Quality Programs in Early Childhood Settings

Quality Programs in Early Childhood Settings

The NAEYC has established standards to guide families in making informed decisions about the type of programs that would help their early childhood learners achieve their academic goals. Being an intern, I have gained a lot of experience interacting with learners, and I can rate my internship class based on the following standards, which are helpful in guiding parents to make decisions on what programs could suit their children’s learning goals.

Programs selected by parents should aim at helping learners to gain the social skills necessary for building lasting social relationships (Machado 250). A child with adequate social skills is likelier to become a responsible community member. My internship class achieved this target due to my ability to inculcate these skills in my learners. My learners were able to collaborate with others. This helped to improve group interactions.

Curriculum. Curriculum is an important aspect of successful learning. The established curriculum should aim to enable a child to achieve their academic goals. These programs should incorporate various activities and approaches that optimize a child’s learning experiences. I achieved this standard by being able to select learning areas that could help my learners achieve their learning goals.

Teaching programs should be responsive to diverse cultural and linguistic dynamics in society. Programs that include varied cultures are likely to address children’s interests, capacities, and backgrounds of varied learners. My internship classroom incorporated learning strategies that suited the needs of learners from varied cultures. Additionally, I advised my learners on the importance of embracing other cultures.

Programs should have regular assessments to gauge the progress of learners. However, whether formal or informal, these assessments should aim at helping a child achieve their learning goals. Accordingly, my internship classroom achieved this standard by incorporating formal and informal assessments to assess students’ progress.

Health. Health is another consideration when choosing the right childhood program. Programs should help a child achieve skills that promote healthy living (Machado 260). Health is an important aspect of learning. This is important because when children understand the importance of healthy lifestyles, they can adopt these skills and incorporate them into their daily lives. I incorporated lessons in my daily teaching that helped learners understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

Staff Competencies. Programs should be supported by well-qualified personnel with the required knowledge and professional commitment. Teachers should be well prepared, with skills that will help them promote positive interactions with learners to achieve positive academic achievements. As an intern teacher, I ensured I followed strict teaching professional guidelines. For example, I ensured professionalism when interacting with students and colleagues.

Education programs should promote positive teacher-family collaborations. When families are included in their children’s learning, they are more likely to promote positive academic achievements. Teachers should encourage parents to participate in their children’s learning because this interaction will lead to positive academic achievements. I ensured parents participated in helping their children achieve their educational goals; for example, I held regular meetings to discuss students’ progress with their parents and guardians.

Community Relationships. The program should aim at supporting the community in achieving its goals. For example, the internship program used local resources such as museums, zoos, parks, and libraries. Such a program reflects on the surrounding local community; therefore, learners can tap into this comprehensive knowledge.

Physical Environment. The program should promote a safe and healthy environment. When a program advocates promoting safe environments, learners tap into this knowledge and can apply it daily. My internship classroom achieved this standard by utilizing a neat, spacious floor plan and incorporating attractive materials like word walls to engage students in meaningful learning experiences.

Leadership and Management. Any learning program should advocate the importance of inculcating leadership skills in teachers and students. This is because any program aims to prepare future leaders, and tapping into leadership skills will mold responsible future leaders. I taught my learners various leadership skills, such as the importance of teamwork, patience, active listening, and other skills.

Works Cited

Machado, Jeanne M., and Helen Meyer Botnarescue. Student teaching: Early childhood practicum guide. Cengage Learning, 2010.

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Your weekly assignment submissions should be at least 1 page in length:
Read Chapter 10: Quality Programs in Early Childhood Settings

Visit the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) website at http://www.naeyc.org. Explore the website to read about what is expected of quality education programs for young children. After you have looked around the site, click on the Position Statements tab and thoroughly read the Early Childhood Program Standards position statement. You will need to rate your internship classroom/site using the 10 areas addressed in the position statement; be sure to write at least a paragraph (5-7 sentences) for each of the 10 areas and number your responses.