ECE412NAA Week 1 Defining Quality Early Childhood Programs Notes PDF

**ECE412NAA Week 1 Defining Quality Early Childhood Programs** - summarize the benefits of early childhood experiences - outline and appreciate multiple rationales for early childhood programs - identify the principles that guide a quality framework as well as potential barriers -...

**ECE412NAA Week 1 Defining Quality Early Childhood Programs** - summarize the benefits of early childhood experiences - outline and appreciate multiple rationales for early childhood programs - identify the principles that guide a quality framework as well as potential barriers - identify the factors and elements contributing to effective early childhood programs Side 2 The quality of early childhood education matters not only because it affects the everyday experiences of children, but also because the benefits are realized only if the services provided are of high quality. A high-quality early childhood education program provides **a safe and nurturing environment** while **promoting the [physical, social, emotional and intellectual] development** of a young child. As we know children\'s earliest experiences can have **substantial and long-lasting effects on their development,** while some programs do an excellent job, others not so, and even others may put children at risk. Programs different in forms, function, Hospice, and how the environment is regulated. **what is most important is the [relationship between the teachers, children, and the families.]** Slide 4 **In term of Quality**, refers to the extent to which something **is desirable or meets more than minimal standards**. let\'s look at a short video on high quality childcare. Slide 5 Every day of the work week, young children and their parents are welcomed at childcare in cities, towns, and rural communities in every part of Canada. **[This contemporary phenomenon is driven by two main things:]** **First,** the idea that high quality early childhood programs **[provide first rate learning environments]** for young children, **Second,** by one of the most important social changes of the last 50 years, **[the employment of women in the paid labor force]**. [ ] In Canada today **[70% of mothers of three-year olds are in the labor force]**, and many more are studying or in training. For today\'s parents, childcare is a valued service to which they confidently entrust their children every day. assured that their children will be **safe,** and **nurtured, encouraged, appreciated, well-cared for, happy and learning.** Childcare centers should be places **where children have fun, make friends,** and **learn new things.** **High Quality Childcare** supports **[lifelong learning]**, offering **[social, intellectual, creative, and emotional opportunities]**. **From DALE :** High Quality Early Childhood Education can be defined from many perspectives: **[\*\*\*For Most Parents:]** - Quality childcare **safeguards a child\'s health and safety**, the child is **happy**, and the program is **conveniently located and affordable**. - for many parents: quality childcare is key to **balancing work and family**, so that parents have **Peace of Mind while they\'re at work** - other parents may define a high-quality program as **incorporating tangible school readiness activities**, such as pre or **early reading or learning to count**, or highlighting **learning social skills** such as cooperation - or they may define a quality environment as one in which **their family\'s culture and their child\'s abilities are respected** - or parents may define high quality childcare as an environment in which **their child is happy**, **makes friends**, **has interesting and positive experiences**, **and learns about a wide range of things**, - or all the above and more. **[\*\*\*For Children:]** a high-quality program may mean **feeling accepted for who they are, no matter what their ability or culture**. it means **having friends and responsive adults**, being **emotionally and physically comfortable**, and **the possibility of having a variety of fun**, **interesting** and **engaging activities**. **[\*\*\*For ECEs:]** Quality childcare **supports the integration of theory**, and **practice**, and **resourcefulness** The environment supports **collaboration with other adults and professionals** engaging in meaningful work **[\*\*\* Research:]** suggests that effectiveness of early childhood education is **highly linked to ongoing professional learning** that supports educators interactions with children **[\*\*\*For Society:]** high quality childcare **prepares our children to contribute back to their communities** **[\*\*\*Experts: ]** **researched the elements of high-quality childcare that informs our practice** Lillian Katz is an international leader and early childhood education; she taught at the University of Illinois for more than three decades; she notes that **[these perspectives are different but interrelated]** 1. **the Expert perspective: "Top-Down" perspective:** 2. the **Children\'s perspectives: "Bottom-Up" perspective:** 3. the **Staff Members' perspectives: "Inside" perspective**: it involves **job satisfaction and retention** 4. the **Parents perspective: "Outside-Inside" perspective:** 5. the **Community or Society: "Outside" perspective:** A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated at the heart of the model is a **["Microsystem"]** is centering on the developing child within his or her **immediate setting**: the **family** and the **ECE program**, it is made-up of the **physical environment, the resources** within it, and the **curriculum**. The **relationships between parents, caregiver and the child** and the **interactions among children**. the second level is the **["Mesosystem"]** where different Microsystems are linked together through relationships outside the mesosystem is the ["**Exosystem"**] which represents the s**ocial structures that influence the setting the child experiences.** all the relationships are located within the **["Macrosystem"]**. this encompasses the ideologies and patterns of culture, such as **economic, educational, legal, and political systems** **the quality of services depends on the interactions of these 4 dynamic systems** I\'m now going to talk about **the elements of quality environments:** - one of the strongest indicators of quality environments is the **[child-adult ratio.]** Research indicates **[the higher the ratio the better the quality]** of the program. - **[Group size]** is another important element of quality environments. Research indicates **[the lower the group size the better the quality]** of the program. - in regard to **[equitable access]**, all children have the right to participate in programs that enable them to **[reach their full potential]**. - [**programs need to be clear, explicit**, and **educationally relevant, and responsive to pedological framework, supporting the understanding of how children learn.**] **[EXAM!!!]** A screenshot of a computer screen Description automatically generated \*\*\*this chart is adopted directly from **schedule one of the childcare and early years act.** **Element of quality environments:** 1. **Quality of child-adult relationships,** 2. **Staff qualifications,** 3. **Staff consistency,** 4. **Monitoring and evaluation,** 5. **Ongoing professional practice development,** 6. **Quality of the physical environment** 1. **Quality of Child-Adult Relationships:** a quality program supports warm and positive relationships 2. **Staff Qualifications:** this is referred to as process quality research states that: the higher the staff qualifications, the more they will have **available to contribute positively to the program**. Right now, you\'re working towards your minimum credential of an ECE diploma. If you go on in your studies to get your degree or your masters, the knowledge, you gain from those medications will enhance and inform your practice. 3. **Staff Consistency:** consistency is important. imagine going to school one week, spending time to develop relationships with your teacher, then, next week, when you arrive to class, A completely different person is there, now you have to begin developing those relationships all over again. the same thing happens to children in childcare. 4. **Monitoring and Evaluation:** good quality early childhood programs are continually reviewing their practice through **evaluation and assessment** in order to enhance the quality of their program delivery. 5. **Ongoing Professional Practice Development:** Quality environment support the ongoing professional practice of staff. Research shows that the more exposure staff have to professional development, the more the quality of the program increases. Professional development could be done in **formal settings**, such as **conferences, courses, seminars, retreats, and workshops**. **Informal opportunities** for teacher professional development include independent **research, or investigation, peer learning initiatives, or even just chatting with a colleague in a staff room**. 6. **Quality of the physical environment:** Ongoing research shows that **intentional family involvement** enriches the quality of programs as a support for children\'s development. Parent involvement **helps extend teaching outside the classroom and creates a more seamless experience for children**. Parents who are involved in their children\'s education create a **connection between the home and school**. those who participate along with the children are Privy to the many aspects of the child\'s day. At home they are able to replicate and extend activities that their children experience at school. For the greatest impact to improve quality environments, a combination of any of or all of these elements would be pronounced. Research tells us that early childhood experiences can affect later outcomes in life. We want all Toronto children to have access to developmentally appropriate play based early learning experiences in a safe and nurturing environment. To ensure quality childcare is offered to families, **the city assesses license programs using an ["Assessment for Quality Improvement"] in other words** ["**AQI":**] the **Results** of this assessment are called **Quality Ratings** and are **posted online for all parents to view**. next you will view a video introducing the assessment for quality improvement Slide 6 YouTube: Hello, my name is Elaine Baxter-Trahair, General Manager of Children\'s Services at the City of Toronto. I am very happy to be introducing this webinar, which provides a series of short modules about the Early Learning and their Assessment for Quality Improvement. Each module is tailored to center supervisors, frontline educators, and members of a childcare board of directors. We are very proud that the AQI measure has been validated as the [only **Canadian tool for assessing quality in early learning settings**.] We have again demonstrated the progressive thinking and innovation that make Toronto a leader in the field of early learning. Now, let\'s turn our focus to the assessment measure itself. How has Toronto\'s assessment measure evolved over the years? Back in the **[1980s]**, the **original version** was used as a **self-assessment tool to support center staff** in setting goals. Over the next two decades, the measure itself evolved little **[until 2008], when Children\'s Services published the ratings on the web page**. This step **provided families with more information when determining their childcare choice**. Operators began to use the ratings as a marketing tool. Posting the ratings led to an increase in the number of centers meeting minimum requirements. **Before, approximately 67% of centers met minimum requirements. [After publishing the ratings,] the number of centers meeting minimum requirements increased to over 90%. As of 2013, 95% met the minimum requirements**. **[In 2009,]** **Children\'s Services partnered with the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE)** in a study to verify that our assessment tool was, in fact, measuring quality in early learning programs. At that time, OISE recommended that we review our assessment measure and consider how we could better identify the centers achieving well and providing high-quality programs. OISE recommended moving **from a four- to five-point scale**. In 2012 and 2013, Children\'s Services embarked on its review of the existing assessment measure. The process examined early childhood best practices and research and conducted community consultations. In January **2014**, we introduced the revised measure, **Assessment for Quality Improvement (AQI),** to the childcare community. We offered 20 community information sessions, reaching out to over 1900 supervisors, educators, and other interested stakeholders. The Quality Assurance Unit also offered the opportunity for QAAs to visit childcare centers and answer staff questions about the assessment measure and processes. This was the first time that Children\'s Services had offered this amount of support when rolling out new assessment expectations. The assessment measure, or AQI, includes a number of program sections: **[the infant, toddler, preschool, school-age, nutrition, and playground aspects of a childcare program]**. All these sections are **[reviewed by the QAAs]**. The administration, financial, and governance sections are reviewed by the centre's district consultant. These sections look at the day-to-day operations of the childcare center, ensuring that there are sound practices in place to support financial viability. Each center that has an annual assessment receives a **[\"Quality Makes a Difference\" sticker]** to display in their center. The sticker assures families that the center participates in an annual assessment process and acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the staff. Quality does make a difference. Together, we can ensure that high-quality early learning programs are available to families across Toronto. We hope you find the following series of short modules useful in your journey through continuous quality improvement. Slide 7: Framework of Quality include: **The three opponents of quality are** 1. **Dynamics** 2. **Framework** 3. **Contexts** **Dynamics:** Respect/ Responsiveness/ Reciprocity of learning **Framework:** Understanding development/ Number of children/ Integration of learning experiences/ Physical environment **Contexts:** Work environment/ Funding/ Regulation/ Voluntary standards Dynamics of quality include respect for children and families and respect for self. Responsiveness in good quality care provides emotional security, frequent communication, and engagement to play and exploring. Responsive adults can read children\'s verbal and nonverbal signals, and they react properly to children\'s needs and requests. Learning is reciprocal and relies on it as a two-way process; you are learning from the children, and the children are learning from you. Framework of quality includes the knowledge of child development. The number of children that a caregiver is responsible for will directly affect quality. High-quality programs consider the whole child, and the physical environment is a powerful influencer on behaviour. The context of quality: 1. Work environment 2. Funding 3. Regulation 4. Voluntary standards includes items such as: is the work environment a positive one? Is there a constant funding issue? Are regulations kept at the minimal? Is there a trend to increase standards to increase quality? Slide 8: all the early childhood programs rely on everyone doing their part leaders are critically important in developing strategies to ensure better quality programs. Think about your experience with a current or past supervisor director or owner, identify which of these strategies if any have been used in the following polls