Navigating Curriculum Implementation in Head Start and Community-based Centers during COVID-19: Researcher and Practitioner Perspectives

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic required unprecedented, and agile, changes to Spring 2020 curriculum implementation in early childhood education (ECE) and continued adjustments during School Year 2020-2021. This roundtable will discuss the implications of COVID-19 in ECE classrooms and supports by drawing upon operational insights from the ExCEL Quality (ExCEL) project. ExCEL tests how different dimensions and thresholds of quality in Head Start and community-based ECE classrooms in four cities relate to children’s developmental outcomes. During the School Year 2019-2020, the project used a random assignment design to compare classrooms who received curriculum, paired with intensive teacher training and in-classroom coaching, to control classrooms that reflect the local context. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, ExCEL shifted its teacher training and coaching offerings to meet the unique needs of the moment with strategies like virtual training and coaching and using social media to disseminate family engagement activities inspired by the curricular approaches. ExCEL also provides stress management workshops and technical assistance focused on adapting curriculum to meet the needs of the “new normal” during School Year 2020-2021. Moderated by Katherine Baldwin from the Bank Street Education Center, this session brings together researchers managing professional development for the two curricular approaches in ExCEL and Head Start directors from Indiana and Ohio to share insights into ECE administration and interactions with teachers and families. This discussion provides research, administrative, and on-the-ground perspectives on navigating curriculum implementation, professional development, and technical assistance from the first days of COVID-19 to present day.

Sub Unit

• Solicited Content: COVID-19 Related

Moderator

• Katherine Baldwin, Bank Street College of Education

Panelists

• Carly Morrison, MEF Associates

• Amena Sengal, MDRC (Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation) - New York City

• Teresa Rice, Family Development Services

• Kathleen Welz, YMCA of Central Ohio