Curriculum: Birth to Five Ann Epstein, High/Scope Educational Research Foundation Ann Epstein is Director of the Preschool Department at High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. In that capacity, she is responsible for the overall administration of the department’s training consultants, teachers, and staff. She also oversees the preparation of curriculum and training materials, implementation of training activities, implementation of the demonstration preschool, development of program and child assessments, and coordination with other Foundation departments in the delivery of educational services and the evaluation of training activities. Previously, as Senior Research Associate for the Foundation, Epstein was responsible for conducting concurrent and longitudinal evaluations of federal, state, and local programs for families and children from infancy through adolescence from perspectives of curriculum development, program quality, staff development, child and parent outcomes, and policy implications. Projects include Head Start Quality Research Center, Michigan School Readiness Program, Head Start Family Service Center Demonstration Project, Perry Preschool Project, Curriculum Comparison Study, and Infant Education Project. Epstein has published extensively, including books and articles on working with children in the arts. "The goal of Head Start is to enhance children’s development in the short term and to make them fulfilled and productive citizens in the long run." — Ann Epstein Presentation Highlights The content of this presentation responds to the following three questions: 1) What is the value of using a curriculum? 2) What does it mean to implement a curriculum? 3) How should a curriculum address the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework? An initial investment in a sound curriculum supported by effective staff development methods will pay off in the long run for children and families and will contribute to the sustainability of the Head Start program. Curriculum Four Purposes of Curriculum: 1. It shapes our understanding of child development. 2. It guides our educational practices—Effective practice requires a balance between child initiation and adult initiation; adults should be neither intrusive nor passive. 3. It supports staff training—Teachers should be able to faithfully reproduce the curriculum. In addition, the way that adults treat one another should serve as a model for how they teach children. 4. It provides evidence of effectiveness—The curriculum should provide the tools to measure whether it has been implemented properly and whether it is having the desired effect on the children being taught. Options for Selecting a Curriculum Head Start program leaders have several different options for selecting a curriculum. Three of the most common are to: Choose a pre-packaged, prescriptive curriculum; Develop your own curriculum from scratch; and Choose a field-tested curriculum framework and adapt it to your program. Key Issues to Consider Because each of these options has advantages and disadvantages, key issues to consider when selecting a curriculum include: Time and money required; Staff training needs; Reflection of community values; Cultures and languages of families/communities; Local input and ownership; Child development research and best practices; and Evidence of effectiveness. Head Start Child Outcomes Framework The goals and objectives of your curriculum should relate to the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework and be consistent with the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Two unique features of the High/Scope Curriculum that support achieving the outcomes in the Framework are: 1. Plan-Do-Review - Children make plans, carry out intentions, then recall and share what they have done. 2. Key experiences - There are 58 statements describing child development in all areas - social, emotional, cognitive, and physical - that can be used by adults to plan for, support, challenge, and assess children. Presentation Handout Print version of Ann Epstein's 1-page Handout

The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework and the High/Scope Curriculum
Head Start Child Outcomes Framework	High/Scope Curriculum
Domain: Language Elements: • Listening and understanding • Speaking and communicating Sample Indicators: • Listens & understands conversations, stories, songs, and poems • Understands & uses increasingly complex and varied vocabulary • Uses language to communicate needs, ideas, information, feelings, experiences, opinions	High/Scope Key Experiences • Talking with others about personally meaningful experiences • Describing objects, events, and relations • Having fun with language: listening to stories and poems, making up stories and rhymes How High/Scope Supports Child Development • Children talk more when they converse about their own activities & interests • Children use increasingly complex language as they make plans and reflect on their experiences • Children play "leader" making up stories, rhymes, and chants; using language this way empowers them
Domain: Literacy Elements: • Phonological awareness • Book knowledge and appreciation • Print awareness and concepts • Early writing • Alphabet knowledge Sample Indicators: • Identifies sounds in spoken language • Matches sounds and rhymes in words, songs, poems • Shows interest in reading • Re-tells and dictates stories • Handles books appropriately • Understands functions of print • Associates printed and spoken words • Experiments with writing tools • Progresses from scribbles to letter-like forms to letters • Begins to associate name of letter with its shape and sound	High/Scope Key Experiences • Writing in various ways: drawing, scribbling, letter-like forms, invented spelling, conventional forms • Reading in various ways: reading storybooks, signs and symbols, one's own writing • Dictating stories How High/Scope Supports Child Development • Each child has a unique written symbol • The classroom is print-rich: symbols, signs, labels, words, books, magazines, computers • Adults read to children in intimate settings, one-on-one and in small groups • Children read to one another • Children use a variety of writing tools to make plans, carry them out, and represent them during recall • Children dictate captions & stories; they see their spoken words written down
Domain: Social-emotional Elements: • Self-control • Cooperation • Social relationships Sample Indicators: • Expresses feelings, needs, and opinions without harming self, others, property • Understands consequences of one's own actions • Responds with sympathy and empathy to peers	High/Scope Key Experiences • Approach calmly, stopping any hurtful actions or language • Acknowledge feelings • Gather information • Restate the problem • Ask for ideas for solutions and choose one together • Give follow-up support as needed How High/Scope Supports Child Development • Adults listen to children so children listen to one another • Adults help children find non-harmful words and actions to express feelings • Children describe the problem in their own words • Children think about how their proposed solutions will affect others • Adults respect the children's agreed-on solution even if it is not one the adult would choose

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