Montgomery College

Early Childhood Education Program

Conceptual Framework

Our conceptual framework is the shared vision of Early Childhood Program developed by faculty, ECE Career Advisory Committee, and stakeholders in the community.

During fall 2005, our Early Childhood faculty and local stakeholders were provided with articles and books of the NAEYC early childhood program standards.  Our faculty studied and discussed the NAEYC standards at our faculty meetings.  Starting in spring 2006, our stakeholders and faculty were involved in a discussion of their beliefs about the professional preparation and the program standards through emails and surveys.

Several graduates of the program, as well as faculty in General Studies, were also asked to reflect on what they believed were important guiding principles for professional preparation.  The draft of our conceptual framework was shared through email with our faculty and stakeholders to seek their input, and it was discussed at our ECE Career Advisory Meeting.  Through a collaborative effort, we developed the following mission statement with a supporting conceptual framework:

The Early Childhood Education Program of Montgomery College prepares students to learn actively, to practice appropriately, and to improve continuously as early childhood professionals who are competent in using their knowledge, skills, and dispositions to provide learning experiences for children, to support families, and to enrich community in the world of diversity. We seek to achieve this goal through high quality educational programs.

Preparing students to learn actively

Montgomery College Student Success Credo states that “we believe student success is accomplished when students are self-confident, independent and active learners with critical thinking skills enabling lifelong learning.”   The Montgomery College Mission Statement states that “We encourage continuous learning for our students, our faculty, our staff and our community.”  Aligning with the student success credo and the mission statement of the college, our Early Childhood Education Program is committed to the following principles of learning that guide our teaching practice:

·                    Learning is active, flexible and engages learners in a collaborative relationship.

·                    Learning is a fun and challenging experience that results in critical thinking and decision-making skills enabling lifelong learning.

Our early childhood program is dedicated to preparing students to become: (1) active learners who are able to offer children active learning experiences; and (2) competent learners who love and value lifelong learning.  To achieve this goal, our faculty has employed a variety of teaching strategies to make learning fun and active in class (see attached faculty survey results, Appendix A).  Our students have been engaged in hands-on activities, group projects, and class discussions (see attached survey results of faculty and alumni, Appendix B).  Our program has provided resources, materials and one designated classroom to support this active learning and teaching process.

Preparing students to practice appropriately

Our program has dedicated its energy to providing learning experiences that are centered on NAEYC’s professional preparation standards, which describe not just what graduates should know, but what they should be able to do and to practice in the classroom and in the real world.  Consistent with NAEYC standard 4, our program emphasizes the skills of observation, application, creative thinking, and decision-making.  In class, students are encouraged to make connections between their knowledge and current work experience with children, and to reflect critically upon their experiences. They are required to use what they know to develop observation reports, portfolios, resource files, lesson plans, and parent handbooks.  Outside class, students are provided opportunities to observe and to practice their knowledge and skills in settings that include child care centers, preschool settings, Head Start classrooms, family child care, and kindergarten-primary classrooms.  As indicated in Figure 1, our graduates are able to use their knowledge and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful curricula to promote positive learning outcomes for young children. It is a purpose of our program to prepare students to be able to practice according to NAEYC standards and to apply their intellectual experiences into practical life related to early childhood education.

Preparing students to improve continuously

We believe that our program and our students grow through continuous improvement.  Such improvement is measured by on-going evaluations that provide a clear picture that confirms strengths and pinpoints areas for growth.  Our program is committed to improving educational excellence.  As indicated in Figure 2, our faculty uses different evaluation methods to assess what and how students learn, to identify the learning opportunities that emerge from students’ interests and from research studies, and to reflect on the assessment tools that measure the key results centered around learning.  Through on-going course evaluation, practicum evaluation, and field studies, our students develop knowledge and skills for their professional growth.  It is our ultimate goal to give student the tools to improve continuously throughout their careers.

Preparing students to become early childhood professionals

Aligning with NAEYC standard 5, our program restates its commitment to produce graduates with the following competences:

• Identify and involve themselves as members of the early childhood profession.
• Uphold strong values, ethical principles, and professional standards related to early childhood practices.
• Transform their professional dispositions and knowledge into advocacy for children and the profession.
• Integrate diversity and technology into learning experiences for all young children.

Over the past five years, our program has dedicated itself to assuring that our students graduate with these competences.  We will continue to base decision-making and resource allocation on the enhancement of these competences.  Looking forward, our strengths need to be maintained as the program grows.  By sustaining and building on what is working, our program will continue to be a productive unit, oriented to NAEYC standards.

The challenges posed by the self-study of our program, however, are not insignificant.  We will need more resources, space, full-time faculty, and administrative support to achieve our mission and to accomplish the goals of our program.  We will need to develop guidelines for enhancing these competences across curriculum content, practicum, field studies, teaching and learning practices, faculty evaluation and program development.  Our program’s conceptual framework was just finalized this spring.  We plan to share it with our students, counselors, advisors, and cooperating teachers through our website, newsletters, and student orientation and information sessions.