Performing Department
Human Dev. and Family Sciences
Non Technical Summary
The Early Learning Matters (ELM) Curriculum is a comprehensive, evidence-informed program to support the optimal learning and development of children from birth to five years of age. The curriculum promotes skills linked to school readiness and life success with developmentally appropriate teaching strategies and guided play activities. Proposed Website Content All materials necessary for effectively implementing the ELM Curriculum will be fully available on the proposed website. This includes, but is not limited to, 375 activity plans for classrooms serving infants and toddlers (each plan provides two-and three activity options) and 1,000 activity plans for classrooms serving preschool-age children. Each activity plan includes a standard set of tools, including scaffolding tips, suggestions for related guided play, adaptations for family childcare, and anticipatory guidance for infant/toddler staff in a section called What to Look For. The website will link ELM Curriculum content to pertinent resources provided by the National Association of Education of Young Children (NAEYC), including the most recent developmentally appropriate practice position statement and program accreditation standards, and by the Virtual Laboratory School courses and lessons. For example, links will be provided to these resources in the ELM Curriculum's two User Guides and online training materials. In addition to the hyperlinks noted above, the website will include within-curriculum links. These include; activity plans cited as examples of best practices in User Guides, activity plans suggested as possible individualized follow-up learning activities in Guides for Observing and Individualizing, curriculum materials cited in Scaffolding Tips and What to Look For sections of activity plans, and samples of complete forms.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this one-year project is to develop an enhanced web-based platform for hosting the extensive set of resources that comprise the Early Learning Matters (ELM) Curriculum, including training resources that promote effective use of the curriculum. During the development period, intended users will test the platform to ensure usability and the project team will ensure supports are in place for maintaining and enhancing the ELM Curriculum presence into the future. The intended users of the website include (1) direct care staff, trainers, and managers in child development centers that are implementing the ELM Curriculum and (2) early childhood professionals who are considering adoption of the ELM Curriculum. Project leaders will coordinate efforts with the Department of Defense's Office of Military Community and Family Policy to ensure website responsiveness to the mission of the Department of Defense Child Development Program. Development of the website will also be informed by the project team's expanding base of experiences in training military personnel to use the ELM Curriculum and its relationships with programs that are implementing ELM.
Project Methods
The Purdue ELM team will work with external vendors to develop and test the website. An external vendor will be enlisted to review the material for 508 compliance.Project leaders will work closely with the DoD Office of Military Community and Policy to ensure the web-based platform meets user expectations and Department mission regarding the DoD Child Development Program. Specifically, information and options related to key website content and design decisions will be communicated with the Office's leadership as part of existing monthly meetings and at other times as appropriate. Specifically, project leaders will send working versions of website elements to stakeholders for feedback (see Timeline). The project will make use of information provided by current users of the ELM Curriculum, including staff in Air Force and Marine Corps programs, about how they access ELM materials. For example, feedback to date points to the importance of having ELM Curriculum information accessible via personal computers and tablets, plus easily downloadable resources that can be saved and/or printed for staff use. Small-scale testing of the ease of using the website will occur throughout the project, especially in the first phase of work. A beta test will be conducted to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to review the website in its complete form.