Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 45 20. Determine. Check the website of your state department of education to find out your state’s kindergarten requirements. 21. Identify. Visit a family child care home. Ask the provider to outline the daily schedule. Identify instances of predictability that are provided for children. 22. Identify. Search for licensed and registered child care programs by state, city, and region. Create a database of those in your area. 23. Draw Conclusions. Research the National As- sociation for Family Child Care (NAFCC) orga- nization. What are the goals of NAFCC? What eligibility criteria must providers meet? What is the role of an NAFCC Accreditation Observer? Why do people like being an NAFCC Accreditation Observer? Write a summary of your findings. 24. Identify. Visit the NAEYC website to find informa- tion for parents on selecting early childhood care and education programs. 25. Research and Writing. Research kindergarten readiness. Some sources contain kindergarten checklists and other information for parents con- cerning their children’s kindergarten experience. Write a brief article directed to prospective kinder- garten parents about what to expect. 26. Writing. Privately sponsored child care programs operated by a house of worship may include religious education as part of the curriculum. De- scribe your feelings about this subject. Should all students enrolled have to take part in the religious curriculum activities the program provides? Write a short essay detailing the advantages and disad- vantages of this type of program. 27. Research and Writing. Using Internet or print resources, research the biography of Maria Montessori. Write a one-page report detailing how Maria Montessori’s early experiences in medicine led her to define a philosophy of early childhood education. Discuss her contribution to the way children are educated today. Core Skills 28. Research and Speaking. Research the political platform of Lyndon Johnson and the part the War on Poverty and Head Start may have played in his successful election. Has the United States government been completely supportive of Head Start since its inception? What changes have been made to the Head Start program through the decades, and what is in store for its future? Pres- ent your findings in a presentation to the class. 29. Speaking. Debate the advantages and disadvan- tages of teaching in a parent cooperative. 30. Writing. Visit the website for the National Acade- my of Early Childhood Programs. Review the 10 NAEYC Program Standards. Write an article on their importance. 31. Research and Speaking. Search the Internet for large companies in the United States that provide some form of employee assistance for child care. What type of assistance is provided? What choic- es do employees have for child care benefits, if any? What is the percentage of employees who take advantage of these benefits? Use presenta- tion software to present your findings. 32. CTE Career Readiness Practice. Imagine it is five years in the future and you are starting your first full-time job. Your goal is to maintain health and wellness by developing a plan for handling workplace stress. Investigate and evaluate the re- sources on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health link on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website. Then write your plan for preventing job stress. Portfolio Project 33. Write a short essay on your vision of a high- quality child care center or preschool program. Include characteristics of the program you feel would best meet the needs of the children served by the program. These may include facility, curriculum, child-adult ratios, teacher qualifications and training, equipment, and accreditation. (Refer to Figure 2-11). What would encourage parents to enroll their children in this program?