ACF Banner
[NCCIC header image][NCCIC Header Image]

A Framework for Strategic Planning of Early Learning Guideline Implementation

"Perhaps the greatest difficulty in creating early learning standards is to establish valid, effective, ethically grounded systems of implementation, assessment, and accountability."1

The following information provides a framework that outlines key elements and questions to consider when developing or supporting a strategic approach to early learning guideline (ELG)2 implementation. It is designed for use by State or community planning teams to meet the goals of Statewide ELGs, ensuring all young children’s healthy development across all developmental domains and in all care settings. 

Foundation:
The resources and information needed to build a sustainable, Statewide approach.

Element 1: Financing—the resources needed to support and sustain ELG implementation.

Consider the following:

The size of the child care workforce that needs training;

  • The level of intensity of training that the workforce needs based on current education/credentials;
  • The services needed to support use of ELGs by all practitioners in all settings for all languages, cultures, and ability levels;
  • The mechanisms for ensuring sustainable, long-term funding; and
  • The interagency support that is available for ELG implementation.

Element 2: Partners—the early care and education stakeholders who will work to engage all sectors to support ELG implementation.

 Consider the following:

  • The entities that are committed to ELG implementation, i.e., Head Start, public school (prekindergarten, publicly funded preschool, early intervention, and early childhood special education Part B and C, including part- and full-day programs), child care (including after-school and infant and toddler care), higher education, resource and referral agencies, and other training organizations;
  • The staff expertise, facilities, resources, and/or material development/production resources that are or may be available from each entity; and
  • What each partner will contribute, i.e., leadership, coordination, funding, etc.

Element 3: Program Quality—the quality of care settings that ELG implementation efforts will build on.

Consider the following:

  • The level of program quality necessary for effective ELG implementation;
    Mechanisms, i.e., program standards, that are currently in place to improve program quality across all settings;
  • Existing connections between ELGs and State Quality Rating Systems or other quality initiatives; and
  • How evaluations of ELG implementation can be used to guide Statewide, systemic efforts.

Element 4: Evaluation—the approach to understanding and communicating the impact of ELG implementation activities.

Consider the following:

  • Questions policy-makers and key stakeholders have regarding the effectiveness of ELGs and/or ELG implementation;
  • Stakeholders who will be involved in designing, conducting, and communicating the results of the evaluation; and
  • The aspects of implementation that will be evaluated, i.e., child outcomes, practitioner knowledge and skills, classroom environment, program quality, professional development activities, etc.

Coordination:
The mechanisms to ensure that ELG implementation approaches support both
the needs of children and the adults who care for them.

Element 5: Alignment—the links to curriculum and assessment that support developmentally appropriate environments for all young children.

Consider the following:
  • The child assessment measures or methods currently used or mandated for each sector and whether these measures are aligned with ELGs and assessment tools;
  • What program and/or practitioner standards exist and whether they need to be aligned with ELGs; and
  • How curricula and/or assessment tools support children’s diversity, language, and ability.

Element 6: Articulation—the links to professional development initiatives so that practitioners with various educational backgrounds, learning styles, and career pathways have access to the knowledge and skills they need to implement ELGs effectively for all young children.

Consider the following:

  • Existing coordination between ELG training and other professional development activities to respond to education and training needs across settings;
  • Articulation agreements that have been developed between training entities;
  • The licensing and/or credentials required or available for the entire early care and education workforce; and
  • Existing or needed methods to ensure practitioners know about and have access to training.

Practice:
The dispositions, knowledge, and skills practitioners and administrators need
to implement ELGs effectively.

Element 7: Knowledge—the core knowledge and opportunities to transfer knowledge to practice that support effective ELG implementation.

Consider the following for direct service practitioners:

  • What training do practitioners have in standards-based education and child development?
  • What training do practitioners have in implementing learning strategies and creating learning environments that meet the needs of diverse young children?
  • What training do practitioners have in effective use of curricula?
  • What training do practitioners have in effective use of assessment tools?
  • What training do practitioners have in engaging families in children’s learning?
  • What resources does faculty need in order to provide this training to future personnel?

Consider the following for program administrators/directors:

  • What business practices do administrators/directors need to have to support the effective use of ELGs?
  • What management and leadership skills do administrators/directors need to support the effective use of ELGs?
  • What skills do administrators/directors need to support the implementation of learning strategies and learning environments that meet the needs of diverse young children?

Element 8: All Care Settings—the commitment to ensuring that ELG implementation efforts reach all care settings.

Consider the following:

  • What is required to implement ELGs successfully across diverse settings, including child care, Head Start, and prekindergarten programs?
  • What is the capacity to implement ELGs effectively across settings?
  • What challenges arise when implementing ELGs across diverse settings?
  • What successful system elements can be built on to reach diverse settings?
  • What methods of delivery for education and training are effective in promoting professional development across settings, including those for culturally and linguistically diverse caregivers?

Additional resources on ELGs and those related to President Bush’s Good Start, Grow Smart early childhood initiative priorities on professional development, program coordination, and assessment and evaluation are available on the National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/topics/topic/index.cfm?topicId=61.

The National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center does not endorse any organization, publication, or resource.

1 National Association for the Education of Young Children & National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education. (2002, November). Early learning standards: Creating the conditions for success. A joint position statement. Retrieved July 28, 2006, from http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/position_statement.pdf. Back
2 In this document, ELGs refer to documents defining what children should know, understand, and be able to do. In many States, guidelines are often referred to as standards. Back

Updated August 2006

 
PDF Icon Need Adobe Reader?