Policies and National Regulations and Standards for Early Childhood Education

 Summary: 

Alabama’s early childhood education policies are guided by the Alabama Standards for Early Learning and Development (ALSEDS, 2023). The framework was redesigned to support the state's various learning programs: childcare, home visiting, Head Start, Alabama First Class, and special education. The standards provide continued growth and development support for ages birth through age five. The standards include: 

1. Developmentally Appropriate Practices: ALSED, use the age and culturally appropriate practices while providing high quality experiences for children (Alabama Standards for Early Learning and Development, 2023).
   2. Professional Develpment: The standards support high-quality program delivery, using CLASS to assess the program, teachers, and learning environment by providing guidance and evaluation tools.
   3. Holistic Learning: The standards support every aspect of learning equally as they all work together to support the children’s growth and development. 

Comparison with NAEYC Principles and NBPTS Standard V: 

1. NAEYC Principles of Child Development and Learning:
    - Developmentally Appropriate Practices: ASELD does provide the foundation for what the children should know at the specific age intervals by using intentional teaching. However, when a child has a delay/ disability how can we better accommodate having a DAP activity? According to (Bangato, 2011), unified early learning standards and outcomes are a critical issue for children with delays/disability receiving fragmented services and support. 

 
   - Similarities:  

DAP :Both ASELD and NAEYC use a curriculum that provides consistent goals that keeps the children learning and developing in each area of social-emotional, physical, learning, and cognitive (NAEYC,2003 ) 
   - Parental with families: Both ASELD and NAEYC maintain a collaborative relationship with each child family, that allows positive learning outcome for the children.  

-Differences 

Although I am under the Head State banner, I am under the ASELD banner as well, meaning Head Start override ASELD, yet I must go by both set of rules. Under the Head Start banner we are governed by the Head Start Early Learning Framework, it is designed to show the continuum of learning for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and has comprehensive research around what young children should know and be able to do during their early years (ECLKC, 2024).  

To be quite honest, there is no difference between ASELD, ELOF, or NAEYC, they all contain the central domains because they all are culturally and linguistically responsive and promote children’s sense of identity and belonging (ECLKC, 2024). 

2. NBPTS Standard V:
    - Assessment: NBPTS Standard V sets clear assessment expectations the reflects the whole child for educational purposes of documenting the achievements and following the child learning goal with a variety of DAP. Yet that is falls short when assessing a child with, for instance, autism. The article does state that they will have conversations with the parents to get knowledge needed.  

ASELDS :is not a curriculum or assessment, does not evaluate teachers' performance, or a tool to diagnose or isolate children.  

If I had to suggest an improvement, I feel that it would be how can we better assess children with autism across all educational platform, due to research shows there is 1 out of every 36 kids. 

Questions: 
1. How can we better prepare qualified professionals on the issues they are seeing an increase in, such as autism? 

2. 
   How can ASELD better align with NAECY, while having Head Start under their banner?
3. 
   How can we better assess preschoolers, Teaching Strategies Gold works, but I do feel that there are some major components missing.

 

References 

Bagnato, S. J., McLean, M., Macy, M., & Neisworth, J. T. (2011). Identifying Instructional targets for early childhood via authentic assessment: Alignment of professional standards and practice-based evidence. Journal of Early Intervention 33(4), 243-253 

 

Head start early learning outcomes framework. ECLKC. (2024, May 21). https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/school-readiness/article/head-start-early-learning-outcomes-frameworkLinks to an external site. 

 

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). (2012). Early childhood generalist standards (3rd ed.) https://www.nbpts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EC-GEN.pdf 

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation. https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/CAPEexpand.pdfLinks to an external site. 

Alabama standards for early learning. Early Childhood Education. (2024, August 8). https://www.children.alabama.gov/first-class-prek/aseld/Links to an external site.