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Chapter 2
The California Early Learning and
Development System
C hapter 1 highlights how infants and toddlers actively engage in learning through interaction
with others and through exploration of their environment. Research on high-quality infant/toddler care con- firms the essential role that sensitive, responsive infant/toddler care teach- ers play in early learning and develop- ment. Teachers need to be knowledge- able about how infants and toddlers learn and be skillful at nurturing infants’ self-initiated engagement in learning. This curriculum framework is a component of the California Early Learning and Development System, which is designed to foster the devel- opment of early care and education professionals. Each component has a specific focus. Together, the compo- nents provide a comprehensive system of support for early childhood profes- sionals and infant/toddler programs in their work with children and fami- lies. The system includes the following infant/toddler components:
• Learning and development founda- tions
• Learning and development program guidelines
• Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP)—part of the Desired Results assessment system
• Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) training system
• Curriculum framework
The infant/toddler curriculum framework highlights other com- ponents of the Early Learning and Development System and includes recommendations on how to use them. For example, chapter 1 refers to the infant/toddler learning and develop- ment foundations, and the strategies presented in chapters 3 through 6 are organized around the founda- tions. Guidance is given on how to use the content of the foundations, which identify three major transition points during the infancy period—at around eight months, at around 18 months, and at around 36 months. Similarly, chapter 1 includes excerpts from the infant/toddler learning and development program guidelines and
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California’s Early Learning and Development System
Learning and Development Foundations
Program Guidelines and
Resources
Curriculum Frameworks
Professional Development
Desired Results Assessment
System
California Department of Education, Child Development Division
highlights the DRDP. The curriculum planning process described in this framework will help early childhood educators use the other four compo- nents of the system, which, in turn, are designed to enrich the use of the curriculum framework.
To support infant/toddler care teachers, the California Early Learn- ing and Development System was built with state-of-the-art information on early learning and development and features best practices in early care and education. Each component area of the system provides resources that focus on a different aspect of support- ing infant/toddler care teachers and is linked to the resources provided in every other component of the system. This chapter provides an overview of the component areas and some of the resources. One resource, the Desired
Results Developmental Profile (DRDP), is described in greater detail than the others. The DRDP allows teachers to assess children’s progress in key areas of learning, which is integral to curric- ulum planning. A description of each component area follows.
Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations California’s infant/toddler learning
and development foundations are cen- tral to the state’s Early Learning and Development System. The foundations describe competencies—knowledge and skills—that all young children typ- ically learn with appropriate support. They also present infant/toddler learn- ing and development as an integrated process that includes social–emotional development, language development,
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cognitive development, and perceptual and motor development. The foun- dations give a comprehensive view of what infants and toddlers learn through child-initiated exploration and discovery, teacher-facilitated experi- ences, and planned environments, offering rich background information for teachers to consider as they plan for children.
The foundations identify key areas of learning and development. While mov- ing in the direction identified by each foundation, every child will progress along a unique path that reflects his or her individuality and cultural and linguistic experiences. The founda- tions help teachers understand chil- dren’s learning and can give focus to intentional teaching. Other resources that support intentional teaching are organized around the foundations. As explained in chapter 1 of this frame- work, strategies for fostering children’s learning in each area are organized by the domains specified in the founda- tions. In addition, the DRDP is aligned with the foundations, and that align- ment fosters an integrated image of each child. Unlike a developmental profile with a large number of indica- tors, the fully aligned DRDP provides a profile of individual children’s progress in each domain. With developmen- tal profile information focused on the domain areas, teachers will be able to use the curriculum framework to sup- port each child’s learning in various domains in an integrated way.
To support professional development focused on the foundations, the Cali- fornia Department of Education (CDE) developed the California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations DVD Series. Filmed at diverse infant/ toddler programs around the state, the
DVD clips bring the foundations to life, illustrating the behavior described in the foundations through the behavior of a variety of children. This three-DVD set includes an introduction to the foundations, commentary on the foun- dations, and domain introductions as well as extended scenes (with optional commentary) that show the integrated nature of early learning.
The foundations are central to the other components of the Early Learning and Development System— namely, program guidelines, other resources, and professional develop- ment. The program guidelines and other resources cover a broad range of policies and practices that influence program quality, such as the design of indoor and outdoor learning envi- ronments, partnerships with families, cultural diversity, inclusion of children with special needs, and professional ethics. In implementing recommended policies and practices, program direc- tors and teachers set the stage for intentional curriculum planning that aligns with the infant/toddler learning and development foundations. With regard to professional development, the CDE has initiated a multifaceted strategy of training and technical assistance that is aligned with the infant/toddler learning foundations to support the use of all resources in the early learning system.
Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework
Ongoing classroom planning is an integral part of intentional teaching. The infant/toddler curriculum frame- work is the resource in the early learn- ing system that focuses on planning for children’s learning. The framework
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includes principles, concepts, and practices that reflect a developmen- tally appropriate approach to planning learning environments, interactions, experiences, and daily routines for young children. Designed to foster respect for the diversity of infants and toddlers, families, teachers, commu- nities, and programs in California, the framework is flexible; it does not prescribe activities that teachers are expected to follow. Rather, it encour- ages teachers to adapt to individual, cultural, and linguistic diversity as they support children’s ongoing engagement in exploration and discov- ery.
As mentioned previously, chap- ters 3 through 6 of the curriculum framework are closely aligned with the infant/toddler learning and devel- opment foundations. Each of these chapters focuses on a specific domain presented in the foundations: social– emotional development (chapter 3); language development (chapter 4); cognitive development (chapter 5); and perceptual and motor development (chapter 6). The framework is meant to support young children’s learning in all of these domains. It offers an in- depth look at ways to help infants and toddlers acquire knowledge and skills in specific areas, always within the context of an integrated approach to supporting learning.
Desired Results Assessment System—Desired Results
Developmental Profile (DRDP)
Teachers gain general knowledge of young children’s learning from the foundations, and ideas for supporting
learning from the curriculum frame- work, but neither of those resources informs teachers about individual children’s learning and developmental progress. The Desired Results Devel- opmental Profile (DRDP) infant/tod- dler instrument, a component of the CDE’s Desired Results system, is the resource in the early learning system that assists teachers with document- ing individual children’s progress. The DRDP is an observational assessment instrument that is aligned with the foundations. It provides teachers with a developmental profile of each child’s progress. In addition, teachers can look at the individual profiles for an entire classroom to see the extent to which all children in a group are mak- ing progress and benefiting from the teachers’ classroom planning.
Information gained from the DRDP helps teachers plan for individual children and for small groups of children. As described in chapter 1, teachers review individual children’s developmental profiles for any emerg- ing knowledge and skills that might be supported. In one example, the teacher noted that a child was making progress toward pulling up to a stand- ing position with support and toward cruising. The information from the child’s DRDP led the teacher to check the environment to make sure it pro- vided furnishings that would facilitate that kind of movement.
It is important for teachers to docu- ment individual children’s learning. By doing so, they can deepen their understanding of how to support each child’s learning and development. As teachers observe and document what engages children in learning, especially during child-initiated play, they simul- taneously reflect on what they observe,
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document significant aspects by taking notes or photos, and begin to appreci- ate each child’s creation of meaning. Ongoing observation, reflection, and documentation occur throughout each day. Teachers continually gain insights and find new ways to connect with the children’s developing competen- cies, expand children’s thinking, and encourage further exploration of an emerging idea or ability. The day-to- day documentation of children’s learn- ing experiences becomes the source for periodic assessment of children’s developmental progress.
Teachers use documentation gath- ered over time to complete a DRDP for each child. These assessment instru- ments produce developmental pro- files for each child across the major domains of learning and development, such as social–emotional development, language development and emerging literacy, cognitive development, and perceptual and motor development.
The resulting developmental profile for each child shows the domains in which the child has made progress and whether there are any domains in which he or she needs additional sup- port. As discussed in chapter 1, teach- ers use information from the DRDP to provide each child with an appropriate level of challenge in specific knowledge and skill areas as children engage in an integrated learning experience.
To facilitate curriculum planning, the DRDP infant/toddler instru- ment summarizes children’s prog- ress in each learning area along a continuum of either five or six levels: Responding with Reflexes, Expand- ing Responses, Acting with Purpose, Discovering Ideas, Developing Ideas, and Connecting Ideas. Each level on this continuum is qualitatively differ-
ent from the other levels. Brief descrip- tions of infant and toddler behavior at each level follow:
Responding with Reflexes. Chil- dren at this level produce basic responses, such as the Moro Reflex, turning the head, looking in their immediate visual field, and cooing.
Expanding Responses. Over time, as infants interact with people who care for them and explore objects in their immediate physical environment, and gain some rudimentary motor control, they move to the next level on the continuum. They add to their basic responses; for example, they start to make new sounds, gain control over head movements, reach for objects, and smile in response to pleasurable experiences.
Acting with Purpose. Children at this level begin to organize responses to accomplish goals, solve problems, strengthen their sense of emotional security, communicate, explore the environment, coordinate simple actions with others’ actions, and attend to the routine actions of others.
Discovering Ideas. Children at this level explore and express simple con- cepts about self, others, and things; maintain attention for increasingly extended periods of time; begin to engage in cooperative interaction, such as playing a simple game; and follow guidance from others.
Developing Ideas. Children at this level anticipate situations by preparing self and taking action ahead of time; use increasingly complex language to describe self, others, routines, and events; engage in simple play around a common idea; initiate and follow through with actions; respond to increasingly complex requests; rely on past guidance; and engage in interac-
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tions to share thoughts, feelings, and experiences to solve problems and make plans.
Connecting Ideas. Children at this level combine words, phrases, or actions to express themselves, play, and solve problems; follow increasingly complex sequences of actions, such as the meaning of simple stories; and communicate about future events.
At all times, young children’s learn- ing is integrated. Every experience offers them an opportunity to develop a wide range of knowledge and skills. Likewise, every experience typically involves more than a single compe- tency as children learn. One of the most important competencies that infants and toddlers develop is lan- guage. As described in chapter 1, children who are dual-language learn- ers use both languages as they learn in all domains. Because dual-language learners may use their home language to show understanding of specific dis- coveries (e.g., cause-and-effect rela- tionships or how things fit and move in space), teachers often document and assess the extent to which a child demonstrates knowledge and skills in his or her home language. The DRDP
user guide and training information provide guid- ance to teachers on how to document and assess com- petencies dual-language learners demonstrate using their home language.*
Families play an essen- tial role in their children’s learning. They know their children better than anyone else and are able to provide insights and ideas that add to teachers’ understanding of children. Reflecting with
family members on documentation and an infant’s or toddler’s individual profile of developmental progress strengthens the curriculum planning process. Partnering with families in this process honors their role in their children’s learning and communicates respect. Together, teachers and fami- lies can generate ideas and activities to foster children’s development of knowl- edge and skills at school and home.
The DRDP is part of the Desired Results assessment system, which, in turn, is part of the larger Califor- nia Early Learning and Development System. In addition to the DRDP, the Desired Results system includes the Desired Results Parent Survey and the Environment Rating Scale (ERS). Information collected with the Desired Results assessment tools allows early childhood educators to review, evalu- ate, and reflect on:
• the strengths of their program (for example, a program may already provide a rich collection of age- appropriate books);
*The DRDP user guide is available at http://www. wested.org/desiredresults/training/index.htm.
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• ways to increase the quality of their program (for example, a program may discover a need to partner with the children’s families to increase the variety of activities and interac- tions it offers in support of children’s perceptual and motor development, both in the infant/toddler care set- ting and at home);
• the effectiveness of their program’s curriculum (for example, informa- tion on the children’s current prog- ress in engaging in emotion regula- tion would help teachers focus their curriculum planning on the area of social–emotional development).
Descriptions of the Desired Results Parent Survey and the ERS follow.
Desired Results Parent Survey
The Desired Results Parent Survey is used (1) to assess parent satisfaction with the early childhood program, and (2) to gain an understanding of fami- lies’ strengths and needs in supporting their children’s learning and develop- ment and in achieving their goals. Pro- grams conduct this survey annually as part of their self-review.
Teachers reflect on responses to the parent survey to understand other information they have gathered about the children and the program, to identify program strengths, and to determine ways to facilitate family participation in the program and help family members build their capacity for supporting their children’s learning and development.
Environment Rating Scale (ERS)
The ERS assesses the quality of the learning environment.* Specifically, teachers use the ERS to assess the
quality of the interactions, the space, the schedule, and the materials they provide to their group of children. The ERS is completed, summarized, ana- lyzed, and then considered in program improvement plans once a year. Teach- ers combine information gained from the ERS with other sources to engage in long-term planning and continuous program improvement.
Program Guidelines and Other Resources
Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Program Guidelines
The infant/toddler learning and development program guidelines rec- ommend policies and practices that enhance the quality of infant/tod- dler programs. In addition to giving an overview of infants’ and toddlers’ learning and development and cur- riculum planning, the guidelines cover a broad range of topics that contribute to program quality, particularly the fol- lowing:
• Providing family-oriented programs
• Providing relationship-based care
• Ensuring health and safety
• Creating and maintaining environ- ments for infants and toddlers
• Engaging in program development and commitment to continuous improvement
• Helping teachers continue to grow professionally
• Understanding that learning and development are integrated across domains
• Implementing an infant/toddler cur- riculum process
*See Harms, Clifford, and Cryer 2005, p. 92.
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As stated earlier in this chapter, the recommendations in the infant/toddler learning and development program guidelines set the stage for intentional teaching and curriculum planning centered on the infant/toddler learning and development foundations.
The program guidelines are com- plemented by two resources that are intended to help educators and trainers in their professional develop- ment work with infant/toddler care teachers. A workbook—officially titled Infant/Toddler Learning and Develop- ment Program Guidelines: The Work- book—consists of active learning expe- riences for each section of the program guidelines. The learning experiences promote understanding of the guide- lines and advise how to implement rec- ommended policies and practices. The workbook supports the development of a learning community in which current infant/toddler care teachers, and individuals who are preparing to become infant/toddler care teachers, have multiple opportunities to explore recommended program policies and practices and learn from one another. The Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Program Guidelines DVD Series presents a subset of the learn- ing activities from the program guide- lines workbook. In the DVD clips, practitioners who have completed a workbook activity discuss their experi- ence and reflect on what they learned from it. Thus the workbook and DVDs are designed to complement each other; the workbook activities allow teachers to explore ideas firsthand, while the DVDs augment the active learning experiences by showing teach- ers in discussions about the insights and understanding they gained from the activities.
Professional Development Professional development makes the
California Early Learning and Develop- ment System come alive for teachers and program directors. The CDE has adopted a multifaceted approach to promoting the use of the early learning system in professional development. Initiatives include the preparation and ongoing professional develop- ment of infant/toddler teachers in two- and four-year colleges. In addi- tion, a network has been created to support the continuing development of current infant/toddler care teach- ers. To guide and foster professional development, the CDE partnered with First 5 California to develop Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Competen- cies that are aligned with the infant/ toddler learning foundations and all other resources in the early learning system.† These competencies describe the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of early childhood educators and will become the CDE’s cornerstone for pro- fessional development, training, and technical assistance.
In-Depth Understanding and Planning for Children’s
Integrated Learning The different resources and activi-
ties that make up the California Early Learning and Development System offer infant/toddler program direc- tors and teachers opportunities for in-depth exploration of a wide variety of topics. As part of the system, this curriculum framework invites teach-
†Visit the CDE’s Child Development Web site (http:// www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/) to access the ECE Com- petencies and other California Early Learning and Development System resources.
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ers to explore the details of curricu- lum planning in each domain. At the same time, rather than being isolated from learning in other domains, the strategies presented for one domain are connected with learning in other domains. By deepening their under- standing of each domain, teachers can see new possibilities for integrating curriculum planning and connecting children’s learning experiences. The chapters that follow explore in detail the domains of social–emotional devel- opment, language development, cogni- tive development, and perceptual and motor development. As the vignettes in chapter 1 illustrate, teachers draw on their comprehensive understand- ing of children’s learning in different domains. As teachers observe, reflect on, and document each child’s engage- ment in exploration and discovery, their knowledge of strategies that support learning in various domains helps them use an integrated approach when planning curriculum. With in- depth knowledge of how to support knowledge and skill development in every domain, teachers can more eas- ily focus on a specific area of learning while being responsive to each child’s whole learning experience.
Bibliography
California Department of Education. California Infant/Toddler Learning and Develop- ment Foundations. Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2009.
———. California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, DVD Series. DVD. Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2009.
———. Infant/Toddler Learning and Develop- ment Program Guidelines. Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2006.
———. Infant/Toddler Learning and Develop- ment Program Guidelines, DVD Series. DVD. Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2009.
———. Infant/Toddler Learning and Develop- ment Program Guidelines: The Workbook. Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2009.
Harms, T., R. M. Clifford, and D. Cryer. Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Rev. ed. New York: Teachers College Press, 2005.
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