TRAC Curriculum
The TRAC 2004 curriculum is a professional development curriculum designed to enhance the skills of early childhood care and education providers. The curriculum, which was developed, evaluated and refined over the past 15 years, has proven quality and utility. The curriculum is divided into five units and when completed in its entirety, provides 52 hours of training. The following provides a detailed description of each unit.
The Foundation for Supporting Children's Learning and Development (Center Based Care)
This unit serves as a foundation for the other units and includes information that will enable participants to provide an environment appropriate for all children. Participants attending this 18-hour session will leave with an idea of additional units they would like to complete as well as a work plan for implementing skills learned in training.
In this unit the participant will:
- gain information about Developmentally Appropriate Practice
- gain information about inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs
- understand principles of child development
- learn how to design learning environments to enhance children’s learning
- be able to utilize a variety of interacting techniques to facilitate small groups
- gain knowledge of strategies to teach young children social skills
- learn how to develop and implement Behavior Intervention Guidelines
- be able to utilize a manager role with in their classroom
- gain information on interpersonal communication techniques
Designing Environments to Support Children’s Learning
(children ages 3-5 center based care)
Current literature supports the concept that a developmentally appropriate environment is essential for meeting the needs of all children. This 12-hour workshop will enable the participant to obtain some in-depth information on early childhood practices. Environmentally based curricula and the use of play as a teaching tool will be emphasized.
In this unit the participant will:
- gain information regarding the relationship between Developmentally Appropriate Practices and using an environmentally based curriculum
- gain knowledge of the use of interest areas
- learn how to do instructional planning for the classroom using an environmentally based curriculum
- be able to effectively set up and use interest areas in the classroom including art, sand and water, dramatic play and blocks
- be able to use assessment to determine effective teaching strategies
- understand how to plan for and facilitate large group activities
Partnering with Families to Support Children’s Learning
Considering that children’s early development is the foundation for their later success in school, it is imperative that parents and early childhood educators work together to get them off to a good start. During this 6-hour unit participants will increase their knowledge of strategies to facilitate family involvement and learn information to assist them in developing positive relationships with families.
In this unit the participant will:
- understand the importance of developing reciprocal relationships with families
- learn information on family functioning and cultural considerations that may impact how services are provided
- be able to conduct an effective family meeting
- gain information about working with families who have children with disabilities
Supporting Children with Disabilities
This unit provides information to assist the early childhood teacher or child care provider to make adaptations that will allow children with disabilities to participate in typical preschool activities. This is a 6-hour workshop.
In this unit the participant will:
- gain information about including children with disabilities in early childhood programs
- gain information on causes and characteristics of common disabilities
- learn about disability awareness techniques to use with preschool children
- learn specific strategies for supporting children with speech and language delays
- learn specific strategies for supporting children with attention, distractibility, and/or impulse control difficulties
Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviors
In this unit, participants will examine a variety of intervention strategies for use with children exhibiting challenging behaviors. During this 10-hour workshop participants will learn the elements of behavior management, the factors that enhance and facilitate prosocial behavior, and the process of developing a positive behavior support plan.
In this unit the participant will:
- gain knowledge of recommended practices and general principles of behavior intervention
- gain an understanding of typical and atypical social and emotional development
- be able to use a variety of intervention strategies to prevent and respond to challenging behaviors and teach appropriate social skills
- be able to analyze children’s behavior to determine its function
- learn how to develop a positive behavior support plan
- utilize simple measures of child progress to determine effectiveness of strategies and make changes to intervention strategies