EDUCATION SERVICES
Helping People. Changing Lives.
Curricul
um For
Head Start/Early Head Start
The agency utilizes the Creative Curriculum in our Head Start classrooms. This curriculum is based on a firm foundation of research and responds to new requirements to address how we prepare children for kindergarten. We design classrooms based on the Creative Curriculum Interest Areas (Learning Centers) to include a minimum of eight (8) and a maximum of (11) areas (centers) to expand children’s learning in all developmental and domain areas. Staff document activities on weekly lesson plans. Early Head Start classrooms utilize The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos, a research-based curriculum for children ages 0-3. This curriculum focuses on creating a responsive environment, providing meaningful routines and experiences, and building relationships with parents. Home visits utilize the Partners for a Healthy Baby Curriculum to provide developmentally appropriate information for parents whose children participate in the home-based option. Family advocates also use this curriculum to educate pregnant women on topics such as breastfeeding, maternal depression, prenatal/postnatal care, and the effects of alcohol/drugs during pregnancy. Teachers use the curriculum to plan individualized activities for each child and develop activities based on observations, information provided by parents, and assessment results.
Approach To School Readiness
Pearl River Valley Opportunity, Inc. has a team of professionals with broad backgrounds and experiences that develop school readiness goals based on the five essential domains of school readiness identified by the National Education and Goals Panel included in the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework. Our goals are evidence-based, measurable, and developed based on collaborations with local public schools, The Infant/Toddler Framework, the Mississippi Early Learning Standards, Common Core State Standards, the Creative Curriculum for Preschoolers, the Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers and Twos, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), and LAP-D Assessment. School readiness goals also consider input from staff and parents. Our identified school readiness goals are for all enrollees (birth to five).