Child Care Center Curriculum

In conjunction with the Early Childhood and Family Studies Program in the College of Education, the Kean University Child Care and Development Center demonstrates best early childhood practice inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach to education. This approach recognizes that each child is a capable and competent learner and respects his or her strong potential and individual interests. 

As of September 2022, KUCCDC has adopted The Creative Curriculum to enhance the services we provide to the children and families we serve. The Reggio Emilia Approach and Creative Curriculum are both founded on the idea that children are capable of driving their own learning which benefits mostly from supportive teachers who listen to children's voices and observe their interests to curate a learning environment that follows the children's lead. In adding the Creative Curriculum, we will now have a state-approved assessment tool to measure our children's developmental growth. This assessment tool will allow teachers to observe children in the context of everyday experiences to see what they know and what they are able to do and then plan targeted learning experiences that are tailored to each child. Each child's progress is monitored in the areas of social/emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development. Using the assessment tool, teachers record observations and provide reports to families on their child's progress during parent-teacher conferences or as on a needed/requested basis. 

Teachers will carefully observe and document the children's activities while they are engaged in different areas of play in the classroom. The teacher notes the children's interests and listens for cues as to how the next topic of study will unfold. Through the childrenʼs and teachersʼ explorations, projects of study may unfold. This dynamic approach to emergent curriculum offers many opportunities for children to become engaged in meaningful literacy, math, science, and social studies activities. Using a variety of materials, the children will be able to create visual representations of their work through many artistic mediums such as drawing, painting, sculpting, and building with blocks. 

Ongoing documentation of the children's experience through words and pictures makes “learning visible.” Reflecting and revisiting their work further provokes and stimulates thinking. Through these long-term and short-term projects, children, teachers, and parents become partners and researchers in the learning process.