51吃瓜网

By Pamela Ehrenberg, Program Review Manager, 51吃瓜网

In a recent Young Children article, 鈥�Teachers, Nurses, and Families: Countdown to a Healthy Start,鈥� Mary Jane Eisenhauer and Angela Schooley describe a collaborative service-learning program led by the 51吃瓜网 nationally-recognized early childhood education program at Purdue University North Central and the nursing education program on the same campus.听 In this initiative, known as Countdown to a Healthy Start, students and faculty in the two programs worked together to support families in their children鈥檚 transition to kindergarten. The pre-service professionals designed family learning goals based on community needs. Then, in a series of open-house-style family education workshops, families participated in interactive learning stations and collected take-home resources to assist in their soon-to-be-kindergartner鈥檚 healthy, developmentally appropriate transition.
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The authors note the role of professional standards in preparing early childhood educators as well as nurses, as well as areas of overlap. The steps in planning and implementing the family workshops reflect clear connections to the 51吃瓜网 Standards for Initial and Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation, including:

• 鈥淚dentify the needs of families鈥� requires knowing about and understanding diverse family and community characteristics (Key Element 2a);
• 鈥淩esearch recommendations to meet the need and invite community partners to collaborate鈥� requires engaging in collaborative learning to inform practice (Key Element 6c);
• 鈥淒etermine appropriate learning outcomes for children and families in consultation with health professionals鈥� involves aspects of Standard 1 (Promoting Child Development) and Standard 5 (Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum);
• 听鈥淧lan learning stations with interactive materials鈥� involves using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching/learning approaches (Key Element 4c);
• 鈥淐reate take-home resources to help families apply the new knowledge or strategy at home鈥� reflects involving families and communities in young children鈥檚 development and learning (Key Element 2c); and
• 鈥淚nvite other community agencies to participate鈥� reflects supporting and engaging communities through respectful, reciprocal relationships (Key Element 2b).

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Student reflections on the experience emphasize a 鈥渟tandards without standardization鈥� approach in how these programs used national professional standards as a framework for addressing unique community needs.
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Reference

Eisenhauer, M.J., & Schooley, A. 2016. 鈥淭eachers, Nurses, and Families: Countdown to a Healthy Start.鈥澨�Young Children 71 (1): 30-37.听