What is Early Childhood Education and why is it important?

High quality early childhood education programs provide services to young children and their families to promote healthy social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. Research on early brain development supports the need for high quality early childhood education programs to ensure optimal development of brain architecture, success in school, in life and in society. Schools participating in the Nonpublic Early Childhood Development Program must meet compliance with many national quality standards. These standards include having teachers certified in early childhood education, a developmentally appropriate curriculum, small class size (20 children maximum), an adult to child ratio of 1:10 (requiring a teacher assistant for more than 10 children in a class), and before- and after-school enrichment programs.

Can my child participate? 

To Participate in the NSECD Program (un-bold) children must :

•

•  Be residents of Louisiana

• •  Be four years of age by September 30th

• • Have up to date immunization records

• • And  the child’s family must meet the income guidelines for the Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program. These guidelines state that the family’s annual income earned may not exceed 200% of the federal poverty level. For Example a family of four can earn up to $40,000 a year.

What do high-quality early childhood education programs look like?

According to the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), high-quality programs are those where:    

• Children spend most of their playing and working with materials or other children.
• They do not wander aimlessly, and they are not expected to sit quietly for long periods of time.
• Children have access to various activities throughout the day. Look for assorted building blocks and other construction materials, props for pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials, and table toys such as matching games, pegboards, and puzzles. Children should not all be doing the same thing at the same time, (Teachers never require all children to be seated for whole group art or paper-pencil activities). 
•  Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day. They do not spend all their time with the whole group.
• The classroom is decorated with children’s original artwork, (not pattern art activities designed by adults for children to assemble) their own writing with invented spelling, and stories dictated by children to teachers. (Teachers have knowledge of the developmental writing continuum and support children to move along this continuum. They do not use handwriting worksheets or require children to copy text). 
• Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. The natural world of plants and animals and meaningful activities like cooking, taking attendance, or serving snack provide the basis for learning activities. (As children explore topics of interest, teachers design meaningful, play-based contexts that engage children to develop early literacy and math skills. Children learn these skills through play, interactive storybook reading, singing, joining in reading of predictable big book texts, etc. and not through worksheets or drill and recitation activities.)
• Children work on projects and have long periods of time (at least one hour) to play and explore. Worksheets are used little if at all. (Teachers do not rotate children through center/interest areas as they understand that children will develop more complex play schemes and cognitive skills when extended time is provided. Teachers see their own engagement in the play as teaching activity as they playfully support children to develop concepts and skills in enjoyable contexts. All center/interest areas contain literacy materials for use in play.) 
• Children have an opportunity to play outside every day (or, during inclement weather, children have an indoor area for gross motor activity). Outdoor play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.
• Teachers read books to children individually or in small groups throughout the day, not just at group story time. (A large collection of age-appropriate informational books and storybooks is available.)
• Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Teachers recognize that children’s different background and experiences mean that they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way. (Teachers use portfolio assessment to individualize instruction.)
• Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel secure about sending their child to the program. Children are happy to attend; they do not cry regularly or complain of feeling sick.