How Do Curricula Vary within Early Childhood Education?
All curricula, including those developed for young children, are designed to complement and support the students for whom they are intended. They include:
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- A theoretical or philosophical orientation
- Stated or implied assumptions about learners
- Goals or intended outcomes for learners
- Stated or implied assumptions about the role of teachers
- Specified or suggested content
- Specified or suggested methods of implementation and assessment of learners (Frede & Ackerman, 2007; Goffin, 2001; NAEYC, 2003)
The period of early childhood is commonly understood to include birth through age 8, as defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). Yet within this period, children’s developmental characteristics and interests vary enormously, so curriculum across the early childhood span does as well. We would not expect a curriculum for infants or toddlers to be the same as one for first or second graders. In this section we will discuss some of the general similarities and differences in curriculum across early childhood.