32.1: Introduction

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Amanda Taintor

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Introduction to Curriculum

At the heart of early childhood curriculum is the child who depends on adults to support and nurture exploration and learning. An appropriate curriculum for infants and toddlers provides guidance and strategies for supporting development and learning, engaging in responsive interactions to build relationships, and partnering with families. It is essential to consider what learning looks like in the minds of infants and toddlers. Children from birth to 5 do not build or acquire their knowledge and skills in domain-specific categories one domain at a time. They relate to each learning experience as a whole experience. They naturally cross the boundaries of domains and simultaneously build concepts related to social-emotional development, science, mathematics, language, social sciences, the arts, physical development, and health.[1]

A good curriculum leaves decisions about what this looks like to the caregiver implementing the curriculum. When it comes to curriculum, caregivers must:

Have room to discover an infant or toddler's "individual curriculum" (e.g., the child's interests, motivations, and needs).
Choose and offer experiences that match a child's (or small group of children's) interests and developmental level
Use everything that happens as a learning opportunity, both planned/intentional and spontaneous.
Create environments that reflect children and families served in the program.

A responsive, relationship-based curriculum supports child-initiated, child-pursued opportunities to individualize within the chosen or created curriculum

[1] Early Education and Support Division, California Department of Education. (2016 ). BEST PRACTICES FOR PLANNING CURRICULUM FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. The Integrated Nature of Learning