C A R I B B E A N E A R LY C H I L D H O O D G O O D P R A C T I C E G U I D E
and celebration of events in the history and culture of Grenada. These local strategies have been merged with the HighScope approach.
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Harmonise curriculum reform with national Policy and standards in early childhood, and regional frameworks and agreements
Also, in recognition of the significant change in strategy for programme delivery required by teachers who were used to whole group instruction rather than supporting learning in small groups, an additional adaptation to the local context has been the inclusion in the daily routine of double the amount of time for small group activities than that envisaged in the HighScope approach. The local development of an Early Childhood Developmental Checklist in 2015 draws on expected outcomes from the HighScope approach, the CARICOM Minimum Standard for Early Childhood Development Services (2008) and the Caribbean Learning Outcomes for Early Childhood Development developed in 2004 17. Several other countries 18 in the region have developed national curriculum guides, informed and influenced either directly by the Caribbean Learning Outcomes (2004) or indirectly through the guidelines for Minimum Service Standard for Early Childhood Development Services in the Caribbean Region 2008 19, and methodologies for supporting children’s learning which are both child-directed and engaging of families. Examples include the following: XX In 2005, Trinidad and Tobago merged the six Caribbean Learning Outcomes into five 20 expanded aspects (for example aesthetic expression) and developed curricula that reflected the population diversity and national priorities of the country. The curriculum was influenced by the active participatory learning approach developed in Reggio Emilia 21 in Northern Italy.
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Develop a comprehensive curriculum approach/ framework in consultation and collaboration with service providers and parents’ organizations, building in a process for feedback and annual review.
The Reggio Approach gives particular emphasis to the content and arrangement of the socio-cultural and physical environment in which children learn, the role of adults as ‘collaborators’ with children in their learning and the development of sustained social relationships with families and communities. All staff members of public centres were trained in this approach during the period 2008 to 2009. The curriculum is currently a working document, last edited in 2013. XX In St. Kitts and Nevis, which has over 20 years of experience in 17 A handbook for practitioners on the use of the Caribbean Learning Outcomes in Early Childhood Development was published in 2010. See footnote 10 above. 18 Cayman Islands (2015); Jamaica (2010); Bahamas (date?) Guyana is in the process of revising the national curriculum that has been in place for 30 years. Barbados had adopted a national curriculum with attainment targets in 2000, serving as a model at that time for many countries in the region. 19 See footnote 11 above. 20 The Five Learning Outcomes for Trinidad and Tobago are: Citizenship/Belonging; Intellectual Empowerment; Wellness; Aesthetic Expression; and Effective Communication. The Caribbean Learning Outcomes are: Wellness; Resilience; Valuing Culture; Effective Communication; Intellectual Empowerment; and Respect for Self, Others and the Environment. 21 For further information, see Cadwell, L.B. (2003). The Reggio Approach to Early Childhood Education. Bringing Learning to Life. Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY. Teachers College Press.