Tia Sauls
Tia Sauls is an early education specialist who helps families and educators navigate the child care, early education, and K–12 landscapes.
With a childcare curriculum being the foundation of a child’s learning experience, deciding on one takes a lot of consideration. But that doesn’t mean you can’t choose the best one.
Whether you have a preschool or at-home child care program, this article can guide you on how to choose the best childcare curriculum for your program.
What Is a Childcare Curriculum?
A childcare curriculum is a plan explaining what children will learn. It outlines how your program will support development and any educational experiences. The curriculum should support development across multiple areas, including early academic skills, language, physical and social-emotional development.
In essence it should serve as a road map that guides educators when planning lessons and keeping parents informed on their child's progress.
Starting With Your Program's Goals
Your program's goals and objectives speak to what you want children and their families to gain from it. And your curriculum should be a reflection of that. Choosing or planning your curriculum around your goals can help reflect them and make the decision easier. Consider things like age groups served, your educational philosophy, and family expectations.
Not sure what your educational philosophy is? Take a look at our guide to teaching philosophies in early childhood education.
Key Features of a Childcare Curriculum
No two programs are the same and no curriculum is a one-size fits all. However, there are a few key features a high quality childcare curriculum should include. These features should address all developmental areas and not just academic skills. This includes:
Comprehensive learning areas: refers to how a child problems solves, learns and things. To support children in this area of development, a curriculum will help children with early math skills and build curiosity.
Language development: refers to communication and early literacy skills. This will include listening, speaking and understanding language, essentially the starting point for reading later on.
Physical development: include both gross and fine motor skills. Examples include, running, climbing and using scissors. A curriculum suppose this development by including movement and hands on activities for children to participate in.
Social-emotional development: speaks to children understanding their feelings and how they build relationships with others. This is an important focus area because the skills learnt here will support their wellbeing long after this level.
Align With State Standards
Reviewing your state's Early Learning and Development Standards can help ensure you build a curriculum that supports age-appropriate learning and build the skills children need to graduate from your center.
Consider Staff and Resources
A strong curriculum doesn’t only work on paper but in action. This means it should be realistic and align with your staff's skills and your program's resources. When taking this into account, consider how much time will be required and if professional development training will be needed in order for educators to implement the curriculum.
Tracking Assessment and Progress
Tracking assessments and progress is the best way to know if your curriculum is supporting the children in your program. This will include documenting each child’s development and classroom observations. It will also include sharing updates with families and working alongside teachers to find areas where a child may need additional support.
Purchased Curriculum vs. Creating Your Own
You’ll be glad to hear that you have the option between purchasing or creating your own curriculum. Both options have their merits, but the right choice depends on your goals and resources. Here are the differences between a purchased and created curriculum:
|
Purchased Curriculum |
Program-Created Curriculum |
|
Pre-made lesson plans |
Custom to your program |
|
Training and support sometimes included |
Can be made with educator skills in mind |
|
Offers consistency across classrooms |
Needs time and planning |
|
Can come with higher upfront cost |
Can be built with lower financial investment |
|
Quicker to implement |
Requires ongoing development and updates |
As you see there really is no one-size fits all option. Instead you need to make a choice that best fits your program's goals, budget and staffing capacity.
What to Consider Before Your Final Decision
Making a final decision can feel overwhelming, get input from your staff as they will be the ones implementing the curriculum. With that said, here is a simple checklist you can use to help guide your decision-making:
- Does the curriculum align with our program philosophy?
- Will it support the development of the children and those with diverse learning needs?
- Is it financially sustainable?
- Will educators be able to implement the curriculum successfully?
- Can it move with the growth of our program?
Final Thoughts
As you see there is a lot to consider when choosing the best childcare curriculum for your program. First consider the goals of your program, needs of your students and their parents, and your center's resources and staff capacity.
With these factors in mind, deciding on a curriculum that will support the development of a child and adhering to compliance can be easier. Remember this isn’t a one-size fits all, instead a carefully considered decision.
