CT

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CTs Guidelines for the Development of Infant and
Toddler Early Learning
Connecticuts Infant Toddler Strategic Planning
Process Informational Forum January
18, 2007 Presenters Anna Figueroa
Deb Flis
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Agenda

• National Context and CT History
• What are Early Learning Guidelines (ELG)?
• Alignment of CTs I/T ELGs with CTs Preschool
  Benchmarks
• CTs DRAFT Guidelines
• Description and organization
• How to use the document
• Feedback form CT Forums and Pilot

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National Context

• Many states are developing infant and toddler
  early learning guidelines. A few states are
  looking at next steps linking to training,
  curriculum assessment
• Formal licensed programs serve only a small
  number of infants and toddlers.
• - Children birth - 3 are overwhelmingly cared
  for by Kith Kin
  providers
• - Important that guidelines be easily
  understood by providers
• National Infant Toddler Child Care Initiative _at_
  Zero to Three
• CT Award (June 03 to Sept. 04)

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Connecticut History

• Charge
• To develop infant toddler early learning
  guidelines that are designed to support
  caregivers working with children under three in
  various settings by providing information on
  infant and toddler development, guidance on best
  practice and tools to facilitate each childs
  optimal growth and development.

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Connecticut History

• Convening of Work Group
• Review of National and State Documents
• Draft issued (January 05)
• Forums conducted (March April 2005)
• Pilots (June-December 2006)

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Work Group Participants

• Dana Abbott, Ph.D.
• AJ Pappanikou Center for Excellence in
• Developmental Disability
• Judith August, School Psychologist
• Darcey School Early Childhood Center
• Cheshire Public Schools
• Mary Ann Dayton-Fitzgerald, Supervisor
• Early Childhood Intervention Program - DCF
• Anna Figueroa, Manager Early
• Childhood Programs - Wheeler Clinic
• Linda Goodman, Director
• CT Birth to Three System
• Pam Langer, Director
• CT Parents Plus
• Sherry Linton, EHS Coordinator
• Family Development Center Manchester
• Memorial Hospital

• Charlotte Madison, Executive Director
• Child Development Laboratories - UCONN
• Denise Merrill, Director
• Child Health and Development Institute
• Anne Newkirk, Program Coordinator
• TPCD Wheeler Clinic
• Donna Notti, Cheshire Public Schools
• Peter Palermino, Program Manager
• Department of Social Services
• Elizabeth Shack
• Maria Synodi, Education Consultant
• Department of Education
• Grace Whitney, Director
• Head Start Collaborative DSS
• Libby Zimmerman, Ph.D., LICSW
• Infant Toddler Mental Health Consultant

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What are Early Learning Guidelines?

• Describe what children need to know, understand
  and be able to do at various ages
• Guide what adults who work with young children
  will do to support healthy growth and
  development
• Informs curriculum development/the design of play
  spaces
• Provides a foundation for professional
  development
• Establishes a framework for the development of
  assessment tools.

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Why are Early Learning Guidelines Important?

• Guidelines allow us to highlight the importance
  of the adult child relationship in any setting
  where children are cared for
• Maintain focus on interaction with the child
• Provide an appropriate setting for infants and
  toddlers
• Ensure quality of care
• Create a shared framework and common language for
  providers, parents and program administrators

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Alignment of CTs ELG for
Infants and Toddlers with CTs Preschool
Benchmarks

• SDE workgroup and forum participation
• Review of The CT Framework
• Preschool Curricular Goals Benchmarks
• Consistent Guiding Principles
• Consistent Developmental Domains and Philosophy
  on Interdependence of Domains
• Creation of SDE Position Statement on Infants and
  Toddlers

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CTs Guidelines for the Development of Infant and
Toddler Early Learning

• This document is
• - A voluntary informational tool
• A description of child development birth 3
  years
• A guide for I/T providers in their support of
  childrens healthy growth and development

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CTs Guidelines for the Development of Infant and
Toddler Early Learning

• The Early Learning Guidelines are not a
  curriculum!
• A curriculum describes the what, why, and how of
  programming by guiding caregivers through the
  processes of planning, implementing, and
  evaluating a developmentally appropriate program.
  (The Creative Curriculum for Infants Toddlers,
  1997)

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CTs Guidelines for the Development of Infant and
Toddler Early Learning

• Organization of the document
• by 7 age ranges
• Birth to 3 months
• 3 to 6 months
• 6 to 9 months
• 9 to 12 months
• 12 to 18 months
• 18 to 24 months
• 24 to 36 months

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Organization of the Document

• Each age range is grouped by areas of childrens
  development Developmental Domains
• Personal and Social Development
• Physical Development
• Cognitive Development
• Language and Communication

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Organization of the document

• Each stage of development
• Description of what you can expect to see in this
  age range.
• Suggestions on toys and materials
• Suggestions on the design of space
• Ways that adults can support healthy growth and
  development through interactions

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Organization of the document

• Did you know? boxes that feature best practice
  and research on developmental highlights.
• Sample activities
• Close-up section that illustrates supportive
  interactions between caregiver and baby and/or
  peer.

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How to use the document

• Seek information on infant and toddler
  development, explore where a child is
  developmentally and look to see what might occur
  next in the childs development
• Guide planning and intentional interactions with
  infants and toddlers
• Create safe, appropriate, nurturing environments
• Enhance parent knowledge, involvement and support

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How to use the document

• Improve caregiver-parent communication about
  developmental progress
• Support caregiver modeling and communication with
  parent
• Guide selection of materials and equipment
• Frame pre-service and in-service training
• Introduce state and national resources

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Statewide Forums Consolidated Feedback

• Great teaching training tool
• Great resource for center staff, FRC, FCC, home
  visitors, PAT
• It validates I/T teachers as professionals
• Can use to note a developmental concern
• Very user-friendly
• Format graphics good keep colorful
• This is exactly what we need

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Statewide Forums Consolidated Feedback

• Further Work
• Keep audience clear I/T Providers
• Include parent friendly Pull-Outs
• Spanish version
• Create notebook format
• Create training support system
• Companion Documents
• Curriculum - Higher Education Use
• Assessment

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Pilot of CTs Guidelines

• Caregiver / site participation
• Kith Kin
• Licensed family homes
• Center-based
• Training on the document
• On-site support to use the document
• Program and Provider Incentives
• Materials - Stipends

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Pilot Feedback

• Intentionality Lets go to the Guidelines
• Providers used guidelines to talk with parents
  about what was happening with their child
  developmentally.
• Used as an integral part of the centers open
  house. A tool to talk with parents about center
  programming for I/T.
• Used document to help and focus work
• Relationship between coaches and providers is
  critical!

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Pilot Feedback

• Coaches felt that as consultants they were able
  to connect to something tangible
• Liked having information on development and
  environments in one spot
• The guidelines were used to help select materials
• Pilot sites will continue to use document
• Need more pictures
• Need Spanish version

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Pilot Feedback

• You know development takes place. Having this
  helps you know what is coming and makes you more
  aware of milestones.
• Sometimes providers have too many resources and
  never look at them. You dont need anything else.
  You can get everything here you need. It is
  simple and digestible.
• The guidelines are Concise, distilled to what
  you need to know

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Next Steps

• Publication of Early Learning Guidelines by DSS
  in progress FY 07
• Dissemination of document through AFP
• Training
• Development of a cadre of I/T Specialists
  (Coaches)
• Training, resources and ongoing support

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Next Steps continued

• Companion documents
• Crosswalk with existing documents
• Creative Curriculum, Ages Stages, etc.
• Curriculum resource document
• Observation and Assessment Tools
• Resources

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Access to Document

• nccic.org/itcc
• National Child Care Information Center Website
• Select Initiatives CT - View