Curricula

Big Day for PreK™ offers learning experiences and materials that support children's social and emotional, academic, and physical development. The curriculum is organized into eight thematic units. Each unit includes weekly and daily lessons with whole-group learning activities, small group instruction, and learning centers.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, but promotes few research-based teaching practices to support the Scientific Reasoning domain
• Provides sequences of learning that gradually build children's knowledge and skills and ways to individualize learning experiences based on children's strengths and needs
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals throughout all curriculum activities
• Promotes ongoing observations of children's learning and development
• Provides a range of strategies and resources to support parent and family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Provides specific prompts to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Gives specific guidance to scaffold the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Offers specific adaptations of learning activities for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs and some guidance on how to ensure the physical environment is fully accessible
• Provides strategies to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs
• Lacks ample opportunities for child-initiated play, activities based on children's interests, and open-ended exploration
• Lacks guidance on culturally responsive interactions, learning experiences, and materials
• Provides limited guidance on how to incorporate children's home languages into the learning experiences and environment

Connect4Learning® (C4L) is a research-based, classroom-tested interdisciplinary curriculum that consists of six units and 32 weeks of learning centers and lessons. Developed through funding from the National Science Foundation, it integrates research-validated methodologies from early childhood experts in mathematics, science, literacy, and social and emotional learning.

Last Updated: Feb. 27, 2020

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially Approaches to Learning, Language and Communication, Literacy, Mathematics, and Scientific Reasoning
• Provides a sequence of learning experiences that progressively builds children's knowledge and skills in all ELOF domains except for Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development
• Aligns with the ELOF, but lacks adequate guidance in Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals for units and learning experiences
• Promotes ongoing assessment of children's learning
• Includes a range of strategies and resources to support parent and family engagement
• Gives specific guidance on how to individualize based on children's strengths and needs
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Provides limited guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Lacks guidance on culturally responsive interactions with children and families
• Lacks guidance on how to fully integrate children's and families' cultures into interactions, the learning environment, and learning experiences
• Offers limited guidance on how to use teaching practices and interventions and ensure environments and materials are accessible for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Provides minimal guidance on how to plan learning experiences based on individual children's interests
   

The Core Knowledge® Preschool Sequence is a set of guidelines describing the knowledge, skills, and concepts that provide foundations for later learning. For each of the developmental domains, the Core Knowledge® Preschool Sequence addresses learning goals and skills, early childhood best practices, cross-curricular connections, language of instruction, and background knowledge. It also provides teaching ideas, examples of scaffolding strategies, and lists of additional resources for children and teachers.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes some research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially in the domains of Language and Communication and Literacy
• Specifies learning goals and skills, presented in order of difficulty, within each content area
• Includes information about the importance of using observations, children's work samples, and performance-based assessments to understand children's developmental progress over time
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Provides general guidelines on how to design well-organized, engaging indoor environments and developmentally appropriate daily schedules
• Provides guidance on how to use interactions to extend children's learning
• Moderately aligns with the ELOF but lacks comprehensive guidance in the following sub-domains: Emotional and Behavioral Self-Regulation; Cognitive Self-Regulation; Emotional Functioning; Sense of Identity and Belonging; and Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Suggests some strategies to support parent and family engagement and for sharing information with families
• Provides a minimal number of suggested learning experiences and lacks clear connection between the suggested activities and the sequence of skills specified within each content area
• Lacks guidance on culturally responsive interactions, learning experiences, and materials
• Provides limited guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Provides limited guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who have disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Lacks guidance on how to plan learning experiences based on children's interests, strengths, and needs

Curiosity Corner, 2^nd Edition offers learning experiences to expand children's vocabularies and build math, science, art, music, and interpersonal skills. The curriculum is organized around 18 thematic units, and Theme Guides include daily lesson plans for each instructional component as well as materials lists. The Teacher's Manual provides an overview of the curriculum, program objectives, and guidance for each instructional component.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially in the domains of Social and Emotional Development, Language and Communication, and Literacy
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals for each unit
• Promotes ongoing observation of children's learning and development
• Provides a range of strategies and resources to support parent and family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Includes specific prompts to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Moderately aligned with the ELOF but lacks comprehensive guidance in the following sub-domains: Initiative and Curiosity, Creativity, and Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Lacks specific guidance on how to establish well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments
• Provides limited to no guidance on culturally responsive interactions, learning experiences, and materials
• Provides limited guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Provides minimal guidance on how to adapt learning experiences to support the development and learning of children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Lacks guidance on how to individualize learning experiences based on children's interests, strengths, and needs

The DLM Early Childhood Express® offers learning experiences and materials to foster children's social and emotional, intellectual, and physical development. The curriculum is organized in eight thematic units. Each unit includes weekly lesson plans and daily planners consisting of teacher-directed lessons, large and small group activities, and learning centers.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Specifies learning goals throughout all curriculum materials and lesson plans to support children in making progress toward learning goals
• Provides a range of strategies and resources to support parent and family engagement
• Provides specific guidance to scaffold the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Offers specific adaptations of learning activities for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs but lacks guidance on how to ensure the physical environment is accessible
• Promotes individualization based on children's strengths and needs
• Promotes some research-based teaching practices to support children's development and learning in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains of: Language and Communication, Literacy, and Mathematics
• Promotes few research-based teaching practices in domains of: Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Scientific Reasoning, and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development
• Minimally aligned with the ELOF, as several sub-domains are partially or not addressed in the curriculum
• Lacks a sequence of learning experiences based on children's developmental progressions in some ELOF aspects: Approaches to Learning, Language and Communication, Science, and Physical Development
• Lacks comprehensive guidance on ongoing child assessment
• Lacks standardized training and professional development
• Lacks ample opportunities for child-initiated play, activities based on children's interests, and activities that promote open-ended exploration 
• Provides minimal guidance on designing well-organized, engaging indoor environments and no guidance on setting up the outdoor environment
• Lacks comprehensive guidance on culturally responsive interactions, learning experiences, and materials 

Frog Street Pre-K offers learning experiences and materials that integrate instruction across developmental domains. The curriculum is organized around nine themes that include daily lesson plans for whole-group activities, small-group activities, and learning centers.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes some research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially in the domains of Social and Emotional Development, Language and Communication, and Literacy
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals throughout all curriculum activities
• Provides a range of strategies and resources to support family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Provides specific prompts to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Gives specific guidance to scaffold the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Includes specific adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Promotes individualization based on children's strengths and needs
• Moderately aligns with the ELOF, but lacks comprehensive guidance in the ELOF sub-domains of Initiative and Curiosity and Creativity 
• Provides some sequences of learning experiences that introduce advanced skills or concepts before building foundational knowledge and skills
• Lacks comprehensive guidance on ongoing child assessment
• Lacks ample opportunities for child-initiated play, activities based on children's interests, and activities that promote open-ended exploration
• Provides limited guidance on how to fully integrate children's and families' cultures and home languages into interactions, the learning environment, and learning experiences

Curriculum Description
Frog Street Threes offers learning experiences and materials that support children's learning across developmental domains. The curriculum is organized around nine themes. They include daily lesson plans for whole-group activities, small-group activities, and practice centers.

Last updated February 4, 2020

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals throughout curriculum activities
• Offers a process and tools for ongoing observation and documentation
• Provides strategies and resources to support family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Provides specific prompts to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Gives specific scaffolding strategies to support children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Includes specific adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Supports individualization based on children's strengths and needs
• Promotes some research-based teaching practices to support preschoolers' development and learning in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially Social and Emotional Development, Language and Communication, Literacy, and Mathematics
• Moderately aligns with the ELOF, but lacks comprehensive guidance in the ELOF sub-domains of Initiative and Curiosity, Creativity, and Sense of Identity and Belonging
• Offers a comprehensive sequence of learning experiences in some domains
• Provides limited guidance on how to integrate children's and families' cultures and home languages into interactions, the learning environment, and learning experiences
• Lacks ample opportunities for child-initiated play or activities based on children's interests

The Galileo® Pre-K Online Curriculum provides a curriculum integrated into an assessment and reporting system. It offers model lesson plans and activities that integrate instruction across developmental domains. Built-in online assessment tools guide curriculum planning.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices to support children's development and learning in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains
• Provides guidance on how to select and implement learning experiences in a sequence based on each child's developmental level
• Provides specific guidance and support for using learning goals to individualize learning experiences for all children
• Includes guidance and support for using ongoing observation to inform weekly lesson plans for individual children and the class as a whole
• Provides specific strategies and resources to support family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Provides specific prompts to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Provides specific guidance for classroom organization, selection of learning materials, and daily schedules
• Provides general but limited guidance for engaging in culturally responsive interactions and planning learning experiences that build on children's cultures
• Provides general but limited guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Offers limited guidance on how to embed teaching practices and interventions and ensure the environment and materials are accessible for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Lacks guidance on how to plan learning experiences based on individual children's interests

The HighScope Preschool Curriculum provides an approach characterized by children's active participatory learning, the plan-do-review process, developing children's conflict resolution skills, and adult scaffolding. The curriculum includes a set of resources to support teachers in creating learning environments and experiences that reflect the curriculum's approach.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices to support children's development and learning in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains
• Promotes ongoing observation, planning, and scaffolding based on children's developmental levels
• Provides a range of strategies and resources to support family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Promotes active, hands-on exploration
• Provides specific guidance on how to establish well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments
• Provides specific guidance on how to establish a daily schedule and developmentally appropriate routines
• Provides specific adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Promotes individualization based on children’s interests, strengths, and needs
• Moderately aligns to the ELOF, but lacks adequate guidance in the ELOF sub-domain of Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Provides limited guidance on culturally responsive interactions, learning experiences, and materials
• Provides limited guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)

Learn Every Day™: The Preschool Curriculum consists of 36 thematic units and more than 1,300 learning activities. The curriculum incorporates literacy, math, science, social studies, and creative arts into each unit.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Provides activities in all developmental domains, but research-based teaching practices are most evident in the domains of Literacy and Mathematics
• Provides specific strategies and resources to support parent and family engagement
• Includes specific prompts to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Provides specific guidance on how to establish the daily schedule, routines, and well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments
• Offers specific adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Moderately aligned with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF), but lacks comprehensive guidance in the following sub-domains: Cognitive Self-Regulation, Relationships with Adults, Relationships with Other Children, Emotional Functioning, Communicating and Speaking, Print and Alphabet Knowledge, and Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Lacks a sequence of learning experiences based on children's developmental progressions
• Lacks comprehensive guidance on ongoing child assessment
• Lacks standardized initial training and comprehensive ongoing professional development
• Lacks ample opportunities for child-initiated play, activities based on children's interests, and activities that promote open-ended exploration
• Lacks guidance on culturally responsive interactions, learning experiences, and materials
• Lacks specific guidance to scaffold the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Lacks guidance on individualizing learning experiences based on children's strengths and needs

Opening the World of Learning™ (OWL) ©2014 offers learning experiences and materials that develop language and early literacy skills in the context of content areas, such as math, science, and social studies. The curriculum is organized around eight thematic units that include daily lesson plans for whole group activities, small group activities, and learning centers.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially in the domains of Language and Communication, Literacy, and Mathematics
• Provides a sequence of learning experiences that progressively builds children's knowledge and skills in some of the ELOF domains, including Language and Communication, Literacy, Mathematics, and Scientific Reasoning
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals throughout all curriculum activities
• Provides specific guidance for monitoring, documenting, and reflecting on children's learning
• Provides a range of strategies and resources to support family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Provides specific guidance on how to establish a well-organized, engaging indoor environment
• Provides specific guidance on how to individualize learning for all children, including children who are dual language learners (DLLs) and children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs 
• Promotes individualization based on children's strengths and needs
• Moderately aligns with the ELOF but lacks adequate guidance in the following subdomains: Initiative and Curiosity; Relationships with Adults; Relationships with Other Children; Emotional Functioning; Sense of Identity and Belonging; Gross Motor Development; and Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Provides minimal guidance and few strategies for communicating with families
• Lacks ample opportunities for child-initiated play, activities based on children's interests, and activities that promote open-ended exploration
• Provides limited guidance on how to fully integrate children's and families' cultures and home languages into interactions, the learning environment, and learning experiences
• Lacks guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on children's interests

Pre K for ME is adapted from the Boston Public Schools' Focus on K1 curriculum and is aligned with Maine's Early Learning and Development Standards. Pre K for ME includes learning experiences intentionally designed to support children in the domains of math, language, literacy, and science.

Last Updated: March 4, 2020

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Provides activities in all developmental domains, but research-based teaching practices are most evident in Language and Communication, Literacy, Mathematics, and Scientific Reasoning 
• Moderately aligned with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) but lacks comprehensive guidance in the following sub-domains: Emotional and Behavioral Self-Regulation; Relationships with Adults; Communicating and Speaking; and Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Offers opportunities for child-initiated play and activities that promote open-ended exploration
• Includes general guidance for children with disabilities or other special needs 
• Promotes individualization based on children's strengths and needs
• Provides developmentally appropriate learning goals, but goals are inconsistently addressed within the units 
• Provides minimal guidance and few strategies for communicating with families 
• Lacks a sequence of learning experiences based on children's developmental progressions for some domains 
• Provides opportunities for ongoing observation but lacks comprehensive guidance on ongoing child assessment 
• Lacks standardized initial training and comprehensive ongoing professional development 
• Provides limited guidance on how to fully integrate children's and families' cultures 
• Lacks guidance on how to individualize learning for children who are dual language learners (DLLs)

The Creative Curriculum^® for Preschool, 6^th Edition provides a set of resources to support active learning through a variety of learning experiences. It includes six volumes that describe the curriculum foundation, interest areas in the classroom, objectives for development and learning, and domain-specific teaching practices. The curriculum also provides teaching guides on six study topics with detailed daily plans.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains
• Fully aligns with the ELOF domains and sub-domains
• Provides scaffolding strategies within activities to support children as they move through the developmental progressions
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals and guidance on how to use them for the individualization of learning experiences based on children's strengths and needs
• Offers comprehensive guidance on ongoing child assessment
• Provides a range of strategies and resources to support parent and family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Includes specific prompts and open-ended questions to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Provides specific guidance on how to establish well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments
• Provides specific guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Provides specific adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Provides some guidance on how to integrate children's and families' cultures into the learning environment and learning experiences
• Lacks a sequence of learning experiences that gradually build children's scientific reasoning and inquiry skills based on developmental progressions

The InvestiGator Club® Just for Threes 2018 Learning System is a full year of instruction specifically for 3-year-olds. The curriculum is designed to help children develop readiness skills and encourages cognitive, physical, and emotional growth while serving as a bridge to The InvestiGator Club® PreKindergarten Learning System. The InvestiGator Club® Just for Threes 2018 Learning System curriculum materials may also be purchased as a supplement to The InvestiGator Club® PreKindergarten Learning System.

Last Updated: July 8, 2020

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially in the domains of Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, and Language and Communication
• Aligns fully with ELOF domains and sub-domains
• Lacks sequences of learning experiences that progressively build children's knowledge and skills in the domains of Mathematics, Scientific Reasoning, and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals throughout all curriculum activities
• Promotes ongoing assessment of children's learning
• Provides specific strategies and resources to promote parent and family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and comprehensive materials to support implementation
• Includes specific prompts to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Lacks ample opportunities for child-initiated play, activities based on children's interests, and activities that promote open-ended exploration
• Lacks guidance on how to fully integrate children's and families' cultures and home languages into interactions, the learning environment, and learning experiences
• Includes some specific guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Provides specific adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs in some curriculum materials

The InvestiGator Club® PreKindergarten Learning System 2018 is an integrated curriculum created to prepare children for kindergarten in all developmental areas. The System Resources Box includes basic key components that are used throughout the year, and content-specific materials are housed in seven themed Investigation Kits.

Last Updated: June 8, 2020

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially in the domains of Language and Communication and Literacy
• Provides a sequence of learning experiences that progressively builds on children's knowledge and skills
• Aligns fully with ELOF domains and sub-domains
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals throughout all curriculum activities
• Promotes ongoing assessment of children's learning
• Provides a range of specific strategies and resources to promote parent and family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Includes specific prompts to extend children's learning throughout activities
• Includes specific guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Provides specific adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Includes limited guidance on how to fully integrate children's and families' cultures and home languages into interactions, the learning environment, and learning experiences
• Lacks ample opportunities for child-initiated play, activities based on children's interests, and activities that promote open-ended exploration

Tools of the Mind^® follows the Vygotskian approach to teaching. It provides activities sequenced in a developmental trajectory and scaffolds to support children based on their current levels of development. Focusing on self-regulation, the curriculum supports children's underlying cognitive skills, social-emotional school readiness, and foundational skills in literacy, mathematics, and science.

Last Updated: March 25, 2019

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices to support children's development and learning in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially in the domains of Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Language and Communication, Literacy, and Math
• Provides a range of strategies and resources to support parent and family engagement
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation
• Offers ample opportunities for child-initiated play and activities that promote open-ended exploration
• Gives specific guidance to scaffold the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs)
• Includes specific adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs
• Promotes individualization based on children's strengths and needs
• Moderately aligns with the ELOF but lacks comprehensive guidance for the sub-domains of Scientific Reasoning, Problem-Solving, and Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• Lacks guidance on culturally responsive interactions with children and families
• Provides limited guidance on how to fully integrate children's and families' cultures into interactions, the learning environment, and learning experiences

Curriculum Description
World of Wonders provides developmentally appropriate instruction for early learners, ages 3 to 5. It includes cross-curricular activities in early literacy, social and emotional development, science, social studies, math, and music and movement. The curriculum establishes classroom routines, addresses the needs of all learners through differentiated instructional pathways, and integrates children's interests into thoughtfully designed lesson structures. 

Last updated Jan. 29, 2020

Summary of Curriculum Review

• Promotes research-based teaching practices in all Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) domains, especially Language and Communication, Literacy, Scientific Reasoning, and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development 
• Provides a sequence of learning experiences that progressively builds children's knowledge and skills in most ELOF domains, except for some components of Mathematics Development and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development 
• Fully aligns with the ELOF domains and sub-domains 
• Specifies developmentally appropriate learning goals, including goals for 3- and 4-year-olds; extension goals for advanced learners; and goals for children acquiring English 
• Includes specific prompts and open-ended questions to extend children's learning throughout activities 
• Includes a range of strategies and resources to support parent and family engagement 
• Provides specific guidance on how to support the development and learning of children who are dual language learners (DLLs) 
• Provides specific guidance on how to individualize based on children's strengths and needs 
• Offers comprehensive standardized training and materials to support implementation 
• Provides specific guidance on how to establish well-organized, engaging indoor and outdoor environments 
• Promotes ongoing observation of children's learning, but lacks information on reliability and validity for assessment instruments provided by the curriculum 
• Provides general adaptations for children with disabilities, suspected delays, or other special needs, but lacks guidance related to specific activities within the curriculum
• Provides some guidance on how to integrate children's and families' cultures into the learning environment and learning experiences, but lacks specific guidance on how to modify learning experiences to build on children's cultures