April 23, 2024
The resources in this Spotlight focus on early childhood interventions and education, with a new tool to help early childhood professionals self-assess group care programs, an insider’s Q&A with an early childhood intervention specialist, and practical advice on programs and practices that encourage early literacy.
Check out our Early Childhood E-Bulletin for more resources.
New Tool Guides Early Childhood Professionals Through Care Program Self-Evaluations
Early childhood specialists committed to providing the best care now have a powerful new tool to help: the Program Assessment and Reflection System from the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC PARS). Available in English, Spanish, simplified Chinese, and traditional Chinese, PITC PARS “guides early childhood professionals in observing, documenting, and reflecting on the quality of care they are providing to infants and toddlers,” says Kerry Kriener-Althen, Assessment and Research Director at WestEd.
PITC PARS simplifies the difficult process of assessment by grouping its standards for promoting children’s learning, development, health, and well-being into quality indicators in five different areas:
- quality of adult interactions with children
- family partnerships, cultural responsiveness, and inclusive care
- organization of group care
- physical environment
- routines and record keeping
Practitioners are guided through the process of collecting evidence of their performance in each area and then evaluating how that evidence contributes to the total picture of care quality.
Improving Outcomes for Children with Early Interventions: Q&A with Angela McGuire
Early intervention services are crucial for infants and toddlers with disabilities and have an enormous impact on both educational and life outcomes. The early childhood interventionists who work to foster development must be trained and supported in providing their services. So, since 1992, WestEd’s Comprehensive Early Intervention Technical Assistance Network (CEITAN) has worked with the California Department of Developmental Services to deliver powerful professional development for these interventionists.
In this Q&A with Angela McGuire, CEITAN’s lead on early intervention professional development; technical assistance; and consulting for national, state, and local agencies serving children with disabilities and their families (and a parent of a child with disabilities), she speaks on the benefits of enrolling parents into intervention services, CEITAN’s contributions to the field, and current challenges.
Early Literacy Resources: Teaching Young Children to Read and Write
The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West and REL Northwest developed three new evidence-based resources to assist educators in promoting literacy in early childhood and beyond.
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