Quality Curriculum Components (QCC) for Center Based Early Education and Care-Updated November 2012
Vision:
Mission:
Beliefs:
Code of Ethics:
Young children are ready to succeed in school and in life.
We advance the success of young children by partnering with families, professionals and the community through exemplary services, training, research and advocacy.
We accomplish our mission within a culture of innovation, collaboration and shared leadership.
We believe in children. We believe in families. We believe in our community. We believe in ourselves.
Strength Based Practices; Integrity; and Excellence
STARS/Accreditation
Strengths
 Knowledge of STARS/Accreditation and best practices
 Environmental rating scales and accreditation checklists
 Full time staff are credentialed
 Classroom environments are rich in materials
 Staff meetings reflect discussion of best practice
Goals
 All enrolled children are in high quality environments
 All eligible programs are 3-4 STAR rated and nationally
accredited
 Centers’ STARS Environmental rating scores are 4.5 or higher
 No deficiencies received on licensing visits
 All staff training hours in compliance
 All staff are knowledgeable about licensing and quality
indicators
Strategies
 Director and/or peers (teacher-to-teacher) complete weekly
observations with feedback and coaching on best practices
 Staff self-monitor daily classroom environment and practice to
ensure quality standards are met
 Staff inform director of any deficiency areas
 STARS Binders up to date and NAC/NAEYC portfolios are up
to date and checked quarterly by director
 Staff take responsibility for obtaining their training hours
 Staff Training Binder is up to date and training documented and
checked monthly by director
 All staff read and know regulations and abide by the principles
of regulations and quality ratings
 Staff and/or Director complete/review classroom national
accreditation self-study at least annually
 Deficiencies are addressed and corrected immediately
 All licensing mandates and quality standards are in good
standing each day with no deficiency areas
 Directors’ Classroom Observation Binder is in place and
up-to-date
Partners with Families
Strengths
 All full time staff are credentialed and attend on-going training
to develop proficiencies and mastery of skills
 Staff communicate with families frequently and through
multiple venues with opportunities for family involvement
 Assessment information is available to parents
 Information on Dialogic Reading is available
 Information on Baby Teeth Matter is available
 How to conference with parents video is available
 Resources such as Born Learning, KY Standard Parent Guides,
Oregon Brain Series and other materials are available
 KY School Readiness brochure is available
Goals
 All families receive support and communication from staff
 All families are involved and feel welcome
 All families are knowledgeable about dialogic reading
 All families receive oral health education
 Full time staff complete certificate level
 All Parents have positive relationships with staff
 All families will understand KY School Readiness definition
Strategies
 All families experience a positive 60 second conference at least
weekly (Child-Classroom-Home) at drop-off and/or pick-up
 All families experience the “10 ft rule” and open door policy
 Parents/children are greeted arrive/depart and called by name
 All families complete an annual parent survey
 Survey data is analyzed and shared with staff and parents
 All families receive formal/informal child evaluation quarterly
 All directors and staff receive on-going training and coaching
 All full time staff have a current Family Partnership Certificate
 Watch Me Grow conferences are held at least quarterly
 Take home backpacks for parent/child are utilized
 Bios of teachers posted for each room
 Multiple visual tools are utilized to communicate appropriate
information to families (classrooms/halls)
 Individual Daily Notes for Infant/Toddler given to parent
 Daily Classroom Notes posted for Preschool/Kindergarten
 Home to school items are displayed i.e. photos
 At least 4 annual family all center events/activities
 Opportunities are available for families to volunteer/participate
 There is a variety of opportunities for parent education
 All families complete a Parent Partnership Agreement and
review it with teachers at least twice a year
 All families view the Oregon Brain Series
 All families will review the KY School Readiness Brochure
Arts
Strengths
 Staff are knowledgeable in the integration of arts across the
curriculum
 Opportunities for on-going training and interface with CI
Music/Movement Specialist and Growing Sound
 Daily practice reflects a variety of arts experiences
 Staff/directors are creative in providing new arts opportunities
 In-house music director and dance specialist
 Growing Sound materials are available
 Annual event to showcase children’s work/abilities
 Early Childhood Standards teacher and parent guides
Literacy
Strengths
 All full time staff are credentialed
 All staff attend on-going training to develop mastery and
proficiencies in literacy curriculum and integration
 Environments are rich in literacy materials and resources
 Community resources are available
 Communication with families around literacy and dialogic
reading to bridge to home
 Early Childhood Standards teacher and parent guides
 Building Literacy From The Beginning pamphlet describes areas
of literacy development
Goals
 All children have daily experiences in the Arts
 The Arts are integrated into daily curriculum
 Environments are rich in arts curriculum and materials
Goals
 All children develop language and literacy skills to prepare them
for success in school and life
 Literacy is integrated into all curriculum areas
 All classrooms reflect best practices in early literacy through
planning, interactions, curriculum, and total environment
 Teachers demonstrate effectiveness with building children’s
literacy and language skills through Oral Language
Development; Auditory Development /Listening Skills; Book
and Print Awareness; Phonological Awareness; and Prewriting Experiences (outlined in Building Literacy pamphlet)
Strategies
 Children’s works in the arts are visible in the environment and
shared with families
 Framework/Lesson Plan are current and reflect arts integration
linked to Early Childhood Standards for Creative Expression
and Arts and Humanities
 Teachers integrate music and movement and other art activities
into daily curriculum, lesson plans/Framework
 CI music and dance specialists visit programs and provide
on-site coaching and training to staff
 Children’s work/artifacts are displayed at the annual spring
parent event and throughout the year
Strategies
 Framework/Lesson plans are current and reflect Early
Childhood Standards for Communication and Language Arts
 Literacy Checklists completed for each child 2X/yr and
reviewed monthly
 Classrooms have an abundance of visual evidence for literacy
activities and materials in the environment
 All directors and staff receive on-going training, coaching, and
collaboration on literacy/language advancement
 Weekly observations by director and/or peers (teacher-toteacher) provide support to staff for continuous improvement
 Learning is bridged to home through parent communication and
take home activities
 Staff communicate to parents about materials and information
that help parents advance their child’s literacy/language skills
 A lending library is available to parents
 Take home literacy backpacks for parent/child are utilized
 All staff have a current Literacy Certificate
Professional Development
Strengths
 On-line trainings available through CCEI
 KY Standards incorporated into Framework
 In-house Training Department for advanced topics
 Annual Professional Development Plans
 Staff meetings
 Center Support Team (CST) in place as added resource
 High Scope or Montessori curriculum
 Certificate level in place for Literacy, Social-Emotional, and
Family Partnerships
 Children, Inc. Learning Links website resource available
Goals
 All staff are actively and intentionally engaged in the acquisition
and application of knowledge, skills, and transfer into practice
 All staff take responsibility for their own professional
development and achieve a mastery level of practice
 Child Assessment information is used to plan group and
individual lessons/activities and communicate to families
 Curriculum is implemented at a high level of proficiency with
Montessori or High Scope in all classrooms
 Framework /Daily Lesson Plan align with curriculum and is
observable in classroom practices
Strategies
 Staff utilize CCEI on-line training and face-to-face trainings to
personalize their professional development goals
 Records show that Director observes all classroom weekly to
validate best practices in all QCC areas
 Framework/Daily Lesson Plans are up to date and posted
 Current monthly review by director with initialized sign-off on
Framework/Daily Lesson Plan
 All staff have a current Professional Development Plan with
training linked to areas of growth/interest
 Directors meet with staff at least annually to update Professional
Development Plan
 Documentation of group and individual Lesson Plans
 Watch Me Grow completed and shared with all families at least
quarterly
 Annual Staff Evaluation demonstrate acceptable range of
knowledge, skills, and transfer into practice
 Staff create portfolio for each child in his/her classroom that
reflect all QCC areas
 All full time staff achieve Literacy, Family Partnership and
Social Emotional Certificates with annual renewal
 Documentation shows staff achieve Certificates in all areas
within one year of hire date with current renewal status
Social/Emotional
Strengths
 All full time staff are credentialed and attend on-going training
to develop proficiencies in Social Emotional practices
 Early Childhood Standards teacher and parent guides
 Use of DECA program to measure/promote protective
factors/reduce behavioral concerns
 Strength based approach
 Materials to support social/emotional environments
 For Now and Forever publication and guide for families
 Growing Sound materials available
Goals
 All children develop resiliency through mastery of skills and
feelings with support at school and home
 Environments are rich in social emotional curriculum and
activities
 Children develop social emotional skills and behaviors to help
them succeed in school and in life
Strategies
 All directors and staff receive on-going training and coaching
 Staff model healthy social emotional behaviors
 Social emotional information is shared with families
 For Now and Forever publication and guide is utilized
 Documentation and action plans show all classrooms use
reflective checklists 2x/year (SPADE OR CARE)
Infant/Toddler classrooms:
CARE: Connecting with families; Activities and routines;
Responsive Care Giving; and Environment
Preschool and kindergarten classrooms:
SPADE: Supportive Interactions; Partnering With Families;
Activities and Experiences; Daily Programming; and
Environment
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Documentation shows weekly observations of children
DECA is administered 2x/year with results summarized and
shared with parents
Individual/classroom profiles are used to inform practice and
plan (universal and targeted) classroom/individual interventions
and evaluate progress
Social Emotional activities are incorporated in
Framework/Daily Lesson Plan reflect Early Childhood
Standards in Social Emotional, Social Studies, and Health
Education
Documentation of referrals when appropriate
FLIP IT strategies are used to support children and problemsolving
Growing Sound materials are utilized in the classroom
All directors and staff have a Social Emotional Certificate with
up-to-date annual renewal
Health
Strengths
 Color Me Healthy materials in classrooms
 Annual Hearing, Vision, and BMI (Body Mass Index) data
 USDA Food Program w/ Quarterly Menu Review
 Total of one hour of planned physical activity per day reflected
in all daily schedules
 Early Childhood Standards teacher and parent guides
 Well-equipped large motor areas and outdoor classrooms
 Music and Movement Specialist
 Oral Health Educational materials (DVD, magnet, and
brochures) for families
 Health Department as a resource
 Gateway, Brown-Mackie, and Thomas More nursing students as
resource to assist with health curriculum
 Enrollment packet captures medical and dental home
 Tooth bushing as part of daily activities
Goals
 All children are healthy and receive support to make positive
life style choices and develop habits that promote health and
well-being
 Staff/director are knowledgeable about child health issues and
curriculum
 Staff model for families/children healthy lifestyle choices
 Health curriculum and practices can be validated at the
classroom and center level
 Early Childhood Standards are reflected in Framework
 All classroom/centers demonstrate best practices in health and
safety (i.e. hand washing, sanitizing, supervision)
 Staff communicate with families and provide motivational
resources and materials on health issues
Strategies
 Staff collect and data is analyzed to inform practice and
implement health curriculum and health practices at the center
 Record of annual vision/hearing screenings with parent followup if needed and documentation of outcome
 Immunizations monitored and up-to-date
 All families have identified medical and dental homes and
documented on student data sheet/enrollment packet
 Record of gross/fine motor assessment
 Record of BMI for each child
 Framework reflects nutrition, oral health, exercise
 Daily tooth brushing with sanitary procedures observed
 Record of follow up and referrals for all health concerns
 Motivational resources and materials are shared with families
 USDA Specialist reviews menu quarterly
 All licensing and quality standards for health and safety are in
place and observed each day
 Each staff attends an annual Blood borne Pathogen training
 Health information is bridged from school to home
 All staff have viewed the Baby Teeth Matter DVD
 All staff understand BMI information and promote healthy
eating and exercise through materials and example
Assessments
Strengths
 Use of electronic formal assessments tools with feedback loop
for teachers and families
 Teachers experienced in administering nationally-normed
assessment instruments
 Directors/Teachers are data-users to inform practice
 LAP, DECA, and other tools in place for pre and post testing
annually
 Assessment/Data Specialist in Central Office
 Watch Me Grow materials in place
Goals
 All children are supported by teachers and their families based
on their individual strengths and goals.
 Assessment information is reflected in Framework/Daily
Lesson Plan and classroom practices
 Individual plans for each child are in place and reviewed
monthly
 Assessment information is shared with families and learning
strategies are bridged to home
 All staff understand the importance of and how to utilize
assessment information to inform classroom practice
Strategies
 Use of authentic assessment (continuous/informal) assessment
by observing, recording, interpreting, reflecting and use of
portfolios
 Communicating with families about assessment data to enrich
and inform by means of conferences or other verbal/written
communication (at least quarterly)
 Portfolios, daily reports, parent reports from formal assessment
and informal communication are utilized to keep parent
informed and in the partnership
 Use of formal assessment with Pre and Post tests completed
2 times/year
 Child individual and targeted plans in place
 Record of communication with families includes Watch Me
Grow with documented times and dates
 Record of referrals when needed
 Environments reflect activities to enhance child’s mastery of
skills in each assessment area
 Parents are involved in the assessment process utilizing the
ASQ, DECA and other assessment tools. Feedback is then
shared with the parent
 Directors’ observe and ensure tracking of children identified
with areas of concern on formal assessments
 Coaching on assessment/data use by Assessment/Data Specialist
QCC Initiative Summary – Across All Centers and Measurable
Requirements for Certificates:
All Center Directors achieve Certificates in Literacy, Social/Emotional, and Family Partnerships within a year of becoming a Director.
All Lead Teachers achieve Early Literacy, Social/Emotional, and Family Partnerships within a year of becoming a Lead Teacher.
All Certificates are required to be renewed annually.
Kentucky Standards reflected in all areas using the Framework.
High Scope or Montessori curriculum in all classrooms with children ages 3 and older.
Color Me Healthy curriculum in all classrooms with children ages 2 and older.
Watch Me Grow tool used as part of communication to parents on child assessment information for all ages.
KY School Readiness Review with parents.
Parent Partnership Agreement