Early Childhood Programs

Part 1

Needs Assessment Tools

Childhood care programs play a crucial role in child development. The programs provide families with immense support to families who are engaged in their work and other activities. In addition, the programs offer children with valuable learning and stimulating experiences which are vital for healthy child development and academic success. Before the development of childhood programs, a needs assessment analysis should be carried out to determine which program should be established and why. 

Needs assessment tools and strategies are significant in making an effective analysis of various needs and which of the identified needs should be prioritized above others. In addition, the tools and strategies are useful since they prevent decision making in an informal and ad hoc process. Rather, the identified issues are accorded due consideration in a participatory decision-making procedure. A number of tools and strategies will be used in the needs assessment process in this program. Interviews are a fundamental needs assessment tool. They are aimed at the collection of data from specific individuals via various formats such as structured, semi-structured, and unstructured. Through interviews, the plan developers can gather in-depth context stories and information on the topic that is relevant to the needs assessment. Additionally, a researcher can understand the objectives of a needs assessment. Moreover, in interviews, people can provide sensitive information that they would not offer in a group context. Consequently, the program planners conclusively identify the critical needs of the target population, which is essential for decision making. 

Moreover, dual response surveys will also be employed to determine which needs of the Hispanic children should be prioritized over others. This type of survey gathers information from a vast number of people regarding their perceptions of the existing and desired Hispanic child performance. Additionally, the data collected from the surveys can be applied to both small and large population segments. The tools will provide extensive information on the priority needs of the Hispanic population, fostering effective decision making regarding which program should be developed. 

A Needs Assessment

The type of program was decided based on the identified needs of the Hispanic community. The tools were useful in determining the most critical needs of the target segment. The educational and care needs of children whose parents work on a twelve-hour shift in the industrial plant were prioritized over others. The Headstart Day Care Program was deemed the most effective program since the children would be taken care off, fed, educated, and their talents nurtured in the new program. As a result, the wellbeing of the children in the Hispanic communities would be safeguarded, and their parents would be more productive since their children’s needs would be catered for. The potential children and families to be served were identified through the use of surveys and interviews which revealed that a vast number of needy parents and single mothers had to work a twelve-hour shift to make ends meet, leaving their children’s education and parental care needs, among others, unmet. 

Mission Statement

“To offer quality and excellent childcare to all the families in the society in a kind, affectionate, nurturing, and educational environment. “

Ages of Children to be Served

The program will serve young children from the ages of eight and below less than twenty-four hours a day. 

Space Requirements

The child care facility will be characterized by a secure environment which offers the children a variety of learning experiences. The facility will be required to fulfil a number of outdoor and indoor space requirements. First, the organization will be designed in a way that it can accommodate children and adults with various disabilities. Additionally, the classrooms will be equipped with cots, cribs, chairs, and other furniture. Moreover, the indoor space will also contain academic, presentation, computer, and audiovisual equipment. In addition, food service will also be offered, and hygiene equipment will be present in both the indoor and the outdoor space. The outdoor area will be fenced and comprising of a play yard space, canopy, sidewalk, ground cover, play structures, proper drainage equipment’s, as well as vegetation to inculcate in the children, a sense of responsibility and appreciation for the environment. 

Days and Hours of Operation

The Headstart Child Care Program will be active from Monday to Friday, from 6.30 am to 6.15pm. The facility will be operational fifty-two weeks in a single year. Through the needs assessment, the researchers were able to know that the majority of the parents work on a twelve-hour shift retire from work at around five and six p.m. Parents can pick up their children when they leave work, giving parents and children ample time to interact, and form bonds after the daily school, and work routine.

Activities Offered

A Creative Curriculum will be employed in the organization. The children will explore a number of learning areas such as science and exploration, creative art, library and story time, Music, Math, Literacy, construction, dramatic play, language development, social studies, and technology. The creation of a safe, healthy, attractive and stimulating environment, which caters for the individual needs of each child, are the primary considerations that were taken into account during the selection of a quality curriculum and activities in the program. In addition, child development theories will enable child educators to acquire valuable knowledge, which is critical in the effective planning and implementation of developmentally appropriate activities in the childcare environment.

Part 2

Standards of Practice

Formative evaluation is the best framework for evaluating the effectiveness of the Headstart program. According to Odendaal, Atkins, & Lewin (2016), t he evaluation approach is used as the program develops. In addition, it is employed when a current program is undergoing modifications. Kozica et al. (2015) argue that t he evaluation framework is handy in the development of an exemplary program. It also ensures continuous quality improvements since it enables program developers to make the necessary modifications to the program plan before the full implementation commences. Additionally, Henry, Smith, Kershaw, & Zulli (2013) argue that the framework heightens the likelihood of program success. 

Part 3

Program Funding and Marketing

Marketing is a fundamental strategy of creating awareness on the program and its effectiveness in the community. Based on the target population, the development of educational programs to promote an awareness of the importance of the Headstart childcare program is necessary. The educational programs will develop an understanding of the vitality of the program in meeting the diverse needs of the children in this community. Nonetheless, communicating with the target families and society will prove difficult due to some reasons.

First, the lack of flexibility in the working hours of the majority of the individuals in this society will hinder the attainment of the objectives set for the educational program. Most of the people living in the area work on a twelve-hour shift in the industrial plant. Therefore, this will inhibit the program developers from effectively communicating to all the concerned individuals in the community. In addition, most individuals are often ignorant of such programs and therefore fail to show up. The program developers will request funds from the state government for the establishment of the facility and the purchase of the desired childcare equipment’s. Furthermore, various NGOs will be requested to assist the program regarding funds. 

Part 4

Leadership and Advocacy

Transformational leadership style will be used in the Headstart Child Care facility. The organizational leader will be able to govern the organization successfully as a result of some transformational qualities. First, the leader will have a clear vision and the ability to articulate it to the rest of the organizational stakeholders in a manner that they understand. In addition, the leader will also be equipped with courage. As a result, he/she will be able to take calculated risks, new challenges, and make tough decisions for the organization. A transformational leader is a risk taker who embraces new challenges and changes to enhance the performance of the organization. 

The leader will also be able to fuel his/her passion from within. In addition, he/she will be able to inspire motivation in others, making them embrace the vision and strive to achieve it. In addition, the leader will also be a change agent who will facilitate various organizational changes by imparting in the staff, a positive attitude and appreciation for change. He/she will also be a motivator who inspires his/her followers to perform exemplary, to meet the set objectives. 

Opportunities for leaders and Advocacy

The program will provide leaders with a chance to enhance their leadership skills. It will create a platform in which leaders can make mistakes and learn from them to become exemplary leaders. In addition, the program will offer leaders with extensive leadership experience which will familiarize them will a vast number of issues and the most effective solutions to them. The program will further enable the advocacy to assess their strengths and weaknesses and determine the factors that may impact the quality of instruction offered to the young students in the daycare. As a result, these individuals will identify the changes that are needed in their instruction, to promote performance efficacy. 

Headstart Child Care leaders will collaborate with families to identify the emerging needs of the children at the daycare. In addition, training will be provided to volunteers in various childcare fields, so that a highly qualified staff can be developed, ensure quality care and instruction to the children. The community will also be involved in making decisions about the organization as well as the changes to be established. The development of a child care program will be highly beneficial to the community since the needs of the younger generation will be catered for.

References

Henry, G. T., Smith, A. A., Kershaw, D. C., & Zulli, R. A. (2013). Formative evaluation: Estimating preliminary outcomes and rival testing explanations.  American Journal of Evaluation ,  34 (4), 465-485.

Kozica, S. L., Lombard, C. B., Hider, K., Harrison, C. L., & Teede, H. J. (2015). Developing comprehensive health promotion evaluations: a methodological review.  MOJ Public Health ,  2 (1), 00007.

Odendaal, W., Atkins, S., & Lewin, S. (2016). Multiple and mixed methods in formative evaluation: Is better? Reflections from a South African study.  BMC medical research methodology ,  16 (1), 173.