Building Strong Foundations: Curriculum Basics and Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Family Child Care

Curriculum Basics

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If you have questions or comments, you can communicate with your instructor by email at professionaldevelopment@clarendonees.org.

Course requirements:

  1. Complete all lessons and activities.
  2. Share your thoughts on the Course Discussion Board when required in the lessons by responding to the instructor’s questions. Feel free to offer positive comments to other participants! You must engage with the Discussion Board to pass the course.
  3. Complete the Knowledge Check.
  4. Complete the Course Evaluation.

Course Description:

Course Description:

This training is designed to equip family child care educators with the foundational knowledge and practical tools needed to plan and implement a high-quality curriculum that supports the holistic development of young children. Participants will explore the definition and components of curriculum within a home-based child care setting and learn how to align daily activities with developmentally appropriate practices (DAP).

Using real-life scenarios, group discussions, and hands-on planning tools, educators will gain a deeper understanding of how to create meaningful, engaging, and flexible learning experiences based on children’s individual needs, interests, and developmental stages. The training also emphasizes the importance of cultural responsiveness, intentional teaching, and the power of play as a primary vehicle for learning.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Define what curriculum means in the context of family child care.
  2. Identify the key components of a high-quality curriculum.
  3. Describe the core principles of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP).
  4. Apply DAP to daily routines, learning activities, and environments.
  5. Develop a simple curriculum plan aligned with child development principles.

Course Content

MODULE 1: What is Curriculum?
MODULE 2: Elements of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP)
MODULE 3. Practical Examples in FCC Settings
MODULE 4: Activity: Build a Weekly Plan
Module 5: An Effective Weekly Curriculum
RESOURCES
Evaluation
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Veronica
Veronica
2 days ago

Actividades que los ninos puedan explorar,como seria colocar un contenedor con arena con ciertos animalitos y ellos pueden buscar con pinzas y que sean de acuerdo a las edades

Marina
Marina
2 days ago

Cambiar estrategias en las actividades siempre que valla acorde con las edades e intetese de los ninos,tomando en cuenta el avanse que han logrado en las diferntes areas del desarrollo.

Marina
Marina
2 days ago

Esimportante que las actividades sean de acuerdo a las edades e intereses de los ninos para que su desarrollo y aprendisaje sean mas eficaz .
Ademas tener en cuenta que las actividades sean estimulantes mas no abrumantes.

Veronica
Veronica
2 days ago

Cada semana es importante cambiar materiales tales como bloques,legos entre otros,porque los ninos se sienten mas motivados cuando tienen materiales y le ponen mas interes en aprender cosas nuevas.para su aprendizaje.

dayou84
5 days ago

One change you could make is to add more hands-on activities and let children choose how they explore materials. This helps match different skill levels and keeps learning fun, active, and appropriate for young children.

dayou84
5 days ago

If a child shows an interest in bugs, you can build a mini unit around exploring insects through bug hunts, observing bugs outdoors, reading simple books about insects, creating bug art, singing bug-themed songs, and discussing where bugs live and what they do. This supports curiosity, science learning, language development, and observation skills through hands-on experiences.

dayou84
5 days ago

For a child who is not yet walking, place the blocks within easy reach while they are sitting on the floor or supported in a chair, and encourage them to stack, knock down, sort, or pass blocks between containers. This adaptation allows the child to participate fully while developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and early problem-solving skills.

dayou84
5 days ago

You can turn a 2-year-old’s interest in stacking blocks into a mini unit by offering activities that explore building tall and short towers, sorting blocks by size or color, counting blocks as they stack, comparing structures, and reading simple books about building. This supports early math, problem-solving, language, and fine motor development through play.

Rosemary Hernandez
Admin
10 months ago

Question #1: Watch this video and answer the question: How is your childcare program a high-quality program?

Rosemary Hernandez
Admin
10 months ago

Question #2: • Look at the video and describe three factors of why these children are in a developmentally appropriate program? Preschool –

Rosemary Hernandez
Admin
10 months ago

Question #3: Case Scenario: A 2-year-old shows interest in stacking blocks—how can you expand this interest into a developmentally appropriate mini-unit?

Rosemary Hernandez
Admin
10 months ago

Question #4: Scenario-Based Discussion: “What would you do if…?” (e.g., child shows strong interest in bugs)

Rosemary Hernandez
Admin
10 months ago

Question #5: • What is one change you could make to your weekly curriculum plan to ensure it is more developmentally appropriate?

Barbara Burroughs
11 months ago

Well I teach the children that bugs are delicate they and how they play an important role in maintaining our earth and to some creatures and humans they are a nutritious food source you have to be careful with them, we talk about the size and color weather they fly or crawl ?do you know what kind of bug it is , does anyone want to touch it gently ? we take pictures I have a bug book of all the bugs we have caught taken pictures and let go the children love it and look through it quite often we constantly add to it and have discussions.

Rosemary Hernandez
Admin
11 months ago

Teaching kindness is an amazing skill. What better way to do this than with bugs. Thanks for all of your work!

Barbara Burroughs
11 months ago

i am making a comment on the two yr. old playing with blocks . I would ask what are you making ? How many blocks did you use? Stand up so we can see if you are taller then your building ..

Ana
Ana
11 months ago

Y creo que puedo ampliar el concepto de los bloques en una clase de matematicas les puedo pedir a los ninos que apilen los bloques por colores mientras los van contando y asi podemos practicar colores y matematicas y a ellos les gusta cuando cada uno tiene un grupo diferente para contar y agrupar por colores.

Ana
Ana
11 months ago

Al observar mi cuido yo considero que si es de alta calidad pues yo brindo a mis ninos y sus padres un caluroso saludo al entrar y al salir. Se le da la oportunidad a los ninos de interactuar y participar en las actividades del dia as cuales trato de que sean de gran interes para todas las edades y trato de modificar las actividades para que todos participen. Los tiempos son flexibles tanto para los mas pequenos como para los mas grandes. Cada juego tiene una ensenanza diferente sin que se vea aburido y asi puedan aprender mas. Trato de que los padres cuando puedan participen en las actividades del dia sea leyendo a los ninos o acompanandonos a cualquier salida al parque, museo o biblioteca.

Ana
Ana
11 months ago

Al observar el video podemos ver como los ninos pueden interactuar con otros ninos, se ejercitann tanto adentro como afuera, las actividades los motivan a usar su imaginacion en diferentes actividades como el juego con agua y varro, el hacer cascadas para echar el agua a correr. tambien los podemos ver jugar solos o con su maestra nada mas. Hay muchas cosas mas las cuales nos hacen sentir que si estan en un programa apropiado para su desarrollo.

Rosemary Hernandez
Admin
11 months ago
Reply to  Ana

Ana, bonita refleccion. Muy cierto que podemos observar las caracteristicas de una buena refleccion en este video.

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