The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos
This page is created solely as a summary of key pieces from The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos for Collaborative Center teachers to reference when aligning their practice with the curriculum. It is not a substitute for the curriculum materials, nor is it a training endorsed or created by or for Teaching Strategies, Inc.
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Collaborative Center Infant and Toddler Curriculum The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos by Teaching Strategies, Inc is the curriculum of choice used for all Early Head Start Collaborative Center programming associated with Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency (NMCAA). This curriculum was chosen because it focuses on relational learning and leads teachers through a process of planning and offering developmentally appropriate education and excellent care for infants, toddlers, and twos. It supports being intentional about the experiences you offer while still having the flexibility to respond to the changing interests and abilities of young children. |
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Curriculum Contents The best way to get started with this curriculum is to dig in and familiarize yourself with the materials provided in the kit:
If you are interested in a curriculum training, let your Coordinator know. |
The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos - Volume 1: The Foundation
Lesson Planning
At the back of The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos Volume 1: The Foundation you will find lesson planning templates, and examples. Another resource available to support planning is the NMCAA Lesson Plan, Daily Routine, & Schedule Guide listed below. This tool aligns Head Start Program Performance Standards and Creative Curriculum guidelines in a checklist format to help ensure your lesson plans are comprehensive and comply with expectations.
NMCAA EHS Lesson Plan, Daily Routine, & Schedule Guide 7/20
NMCAA EHS Learning Centers Lesson Planning Template 3/21
At the back of The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos Volume 1: The Foundation you will find lesson planning templates, and examples. Another resource available to support planning is the NMCAA Lesson Plan, Daily Routine, & Schedule Guide listed below. This tool aligns Head Start Program Performance Standards and Creative Curriculum guidelines in a checklist format to help ensure your lesson plans are comprehensive and comply with expectations.
NMCAA EHS Lesson Plan, Daily Routine, & Schedule Guide 7/20
NMCAA EHS Learning Centers Lesson Planning Template 3/21
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Big and Little Transitions Throughout early childhood children experience many different transitions. Two types of transitions we address here are big transitions between settings (e.g., home to child care, one classroom to another) and smaller daily transitions between routine parts of the day (e.g., Circle Time to Interest Areas). The way adults support children before, during, and after a transition can have a significant impact on how a child manages the change in the moment, and how they manage changes later in life. Anytime a child experiences a transition it is an opportunity for caregivers and parents to help children develop coping and self-regulating skills. List of Transition Activities with GOLD Objectives |
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Bringing it all Together
When bringing all of the pieces together it can seem like a lot. Don't worry you are not alone. There are several tools to help point you in the right direction. Taking a minute to go through the checklists listed below with your team can be really helpful and rewarding too. Your Collaborative Center Services Coordinator will go over the Glows and Grows portion at recaps in the Fall to set goals for growing your practice, but teaching teams can review these any time and set goals independently.
NMCAA Physical Environment and Daily Structure Fidelity Checklist 7/22
NMCAA Curriculum Materials and Content Areas Fidelity Checklist 7/22
When bringing all of the pieces together it can seem like a lot. Don't worry you are not alone. There are several tools to help point you in the right direction. Taking a minute to go through the checklists listed below with your team can be really helpful and rewarding too. Your Collaborative Center Services Coordinator will go over the Glows and Grows portion at recaps in the Fall to set goals for growing your practice, but teaching teams can review these any time and set goals independently.
NMCAA Physical Environment and Daily Structure Fidelity Checklist 7/22
NMCAA Curriculum Materials and Content Areas Fidelity Checklist 7/22
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More than Play
Not only are the books easy to explore in small chunks, they provide easy to understand explanations of how children are learning and what they are learning from play. For example, to a passerby it may look like a child is simply pretending that a pot is a drum, however, so much more is occurring. The child is developing the ability to use symbols to represent something not present. Practicing the skill of symbolic thinking helps children learn to use other symbols, e.g., letters to represent sounds, and words to express ideas and feelings. Examples such as these are throughout all 3 volumes and provide excellent references for talking to stakeholders about how what is happening in early childhood classrooms is more than just "play". |
The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos - Volume 3: Objectives for Development and Learning
The 3rd volume covers the Objectives for Development and Learning. This piece ties directly to the GOLD assessment tool and provides a roadmap for planning that is driven by the developmental progression of the children in your classroom. By using the color-bands and levels for each objective, you can select appropriate strategies from the end of each section to scaffold instruction. For more information select the GOLD tab in the navigation menu above.