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Part 1 Organizing a Quality Child Care Program
Child-Initiated Activity
Young children also benefit from being able
to make choices and pursue their own interests,
1-6. Classrooms must allow many opportunities
for children to set their own pace. This is a
unique kind of teaching that is not common to
classrooms for older children. Teachers must be
able to recognize the differences that will exist
within a preschool classroom. Children will
have different background experiences. They
will have different interests and talents. They
will have different growth rates and varying
attention spans. It is unrealistic to think they
will all enjoy and benefit from doing the same
thing at the same time.
Planning child-initiated activities allows
children to have some control over their activi-
ties and helps them to feel responsible for their
actions. They grow in their ability to plan activi-
ties and to make choices. Allowing them to con-
trol the amount of time they spend on a
particular activity can encourage deep involve-
ment and lengthened concentration.
By contrast, those programs that are heavily
teacher-directed and tightly structured lead to a
sense of frustration in children. They tend to
feel powerless. It is important that children be
given a block of “free-choice” time. During that
time, children can choose among the activities
the teacher has made available. They are helped
to become “initiators” of activity instead of
becoming individuals who only respond to the
suggestions of others.
Clearly Defined Curriculum
A good program is characterized by a clearly defined curriculum. Caregivers and
group leaders are knowledgeable about the age characteristics of their groups. They
agree on the basic principles of how young children learn, what they need to know,
and how they should be taught. Caregivers are consistent in the guidance used. The
level of structure and caregiver control is similar in each classroom. While staff may
demonstrate their individuality in certain aspects of their classroom, they agree on the
fundamentals of how teachers should facilitate learning and the day-to-day structure
of a program.
1-6 Child-initiated activities allow children to
explore and learn at their own pace.
1-5 These children are fascinated by activities
geared to their developmental level.