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 pre-kindergarten (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 self-concept

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 checking-in 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, well-planned 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 governmentDesigned 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 LocationQuality• What are the program’s goals,

activities and schedule? • Variety and balance • Child to teacher ratio

Training and experience of staff Staff turnover ratesSafe 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 StartGive one example of each sponsorshipWhat are factors to consider when choosing a child care program? What is center accreditation? Study your vocabulary terms