What Are “Quality” Early Childhood Programs?

18 Jun What Are “Quality” Early Childhood Programs?

Quality early childhood programs provide experiences that optimize each child’s development, learning and health, engage families and communities in partnerships and cultivate life-long learners and productive members of society.
What does this mean for families?
Early childhood programs refer to any program or service related to young children and families. While programs and services are many and varied, there are common elements that serve as markers of quality.
How will you know “quality” when you see it?
We all want the best for our children, but how do we know what “best” is? You might begin by looking for several markers of quality in the program or service.
These markers do not include everything you need to know about the program or service, but they can give you a place to start:

* Make sure they know and understand my child and my family.
* Recognize my child’s individual gifts and challenges, and encourage him to grow and learn accordingly.
* Consider my child as a whole, including her development, learning, and health.
* Seek to have a relationship with my child and me.
* Partner with me in planning for my child’s needs.
* Connect me to other resources in the community that may be helpful to my family.
* Encourage and facilitate my child’s curiosity.
* Give my child a chance to play and imagine, depending on the program or service.

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