Woodward - The Redleaf family child care curriculum: teaching through quality care

Published by Redleaf Press

10 Yorkton Court

St. Paul, MN 55117

www.redleafpress.org

2011, 2015 by Sharon Woodward

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted on a specific page, no portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or capturing on any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.

First edition 2011. Second edition 2015.

Cover design by Elizabeth Berry

Cover photograph by Silke Woweries/Corbis

Interior design by Mayfly Design

Typeset in the Whitman and Meta typefaces

Interior illustrations by Todd Balthazor

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Woodward, Sharon.

[Family child care curriculum]

The Redleaf family child care curriculum: teaching through quality care / Sharon Woodward. Second edition.

pages cm

Earlier edition published as: Family child care curriculum: teaching through quality care.

Includes index.

Summary: This book allows providers to closely align the entire family child care curriculum to a broader range of state early learning standards. The complete curriculum is easy to use and provides activities in each domain that are designed for family child care programs with mixed-age children, along with age-appropriate outcomes, daily schedules, and letters to familiesProvided by publisher.

ISBN 978-1-60554-415-1 (ebook)

1. Family day careActivity programs. 2. Early childhood education. 3. Child development. I. Title.

HQ778.63.W662 2015

362.71'2dc23

2014049621

For Philip, Jamie, Michael, and always, Davidmy most rewarding learning experience

Contents

SINCE WRITING THE FIRST EDITION OF THIS CURRICULUM AND WORKING WITH providers who are using it, it has occurred to me that purchasing a curriculum is a great deal like purchasing a pair of shoes. Its easy to see shoes on a shelf or in a magazine and imagine how great it would be to own them. Often the temptation to be stylish can be overwhelming. The reality, however, is that if the shoes dont fit correctly or were never intended to be worn the way you would like to wear them, they will probably end up in the back of your closet.

The same holds true for curriculum. Any curriculum you decide to implement needs to fit. A curriculum that fits should be easy to implement, just as a good pair of shoes should be easy to walk in. If you choose to implement a curriculum that does not accurately reflect your environment, does not allow you to meet the developmental needs of children in a realistic way, and does not correspond to how you actually feel about child care, its simply not a good fit.

When the Family Child Care Curriculum was originally published in 2011, I intended to create a resource that family child care providers could easily apply to their programs. This was very important to me. The intention of the original curriculum was to provide a realistic framework that would be a good fit for a typical family child care environment.

A short time after the publication of the curriculum, Redleaf Press issued a companion developmental assessment. The assessment booklet provided a wonderful addition to the curriculum. The information in the assessment, as in the curriculum, is presented in a straightforward and easy-to-use format. We wanted to provide tools that would allow providers to meet expanding expectations while maintaining the character of their family child care programs.

Because the field of early child care is constantly changing based on an increased understanding of how children grow and develop, and because programs continually change as providers gain more experience and knowledge, your resources need to change as well. To support these changes, we have added additional and relevant information to both the curriculum and the assessment booklet.

You will find a new unit that focuses on approaches to learning along with a new corresponding section in the developmental assessment booklet. We have included additional information for creating an inclusive environment, and we have provided some suggestions on ways in which you can adapt activities to include all the children in your program. You will also find additional activities that focus on science, math, and preliteracy. We have organized this book to allow you to identify specific activities to facilitate the specific developmental outcomes of the children in your care.

The new information better aligns with expanded state requirements while maintaining the ease of use and good fit that are so important. Now its up to you to use this curriculum to facilitate learning for the children in your care. After all, any curriculum is only as good as your ability to implement it. The new activities remain home friendly and reflect the reality of working with mixed-age groups.

You do amazing work. Family child care providers offer an incredibly valuable service to parents and children. Your curriculum should not only work well in meeting the needs of children, but it must meet your needs as well. A curriculum that fits should be flexible enough that you can easily adapt it to your environment and your changing enrollment. I hope you find the new information in this revised edition helpful, and I hope it provides support in your very important work.

Thank you to Frances and Daniel Brunelle, who always told me I could.

Thank you to Donna Hurley for her great support as a friend and business partner.

To Paul Hughes, who continues to provide support and critical feedback.

To Kyra Ostendorf, who does such amazing work and who was instrumental in this curriculum getting published.

To Martin DeJesus, Philip Breen, Jamie Woodward, and Michael Messina, without whom I could not imagine writing anything.

To Cathy Hill, who generously shared her knowledge and enthusiasm about children and the importance of creating environments that are both inclusive and accommodating. Cathy, you are a truly extraordinary woman who enriches the lives of all the children who are lucky enough to come in contact with you.