroomfacilities and all the materials for thechildren should be of a size and designwhich enables children to use them withease. The environment should give thechildren a feeling of security and mastery, afeeling that they can be successful andcomfortable there. It must be a safeenvironment, free from potential health andsafety hazards. It should be inviting andenticing to the child, well arranged and thespace well utilized by both children andteachers. Teachers usually have little choiceabout the physical setting in which they willwork, but they do have choices andresponsibility in organizing that space so itserves the program effectively. (Seefeldtand Barbour, p.220).

2. Quality programs have trained andcompetent staff.There are many people in this world whothink that anyone can work with youngchildren, but research has shown us training

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Quality programs for young children do notexist in isolation from the environment, theteachers or the society. Therefore, when wespeak of quality curriculum, it must alwaysbe prefaced with the recognition thatcurriculum, be it of high or low quality,never exists as a separate entity. A qualitycurriculum ceases to be of high quality,unless it is implemented in such a way as toretain its quality.

Based on those two assumptions, thatproviding a quality curriculum is never easyand that quality curriculum does not exist inisolation from other program components, afew statements can serve as a foundation.

It is easy for early childhood professionalsto make statements about qualitycurriculum for young children. It is nevereasy to implement a quality curriculum.Like many aspects of life, it is easier to talkabout what is ideal than to perform in anideal way. When we discuss QualityCurriculum we must underscore that labelwith the assumption that quality curriculumis accompanied by highly qualified andhighly competent staff, in a high qualityenvironment, with, of course high qualitychildren. The term 'high quality children' isnot intended to be taken as sarcastic or silly.A child is much more likely to benefit fromthe curriculum if he or she is wellnourished, healthy and in possession of asecure sense of being loved, valued andcared for.

1. Quality programs have qualityenvironments,

2. Quality programs have quality staff,3. Quality programs have a child centered

curriculum,4. Quality programs include

communications with parents,

does make a difference, (Feeney & Chun).Teachers who have a knowledge of childdevelopment, training in appropriatepedagogy and a sincere interest in workingwith young children are essential to aquality program. A teacher of the youngchild seldom enjoys sufficient status in ourcommunities for the important role he/sheplays in the lives of our children. Goodteaching goes beyond loving children. Goodteachers know what they are doing. Goodteachers think about what they are doingand are able to articulate their philosophyabout how and why children learn. Theirteaching does not exist on 'automatic pilot' ,with teachers going through the day withminimal thought and reflection about whatthey are doing. They show sensitivity tochildren and they model the behaviors theywish the children to acquire. For example,one time I observed a student teacher as shewent to get an item from a storage cabinet.A child was standing in front of the cabinetand the student merely put her hands on thechild's shoulders and gently moved thechild aside. I later asked the student teacherhow she would feel if I came up behind her,put my hands on her shoulders and movedher aside, without speaking to her orexplaining what I was doing. We thendiscussed how good teachers think aboutwhat they are doing and model thebehaviors they want children to display,both as individuals and in their interactionwith others. This leads us to the nextcomponent of quality programs.

3. Quality programs have a well planned,child-centered curriculum.Teachers in quality programs givethoughtful consideration to what goes on inthe classroom and what materials areavailable to the children. The curriculumreflects the children's abilities and interestsand provides room for growth, (Bredecamp1987). One of the misconceptions aboutdevelopmentally appropriate practice is that

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it does not challenge children.Developmentally appropriate curriculum isboth age appropriate and individuallyappropriate, so that each individual child isencouraged to reach out and learn as muchas he/she is ready to learn. Such curriculumis well-planned from the standpoint that theteachers reflect on the curriculum. Theteachers change their plans and thematerials which are made available, basedon the changing interests and skills of thechildren. A quality curriculum is notplanned a year in advance. Planning is acontinuous, on-going process, based on theteachers' on-going observations of thechildren's abilities and needs.

Quality curriculum addresses the wholechild. It addresses the emotional, social andthe physical aspects of development, as wellas language and intellectual developmentand recognizes the interrelationship of allaspects of development, (Gestwicki 1995,25). In today's world we are more aware ofphysical fitness and have new knowledgeabout nutrition and the prevention and cureof diseases. Yet many programs for youngchildren fail to reflect what we know. Wetalk about the whole child, but we oftenforget, at least in the US and some othernations which I have visited, to makephysical development a core part of thecurriculum. We tend to act as if it issomething which takes place spontaneouslyjust because young children are active andwriggle a lot.

When attending a 1986 OMEP event, I wasprivileged to observe a large child careprogram in Sofia, Bulgaria. I still rememberhow impressive it was to see the attentionwhich was given to the health and physicalfitness of their children. There was clearmonitoring of the nutritional content andthe balance of the food which the childrenreceived, and clear scheduling of activities

which addressed children's physical well­being.

A quality curriculum reflects the communityin which it exists so that it is meaningful tothe child and to his/her family. It reflects theethnic and social diversity of the communityand is both accepting and supportive offamily and community cultures and values.Which brings us to the next component.

4. A quality curriculum communicateswith parents and family.Our fourth component recognizes theinfluence of the family in the developmentof the child. The family serves as theprimary unit of socialization, and as the firsteducational setting for the child. We cannotwork with the child and ignore the settingfrom which he/she comes. The program forthe young child should work in support ofthe home, regardless of what the homesituation may be, and do as much aspossible to strengthen the bonds within thefamily. The stronger the bonds within thefamily, the stronger the mental health of thechild. Quality programs reach out tostrengthen family bonds and to involve thefamilies in the school for the long termbenefit of the child. Vital Didonet pointsout that an affectionate family can serve as"societal womb which generates thenecessary human warmth to develop anautonomous, balanced, happy adult".(Didonet 1996 2)

5. A quality pre-school programattempts to prepare children fortomorrow's world.It is not easy to prepare a child fortomorrow, since we cannot predict with anydegree of confidence what tomorrow'sworld will be like. (Except that,undoubtedly, it will still be facing manyproblems!) To prepare the young child foran uncertain future as an adult, we beginwith considering what are the most

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important attributes a young child can carryforth through the years ahead. A qualitycurriculum should help young children feelgood about themselves and have a positiveattitude toward life. (Kostelnik, et al 199376) The quality curriculum addresses waysin which to make the child excited aboutlearning and helps to develop thinkingskills. Children of today will have to belife-long learners to keep up with the worldof tomorrow. A quality curriculum helps achild to become excited about life, excitedabout tomorrow. It helps children learn howto make friends and how to be a friend. Ithelps children begin to develop toleranceand understanding for others. It providesthe beginning stages of accepting andunderstanding others regardless ofhandicaps, race, societal status or beliefs.Wortham suggests that a major goal is todevelop people who can become productivecontributors. Achieving that broad goal is alife-long process that begins with thesocialization of the very young child.(Wortham 1994 281) In short, the well­planned, child-centered curriculum looks atwhere the child is now, and what will makea good day for that child.

My two youngest grandchildren, Steven andOlivia, will turn three years old soon andwill begin pre-school in September. Theylive in two different cities. I don't knowwho their teachers will be, but I trust theirparents will select appropriate programs. Astheir grandmother, I have much hope forthem as children of today and adults oftomorrow. To begin their climb up theeducational ladder, I hope that Steven andOlivia will listen to their teachers, but I alsohope their teachers will listen to them. Iwant their teachers to help them to remainthe happy, sweet, well-adjusted childrenthat they are. I want them to smile andlaugh and giggle a lot. I want them to liketheir teachers; I want their teachers to likethem. When their mothers tell them that

to think of themselves as learners and toaccept and appreciate those around them. Aday that is simply a very good, well­balanced today.

REFERENCESBredecamp, S. (1987) Ed. Developmentally

Appropriate Practice in Early ChildhoodPrograms Serving Children From BirthThrough Age 8. Washington DC NAEYC

Didonet, V. (1996) To the letter carrier.International Journal ofEarly Childhood. UK.Special Congress Edition.

Feeney, S & Chun, R. (1985) Research in Review.Effective Teachers of Young Children. YoungChildren 41 (1) 47-52.

Gestwicki, C. (1995) Developmentally AppropriatePractice: Curriculum and Development inEarly Education. Albany, NY. Merrill.

Kostelnik,MJ., Stein, L.C., Soderman, A.K. &Whirren, A.P. (1993) Guiding Children'sSocial Development. Second Edition. Albany,NY. Merrill.

Seefeldt C. & Barbour N. (1994) Early ChildhoodEducation: An Introduction. Third Edition.Albany, NY. Merrill.

Wortham, S.c. (1994) Early ChildhoodCurriculum: Development Bases for Learningand Teaching. New York. MacMillan.

A quality curriculum addresses not just themoment, but prepares children for the nextsteps ahead. The best way to preparechildren for tomorrow is to give them agood today. That's how a qualitycurriculum prepares a child for tomorrow,with a today that is supportive and fun, fullof successes and discoveries; a today that ischallenging but not threatening orintimidating. A today that encourages them

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today is a day to go to pre-school, I wantthem to be pleased and eager to go. I wanttheir teachers to offer them choices, theopportunity to explore and engage in problemsolving. I want them to be able to expresstheir creativity in a variety of ways. Most ofall, I want their teachers to help them to enjoybeing three years old. I know of no bettertime to behave like a three year old thanwhen you are three years old. If theirteachers expect them to act as if they arefour year olds or, heaven forbid, expectthem to do activities that are more suited tofive year olds, they have deprived them oftheir 'threeness'. That 'threeness' is thenstolen forever and can never be recaptured.I want Steven and Olivia to play, to learnsome new songs, to hear some new stories andto make some new friends. I want them tohave a very good time being three years old.

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