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“Curriculum is an organized framework that delineates the content children are to learn, the processes through which children achieve the identified curricular goals, what teachers do to help children achieve these goals, and the context in which teaching and learning occur.”
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Center's Curriculum consists of all the information related to the center in one tight package. Center Curriculum is a guideline for the staff in their everyday work, and it also tells a lot of you and your values to the families. Therefore, it is a nice idea to have your Center's Curriculum available for the families too.
It is very important to think how your center operates and what are the core values that everyone should know of. Writing down the curriculum with the staff unites your team and sets everyone on the same page.
When planning, arranging and developing early childhood education and care, the primary goal must always be the overall wellbeing of the children. Children’s interests, wishes and needs guide the teachers work forward.
I have prepared a list of questions that guide you when writing down your Center’s Curriculum. Think of the questions in detail, as thinking of the themes ahead makes it all easier when the situation hits you - for example a case when someone is bullied. When your team has a clear practice of how to deal with bullying, families trust your professionalism and most of all children feel secured, valued and happy.
Take a look at the themes to include in your Center’s Curriculum!
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- Staff and the center
- What is our center like?
- Who are the teachers?
- What type of facilities are there?
- What are our core values?
- Are all staff member aware of the values and committed to them?
- What is our daily schedule like?
- What is our weekly/monthly/yearly plan like?
- Children and families
- How many children/groups are in the center?
- How are children’s interests, wishes and views taken into consideration?
- How do we prevent bullying?
- How do we promote friendships?
- How do we promote equality and respect diversity?
- How do we communicate with the families?
- How do we share information?
Download a Child's Individual Curriculum free template!
- New child
- How is a new child welcomed to the center?
- What kind of information should the family provide?
- What kind of information is shared to the families?
- How does the child get to know the center and staff?
- How many times/when should the family visit the center before start?
Download a free Child Resume template!
- Curriculum
- What are the areas of learning at our center?
- What kind of learning environments are there (inside and outside)?
- How do teachers plan activities?
- How is children’s development monitored and assessed?
- Pedagogical documentation
- How is the process of pedagogical documentation arranged at the center?
- How does pedagogical documentation guide planning of the activities?
- How is pedagogical documentations shared with the families?
- How is pedagogical documentation stored?
- Assessment and development
- How do we assess our work?
- How often do we have staff meetings?
- How often do we have staff appraisals?
- How do we use pedagogical documentation as a tool for assessment and development?
- What are we good at?
- What areas should we develop/focus more on?
- Does the staff have possibilities or tools for self-assessment?
- Does the staff have possibilities for training?
- How do we collect feedback from the children and families?
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