New Castle County Head Start, Inc. uses the Creative Curriculum as the basis for its educational program. The curriculum addresses all aspects of children's development; socio-emotional, cognitive, and physical. The curriculum provides the framework for what happens in the classroom. The primary goal is to plan and provide opportunities for children to interact with their peers, adults and with the materials.

Classroom staff plan developmentally appropriate activities taking into account each child's strengths and needs. They discover which materials are appropriate for each child and adapt materials and equipment for those who may have a disability.

The following interest areas are located in each classroom:

	Blocks		Art
	Dramatic Play		Sand and Water
	Table Toys		Library

Additional activities may include Music & Movement, Cooking, Computers and Outdoors.

Staff may plan activities that revolve around specific themes: My Family, Fall, Apples, etc. All themes are planned using the interest areas located in the classrooms. Parents are also encouraged to participate in classroom activities as well as discuss with the staff any ideas that they may want to see take place.

Children develop and build basic skills given the opportunity to interact in the environment.

Children in Head Start classrooms:

	Develop language skills		Demonstrate cooperative social behavior
	Learn to classify objects		Learn to solve problems
	Develop abstract thinking skills		Participate in make-believe play
	Develop the large muscles of their bodies		Develop beginning reading skills
	Develop fine motor skills		Acquire beginning writing skills
	Experience a sense of positive self-esteem

Classroom staff is able to learn about each child by performing observations on a day-to-day basis. Staff use the Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum to assess each child's skills. They complete a summary of results for each child, which is shared with the parents at a parent/teacher conference or home visit three times per year. Parents and staff work together to develop activities for the home and in the classroom that will help the child reach their fullest potential.

All continuum results are entered into the CC.Net software three times per year and reports are generated that are used to assess the quality of programming at the classroom, center and agency level.

The Creative Curriculum promotes children's learning through interest areas, daily routines, planning activities that engage children in exploring and by individualizing for each child.


Child Outcome Data:

New Castle County Head Start, Inc. tracks the developmental progress of all children on a regular basis. This process serves several purposes. First, it is used as a method for assessing children in a variety of areas. Second, it is used as a tool for planning the individualization for all children within the curriculum. Third, it is used for program planning and targeting for growth in areas that have been identified. Fourth, it is used for reporting and communicating with parents, governing bodies of the organization, and other stakeholders. Last, it is used to prioritize the purchasing of educational materials within the operating budget.

The process of measuring progress is a part of the “Creative Curriculum”; the specific curriculum approved and implemented by New Castle County Head Start, Inc. Creative Curriculum is the computer software program used by teacher’s to record their observations (based on the areas in the curriculum) and to track all children’s progress. The process of measuring and tracking progress of all children is completed formally three times per year (beginning, middle, and end of the program year).

Developmental areas emphasized during the process are: Social/Emotional, Physical, Cognitive, Language, Literacy, Math, Science, Arts, and Vocabulary.

Children are placed into one of four progress areas: Forerunner, Step I, Step II and Step III in each of the developmental areas. While striving for Step III, the program staff understands that each child develops at his/her own pace depending on many factors. The most important goal is to assure that every child makes gains and develops as many skills as possible for them.

Upon completion of the 2006/07 program year, children attending New Castle County Head Start, Inc. performed at the top levels (Step II and Step III) in the following developmental areas:

% of Children at Step II and III	Developmental Area
93%	Social/Emotional
96%	Physical
88%	Arts
96%	Health
87%	Vocabulary
87%	Verbal

New Castle County Head Start, Inc. will continue to work to strengthen all of the developmental areas. One specific focus for the next two years will be on literacy development as 81% of the children were at the top two levels in this area. This number compares very favorably to the averages for development for other State of Delaware programs as well as National Head Start programs. Still, New Castle County Head Start, Inc. feels that this is an area for further progress which will prove beneficial to our children.


Delaware Early Reading First Project (DERF)

New Castle County Head Start, Inc. and the University of Delaware have joined together in a three year project to enhance Lambson’s, Manor Park’s, and Rose Hill’s children’s language and early reading development. The project’s specific goals are to increase the children’s speaking and listening vocabularies – the words children know and can use, knowledge of letter sounds; ability to name the 26 alphabet letters, and understandings of why people read and write.

Why are these skills so important for children to demonstrate before graduating from Head Start? These are the skills that research tells us are critically important to children’s success as readers. Children who are successful readers tend to be successful in life.

Why "just" three of New Castle County Head Start, Inc.’s nine center? This three-year project for $3.3 million is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Early Reading First. The Department limited the number of centers that could be included in the project. By the project’s end in 2008, the three selected Head Start centers are to serve as models for other Head Start and child care programs in the state and region. The three centers’ teachers should be ready to help other New Castle County Head Start, Inc. centers programs’ teachers improve their language and early reading practices.

This project is accomplishing its goals by providing –

• extra time for children to learn through one-on-one support from September to May and a five-week summer program
• a special program for parents to help them with the important role they play in their child’s language and early reading development
• a powerful professional development program (many group learning sessions and an Early Literacy Coach) to guide the teacher’s, teacher assistants’, and classroom aides’ use of the best practices, reflective of current research, to teach language and early reading
• a new early language and reading program, Doors to Discovery, to support the teachers’ teaching of language and early reading
• many new materials (e.g., books, puzzles, posters, games) for the classrooms
• a transition from New Castle County Head Start, Inc. to the Colonial School District program to help ensure children’s success in kindergarten

The partnership began its work in the three centers in January 2006. The end-of-year test results showed that these centers’ children could name correctly significantly more letters of the alphabet and correctly tell the sounds of the alphabet letters than children from non-participating centers.

Delaware Early Reading First is funded by the U.S. Department of Education through a competitive grant process. Some 600 partnerships submitted applications in 2005. Of those, 33 (.5%) were funded.

In addition, the US Department of Education has awarded an additional DERF grant of $3.6 million to New Castle County Head Start, Inc. and the University of Delaware on September 4, 2007. This three year project will focus on the Newark, Marshallton and Absalom Jones sites. This will be implemented in the same fashion as the as the original grant.


PIE

The Partners in Excellence project is an initiative that supports early childhood staff by sharing techniques for use in classrooms that promotes healthy social and emotional development and helps to prevent challenging behaviors.
The Bear center has been selected as a PIE demonstration site for the 2007-2008 program year. As part of this program, the center will participate in full implementation of the PIE model. The staff will receive all PIE training and professional development. There will be comprehensive technical assistance and support to achieve successful implementation of the full social emotional pyramid. New Castle County Head Start, Inc. will also participate in piloting a new model of Mental Health consultation and support.


New Castle County Head Start offers the following three program options:

	Part Day Program - 5 days per week- 9:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
	Full Day Program - 10 or 12 months - 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
	Home Base Program - 1 home visit per week - Socialization meeting 90 Minutes Twice per month

Delaware Early Reading First Project

Delaware Early Reading First Project (PDF)