The Early Head Start Curriculum integrates Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers and Two’s, 5th Edition Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers, The Anti-Bias Curriculum, Babies Can’t Wait – Relationship-based Home Visiting, SETA Early Head Start Infant & Toddler Teacher’s Took Kit, and Head Start Performance Standards.
Early Head Start Curriculum Foundation
Our curriculum model for Pre-Natal and Home-based children under one year of age is Partners for a Healthy Baby, and Helping Babies Learn.
These models were chosen because they:
- Are based on sound child development theories about how children develop and learn
- Acknowledge the importance of establishing a partnership with parents and involving them in meaningful ways
- Recognize that every individual is rooted in culture and has the right to maintain his or her own identity and that culture and family are at the core of children’s social and emotional development
- Key Concepts
The key concepts for creating quality group and home-based models are:
- Strength based, family centered
- Parent-child relationship focused
- Parent input
- Respectful, responsive, relationship based
- Individualized
- Inclusive
- Healthy and safe
- Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant
- Comprehensive in-transition planning
In addition, in order to achieve quality center-based toddler care, the key concepts of early group experience address are:
- Small groups for toddlers, with high staff-to-child ratios
- Primary care teachers
- Continuity of care
- Responsive individualized caregiving/planning
- Meeting the needs of the individual within the group context
- Developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant learning environment.
