POLICY:

The Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) are used to promote school readiness and positive child outcomes.  The Head Start Act of 2007 requires programs to align program goals and school readiness goals for children to the Framework.  The Framework is used in curriculum, assessment, data collection, analysis, and reporting systems.

PROCEDURES:

ChildPlus Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) is aligned to the ELOF and is the program’s primary resource for monitoring child progress and outcomes.

1. Information found within the Child Profile and Reports tabs are monitored throughout the assessment period by the Education Manager.
2. Information found within the Reports tab is analyzed within 15 days after final checkpoints are made.

Data Analysis

1. DRDP Reports are analyzed to determine baseline data in the fall and compare the percentage of children who progress after the winter and spring assessments. Attention will be given to the objectives where children are making the most progress or the least. Summarize areas that show strengths, growth, and areas showing no progress. The findings will be shared with Policy Council, Leadership Team, and the Board
2. Data analysis will be conducted three times a year after each checkpoint period according to the data analysis plan and in conjunction with School Readiness Goals.
   1. The Education Manager will analyze data at the county and program level
   2. Center Managers and EHS Home Base Manager will analyze data at the site level.
   3. Teachers will analyze data at the classroom level.
3. Part of the analysis will include, but not be limited to, reviewing the demographics of the children served; the number of special needs children; ages; the influence of culture; attendance; the number of classroom volunteers; personnel issues; environments; staff training and education.

Administration and Leadership Team

1. Policy Council and the NOCAC board will review program outcomes and make recommendations.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

POLICY:

NOCAC Head Start/Early Head Start staff will take detailed observation of the children in the classrooms or during Home Visits to document what the children are doing in the different domains.

PROCEDURES:

Child Observations

1. A Child Observation Form (see attachments below) will be completed on each child during the Fall, Winter and Spring season.
   1. Observations for all program options will be entered into ChildPlus and will be used to complete the DRDP Parent Reports, report number 5024.
2. Home Visitors gather child observations during the weekly home visits and record them on the Home Visit Record Form (see attachments below).
3. Classroom teachers will complete the observation packet to ensure that all domains and objectives are included.
4. Home Visitors will use a tracking form to ensure that all domains and objectives are included.
5. Observations of the children are ongoing during the program year.
6. Observations will be written and kept in a closed binder in the classroom. These binders will be reviewed at the monthly center staffing to ensure the appropriate documentation is being met.
7. Observations are entered into ChildPlus weekly. Entered observations are monitored by the ECE CSS and Project Manager.
8. Observations are recorded for planning purposes, goal setting and individualization.
   1. DO INCLUDE: description of actions, quotations, descriptions, descriptions of gestures, descriptions of facial expressions, description of creations, what the child CAN do, focus on the positive.
   2. DO NOT INCLUDE: labels (shy, creative, mad), intentions (wants to), and judgments (sloppy, beautiful), negatives (can’t, didn’t, won’t).

Early Learning Assessment

1. Children who are funded through Ohio Department of Education Early Entitlement grant will receive additional observations for the Early Learning Assessment (ELA).
2. The ELA intended to be a process through which early-childhood teachers collect and use assessment information to tailor instruction to the individual needs of each child.
3. The ELA will be conducted 3 times per year.
4. Teachers need to complete the scores per the ELA Handbook before the due date.
5. The completed ELA packet for each season will be turned into the Education Manager by the due date that is posted on the Education Due Dates and Important Dates that is updated each year.
6. New Child Observation Forms will be sent out to the teachers each season (Fall, Winter, & Spring).
7. The ELA Binders need to be returned to the Education Manager at the end of the school year.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

• ChildPlus Head Start Fall Observation Form and Guidance
• ChildPlus ECE Fall Observation Form and Guidance
• ChildPlus Head Start Winter Observation Form and Guidance
• ChildPlus Head Start Spring Observation Form and Guidance
• ChildPlus ECE Spring Observation Form and Guidance
• Head Start Home Visit Record Form
• Early Head Start Home Visit Record Form
• Head Start Early Learning Child Outcomes Framework

POLICY:

NOCAC Head Start/Home Based staff will document children’s development by viewing them in observational style using the Preschool Skill Sheet.

PROCEDURES:

1. To complete the Preschool Skill Sheet, observe children individually during free play or during planned activities and document the date that the skill was observed to be mastered by the child.  This is not an assessment so the observations are informal.
2. This form is for the families to be able to view their specific child’s progress toward kindergarten readiness.  Teachers will update the Preschool Skill Sheet before each home visit or conference to be able to review it with the families.  At the last conference, the teachers will send the form home.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

• Preschool Skill Sheet
• Head Start Early Learning Child Outcomes Framework

POLICY:

NOCAC Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) staff will ensure the classroom is set up and designed to support and encourage: building relationship, open communication and children’s exploration to expand their development by creating an atmosphere that promotes the children’s creative exploration inside and outside.

PROCEDURES:

1. Provide materials in the classroom for the children to be able to explore on their own or with other children or staff.
2. Classrooms should be open and inviting where areas that may have common materials can be easily incorporated with each other.  The environment should promote creativity, thinking and problem solving skills, questioning, experimentation and open-ended play.
3. Use natural furnishings that reflect the children’s home life and real-life interactions with others.  Have more natural materials in the classroom, for example, plants, animals and more natural light.
4. Have materials out in the classroom in a mindful presentation that promotes children’s curiosity and exploration.
5. Child interests and knowledge should be promoted by having materials out.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

POLICY:

NOCAC Head Start/Home Based (HS/HB) staff will asses the children’s development by using the Desired Results Developmental Profile on ChildPlus Mobile.

PROCEDURES:

1. ChildPlus DRDP is an ongoing assessment tool, which can be implemented by the Teachers and HS/HB Home Visitors (HV) to measure the educational progress of children.  From birth through kindergarten, this program can help teachers evaluate specific characteristics and strategies for effective educational development.
2. DRDP emphasizes using everyday assessment in typical activities so that Teachers and HS/HB HV can understand where each student’s development level is.  It is intended to avoid standardized teaching methods, which neglect each child’s variations in educational progress.
3. Teachers and HS/HB HV utilize ChildPlus Mobile to enter documentation and observations on individual children.
4. Teachers and HS/HB HV utilize the Checkpoint Assessment Area three times per year to document individual children’s development level for Fall, Winter and Spring.  Due dates will be placed on the calendar at the beginning of the year.  HB HV will complete four checkpoint, one per quarter.
5. After documentation is complete and each child’s development level is determined the Project Manager will print off a DRDP parent report from ChildPlus for each child.
   1. Teachers and HS/HB HV will review this report with the parents/guardians at the 1^st, 2^nd Parent/Teacher conference and the 2^nd Home Visit.

Forms and Additional Guidance:

• Head Start Early Learning Child Outcomes Framework

POLICY:

NOCAC Head Start/Home Based staff will use the Project Based Approach on lessons with the students through engaging topics that allow integrating topics that are engaging and that allow learning throughout multiple domains.

PROCEDURES:

1. Project based approach supports students to develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills.
2. Teaching staff will work with the students during group times to create a web on a topic that the students are interested in.
   1. First the teaching staff will work on deciding on a topic that the students are interested in.  After having the initial topic, teachers and students will break it down to smaller topics from the main one.  As the students come up with more ideas, the teaching staff then can discuss how the class can explore and learn about the idea.
   2. The teaching staff and the students work together to plan on how they want to explore the learning topic and what they would like to create.
   3. The teaching staff will document each step of the process that the students are working on with the project.  This is through taking pictures and written documentation.
   4. Materials will be incorporated into the classroom to help facilitate the project for the children.
3. Students will work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to several weeks – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question.  When the students’ interest starts to wane and develop towards another topic, which is when the project will be concluded.  Children will have the opportunity to share with others what they learned.

Forms and Additional Guidance: