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TRANSCRIPT
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Training Program Plan
Brittany Morneweg
AET/570
December 21, 2015
Dr. Joseph Walter
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TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN
A Step Ahead Preschool is a privately owned preschool located in Ahwatukee,
Arizona. The current owners and directors of the school have been established there for
5 years. In 2016 the school was selected to participate in the first cohort of a program
called First Relationships, a new subsidiary of First Things First. By opting to participate
ASA was assigned an Early Childhood Education Consultant (ECEC) to work with the
directors and teachers on providing them with support to help young children develop
healthy relationships so they can learn, grow, and thrive (Quality First, 2015).
As a part of this project teachers were required to attend 50 hours of training,
receive onsite coaching visits and observations which included a variety of coaching
strategies and a focus on caregiving consistency, implementing small groups, and
responsive caregiving (Quality First, 2015). Participation in the grant funded program
has allowed teachers to learn together, produce a foundation of collegial support, and
create strong bonds with their students and parents.
As a result of the completion of the first cohort of First Relationships the ECEC
provided feedback for the directors based on a summative assessment of their
progress. From the analyzation of the data, the ECEC and the directors determined that
their main focus for the second of three cohorts would be on developing consistent
curriculum for each age-defined classroom. To ensure this goal is met, a training
program was developed for the teachers to provide them with positive adult learning
opportunities and allow them to be armed with the strategies to be able to foster healthy
relationships with children.
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Training Program Description
Scope of Training Program
ASA will train 14 teachers how to plan, implement, evaluate developmentally
appropriate curriculum for their students, and then upgrade the current curriculum used.
This project will facilitate training that leads to a positive impact on adult learning,
improvement of teacher effectiveness, and an enhancement of educational outcomes.
The project begins January 2016 and will be completed May 2016.
This training will provide instruction and guidance to teachers at ASA which will
result in a positive impact on adult learning by providing consistent opportunities for the
teachers to learn and grow together by incorporating the Innovations – Comprehensive
Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Curriculum series, written by Kay Albrecht (2004). Kay, a
colleague of the ECEC will be a support staff on the facilitation team.
Teachers will learn and work together to develop “one year curriculum” that is
appropriate for each age group; and furthermore, fosters support from teacher to
teacher (Albrecht, 2004). The curriculum from the Infant Room will provide a foundation
for the curriculum to be used in the Ones Room; the curriculum in the Ones Room will
build on previous curriculum and prepare children for the next class, and continue that
scaffolding approach in each age-defined classroom.
Intended Audience
The participants in the training will include two teachers from the Infant Room,
three teachers from the Ones Room, three teachers from the Twos Room, two teachers
from the Threes Room, two teachers from the Prekindergarten Room, and two transition
teachers (floaters).
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Program Goals and Objectives
Goal 1 – Each group of teachers will plan developmentally appropriate activities for their
students
Objective 1 – Teachers will be able to identify at least 15 developmentally
appropriate content areas and related activities for their
students.
Objective 2 – Teachers will be able to describe how and why each content area
and activity selected is suitable for the age of their students.
Goal 2 – Teachers will gain strategies to be able to implement plans into their instruction
Objective 1 – Teachers will be able to outline students developmental needs
based on Arizona State Standards and learnings from
Innovations: The Comprehensive Curriculum.
Objective 2 – Teachers will be able to construct curriculum for a one year plan
based on findings from their outlines.
Goal 3 – The developed curriculum will be evaluated by comparing and
contrasting with other age group curriculum created and Arizona Early
Childhood Education State Standards
Objective 1 – Teachers will be able to adapt drafts and plans of curriculum to
support scaffolding by working with other teachers
considering what students need to know before moving into the next
classroom.
Objective 2 – Teachers will be able to conclude the instruction and activities to
complete a one year curriculum plan which is designed to be
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repeated year after year with on-going evaluations
Needs or Gap Analysis
Observations
During the first cohort of First Relationships the ECEC kept a record of
observations related to a disconnect in curriculum from classroom to classroom,
teachers not being prepared with lesson plans, and lack of awareness of
developmentally appropriate educational activities. This data supports the need for the
Innovations Curriculum Training.
Questionnaires
Questionnaires were provided to the teachers at A Step Ahead Preschool by the
ECEC. The feedback remained anonymous but provided information which supports the
need for this training. Teachers reported that they felt there was not enough support
from administration regarding creation and implementation of curriculum. A disconnect
on curriculum continuity from classroom to classroom was consistent feedback from
79% of the teachers.
Interviews
14 out of 14 teachers opted to be interviewed by the ECEC, the responses were
consistent across the board with a common theme. Teachers felt that when students
transitioned into their classroom they were not being taught skills and concepts the
teachers expected them to know. When asked about types of activities teachers
provided for children in their respective age group, 65% of activities were not
developmentally appropriate for their students. This proved that there was a need for
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teachers to learn what is developmentally appropriate education for early childhood and
that there was a large gap in consistent curriculum being used.
Group sessions
The ECEC conducted one group session consisting of lead teachers from each
age group. Teachers completed a version of a KWL chart, which tracks what they know,
what they want to know, and what they learned. Each teacher provided information on
what they believed to be developmentally appropriate for their students, what they
thought their students needed to know before moving on, and what they expected new
children to know (entering their class from another class). Once the teachers completed
their charts they presented them to the group and then their answers were compared to
Arizona State Standards and the Innovations Curriculum. Teachers were able to see the
gaps, gain an understanding as to why the curriculum training is so important, and then
advocate the training to their colleagues.
Documents and Artifacts
During the first year of First Relationships the ECEC reviewed the current
curriculum content that teachers had access to. The first observation regarding the
documents provided was that teachers barely utilized them. Upon more research the
reasoning for that was due to the activities provided were not specific to any age group
or organized for teachers to be able to utilize efficiently. Teachers that would use the
lesson plans were not using them because they were most appropriate for their
students, but because they were either easy to create last minute or seemed fun for the
students. These findings were discussed with the directors and provided further
indication that training on curriculum was necessary.
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Budget
Budget
The following chart provides cost estimates for expense categories in the budget.
Category Expenses Explanation
Personnel $14,000 Based off hourly costs for teachers to attend 50 hours of trainings for 5 months. Each employee gets paid a flat rate of $10 an hour for any required trainings outside of their 40 hour work week.
Fringe Benefits
$4,000 The directors, ECEC, and author of Innovations, Kay Albrecht, will receive fringe benefits based on performance services, provider benefits, and recipient benefits.
ExternalStaff
$2,500 The author of Innovations will be attending 1 training session per month and each consultation is $500.*ECEC is the facilitator of the program; however, the cost for services is included in the grant for First Relationships.
Materials $1,500 $300/month is the current estimate for materials needed for trainings
TechnicalSupport
$0 Technical support is covered by the facilities (University of Phoenix Fountainhead Campus) free onsite technical support
Equipment $0 No equipment outside of materials, supplies, and what is provided by the facility training room is needed.
Travel $3,500 The author of Innovations will be attending 1 training session per month; this estimate includes airfare and room and board.
Facilities $2,500 University of Phoenix Fountain Head charges $100/hour for utilizing their training rooms. *price may vary as some training will take place at ASA.
Supplies $400 The cost of required Innovations: The
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Comprehensive Curriculum booksMiscellaneous $4,000 Miscellaneous costs include lunch for the
participants, directors, and ECEC.TOTAL EXPENSES $32,400
The following chart provides income estimates for income sources in the budget.
Category Income Explanation
Company $5,000 The owners of ASA have dedicated $5,000 of their funds allotted for annual training and professional development.
Donations $4,000 40 of 67 families were able to make donations to improve the education their children receive.
Participants $560 Each participant has agreed to donate $10 a month for the certificates of completion they will receive on they are done with the training.
Grants $22,840 From participating in First Relationships ASA is receives a grant for $30,000 for each cohort they participate in. After all other income sources are allocated; the remaining amount will be paid for by the grant funding. With the current projections there will be $7,160 left to put towards the training program if needed. Funds from the grant that aren’t used will be dedicated to other areas that will be decided upon by the ECEC and ASA directors.
TOTAL INCOME $32,400
Staffing Plans
The training program will be facilitated by the ECEC, the author of Innovations:
The Comprehensive Curriculum, Kay Albrecht, and ASA directors. The directors will be
supplementing some of the training instruction as they have worked with the ECEC on
aspects of the needs analysis, deciding the curriculum to incorporate, and developing
the training program. The chart on the next page includes more information about the
requirements to be considered a staff on the Curriculum Training Program team.
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Required Qualifications
Staff Positions
Time Required
Job Skills Knowledge Abilities
1 Facilitator 1 training a week for 5 months
- Master’s degree in Education- 5 years of experience as an ECEC
- Adragogical concepts- Developmentally appropriate curriculum for early childhood- Different strategies for instruction, coaching, and mentoring preschool teachers
- Effective communication - Provide differentiating instruction- Develop, implement, and assess training programs
3 Directors 1 training a week for 5 months
Master’s degree in Education with 5 years classroom experience and 2 years management experience
- Employee strengths and opportunities- Trends, productivity, and gaps for the organization- Budget and available resources
- Supportive leaderships skills- Effective communication- Deal with ambiguity- Accept constructive feedback
1 Support staff
1 training a month for 5 months
Bachelor’s degree in Education with at least 5 years of experience in Early Childhood Education
- Subject matter expert- Androgogical and pedagogical concept knowledge preferred
- Effective communication- Strategies for training differentiating- Able to coach and mentor via distance learning
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Available Internal Resources
The facilitator, the ECEC, is accustomed to the organizations culture, their
needs, and their way of operating as they have one year experience working with ASA.
The ECEC meets each of the requirements listed in the chart above and has proved
they have the knowledge and abilities during the first cohort of First Relationships. The
directors meet the qualification listed in the chart as well. Data that proves the directors
meet the requirements is shown in their Director Evaluations from the first cohort of First
Relationships, as well as evaluations from their employees over the last 5 years.
Available External Resources
The author of Innovations: The Comprehensive Curriculum, Kay Albrecht, will be
the support staff throughout the training program. Kay meets the requirements to be
able to be considered a staff of the program. As an external resource she will be able to
provide unbiased insight into the trainings for the benefit of the training program, First
Relationships, and a positive Adult Learning Experience. Receiving instruction from the
author herself will be an amazing and positive opportunity for the employees at ASA.
Additional Resource Needs
As the trainings will be held on Saturdays and after work hours there will be no
need for additional employees to step in while teachers are in training. Due to the
current partnership with First Relationships the facility for the training has already been
established predominately at University of Phoenix, with some trainings taking place at
ASA. If teachers need to be pulled out of the classroom for pre-assessments, formative
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assessments, or summative assessments the floaters will be available to fill in for the
teacher.
Strategy to fill Resource Gaps
As ASA is a small privately owned organization, there is not a specific Human
Resources department; instead, one of the co-directors is in charge of dealing with HR.
Each employee has access to multiple avenues to provide on-going feedback
throughout the training. Also, Kay will be available to fill gaps not met by the ECEC and
directors via email during the weeks she is not present for the trainings physically.
Staff Performance Evaluation
Employees are familiar with weekly formative assessments as they were required
and encouraged to complete them during the first cohort of First Relationships. These
same evaluations proved to be successful and will continue to be utilized during this
second cohort and the Curriculum Training Program. The evaluations will reflect the
knowledge and ability requirements in the chart on page 9. They will also include
questions relating to the overall goals and objective of the training, and have spaces
provided for employees to include any feedback that is not addressed in the other
questions.
A summative assessment of the staff performance will be implemented at the
end of the five month training and again one month after the training has been
completed. This information will be beneficial and add to the positive impact of adult
learning as employees will have opportunities to do self-reflections as they are
evaluating the staff and training received. The data received from these assessments
will be evaluated for improvement opportunities on future trainings which include both
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the ECEC and ASA.
Stakeholders and Goals
Stakeholders Partnership goal Ways to build support
Instructor/ECEC - Continue educating ASA staff on how to foster healthy, meaningful relationships with students - Help ASA with curriculum continuity and implementing developmentally appropriate education for their students.
- Provide positive and relative feedback for staff- Incorporate practical applications of instruction- Model examples during actual classroom time for teachers to see suggested instruction in action
Directors - Collaborate with ECEC and employees to provide higher quality education to the students-Implement consistent curriculum from classroom to classroom- Provide employees with desired and/or necessary support
- Keep open and ongoing communication with the ECEC, including feedback and suggestions- Consider all feedback from weekly formative assessments- Be available to meet with staff to do temperature checks on their progress and reaction to training
Employees/Teachers - Provide students with developmentally appropriate instruction- Collaborate with co-teachers to plan, implement, and evaluate curriculum- Ensure students are learning skills needed to be prepared for their next classroom
- Communicate any doubts, confusion, frustration as it is happening to avoid negative connotations related to training- Partner with co-teachers and teachers from other classrooms to evaluate curriculum effectiveness and any gaps that may arise
Parents - Promote positivity regarding child progress with the new curriculum- Continue learning at home- Be active participants in school functions
- Ask teachers questions about what their children are learning- Inquire how new training has been implanted in the classroom- Discuss education received with their children
Innovations Author/Support Staff
- Deliver content from Innovations to ASA staff in person- Discuss rationales and data to support information from the text
- Become familiar with ASA staff, student demographics, and culture to provide the most beneficial feedback
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- Offer support throughout the training to promote positive impact in adult learning to ensure positive impact in child learning
- Be available via distance learning channels to assist even when not physically present
Communication Plan
Marketing Message
and
(Quality First, 2015). (A Step Ahead, 2015).
First Things First” and A Step Ahead Preschool collaborate to promote positive
impacts on adult learning, as they develop and implement a training program which will
provide employees with strategies to incorporate continuity in developmentally
appropriate curriculum.
The slogan for and logo for this partnership advocates that with First Things First
and A Step Ahead children will be:
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(Google Images, 2015).
Below is a fact sheet for the training program.
We are…… A Step Ahead Preschool
We offer…… high quality education for early childhood
We are learning…… how to incorporate developmentally appropriate curriculum with continuity from infancy through preschool.
Our progress is…… moving along as scheduled. We have developed the training program and evaluations to continue improving as we learn.
We are currently…… getting ready to start training in January 2016.
We want to…… arm our employees with the tools necessary to be successful early childhood educators.
Benefits of the Training Program
The Curriculum Training Program has been developed based on data that
showed a gap in the curriculum utilized in previous years not being developmentally
appropriate and the instruction that children were receiving not being aligned with state
standards or other teacher’s expectations. This program will benefit all stakeholders as
the ECEC will be able to show an improvement as a result of the First Things First role
and therefore be eligible to receive more grants for the third cohort of the program. The
directors should see employee satisfaction increase, parents more involved in their
child’s learning, and an increase in revenue from retention and attracting new
enrollments. Teachers should benefit from having more time to spend with children and
being less stressed, as the curriculum will be planned and prepared ahead of time. Most
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importantly, the children will benefit from the training program as they will be receiving
instruction that is appropriate for their needs developmentally.
Instructional practices are benefits that are embedded throughout the training
instruction. The Group Session from the Needs Analysis indicates that the ECEC is
teaching for understanding. Part of having a successful training program with a positive
impact on adult education is having the participants realize the importance of the
training for them personally. During the Group Session, the lead teachers were able to
see first-hand how their lack of collaboration and continuity in curriculum caused rifts in
there collegial relationships, increased stress and frustration at work, and provided
children with instruction that was not developmentally appropriate for them. This
realization was enough to encourage and motivate the employees to participate in the
training program.
Differentiated instruction is another instructional strategy that will be utilized
throughout the training to promote a positive impact on adult learning. This strategy is a
requirement of the program instructor, or ECEC, and the support staff, or Innovations
author Kay Albrecht. Disseminating information in various ways is beneficial to adult
learners as they all have a preferred way of learning. Differentiating instruction is not
only offered to the employees during their training, but also modeled for them, as that is
an expectation of them as teachers in their classrooms. Children also prefer to receive
their instruction differently and respond to certain types if teaching more than others
(Albrecht, 2004).
Promotional Channels and Materials
Considering the logo and slogan for this training program, it has been stated that
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by attending this training, early childhood educators will provide instruction to children
that will allow them to be “Ready for School. Set for Life. A Step Ahead.”. Part of
advocating for education is sharing helpful information and encouraging others to learn
and grow. That being said, promotional channels should be identified and focused on.
Other early childhood centers should be aware of the progress and positive impact the
training has on A Step Ahead to not only ensure curriculum is developmentally
appropriate for their students, but that they also have a positive impact on their
employee learning. This can be done by updating information on their website. Perhaps
a bi-weekly update can be implemented so other schools can see what is incorporated
in the training and envision it in their school. Providing information on the website will
also allow current students’ parents to track the progress, and potentially increase the
word of mouth marketing. Prospective enrollments will also be attracted to ASA as they
can see the progress and trust that the school will provide appropriate instruction for
their children.
Another way to promote the training program, its progress, and its successes is
to inform the networks of the staff at ASA. Each employee can provide updates on the
company’s social media platforms, and their own personal social media applications.
The assistant director is in charge of the social media outlets and ASA’s blog updates.
They will provide updates throughout the five months of training to further spread the
word, raise awareness, and advocate a program that has such a positive impact on not
just early childhood learning, but adult learning as well.
Program Evaluation
Individuals Responsible for Overseeing Program Evaluation
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After the training is complete in May, 2016 there will be a summative assessment
for the ECEC, the Directors, and the success of the training program based on the
improvement from employee instruction. Another assessment will take place one month
after the training program as well. This assessment will allow ASA and the ECEC to see
short-term retention of instructional strategies and how the new curriculum plans are
being applied in each classroom. The assessment of the effectiveness of the ECEC will
be administered by the directors, the support staff, and the teachers. The evaluation of
the roles of the directors, their support and their leadership will be overseen by the
teachers and the ECEC. The training program evaluation will be managed by all
stakeholders involved, even parents and children.
Purpose of Evaluation and How Results Impact Adult Learning
There are many reasons to reflect on the training program. Examples of some of
the purposes for the evaluation is to gage the effectiveness of the instruction from the
facilitators, determine if the content delivered was disseminated in the best ways, if it is
able to be applied with meaningful relevance, and to see how employees are adapting
to the new changes in conjunction with a positive impact on their learning. Revisiting,
questioning, and judging these aspects will only make the individuals stronger in their
ability to provide high quality and developmentally appropriate instruction to their
students. These evaluations will impact positive adult learning as new gaps will be
identified, allowing the need for additional training that is specific to the teachers and the
culture of the organization. Based on inevitable future trainings, another way
evaluations impact adult learning is that if the facilitation was lacking in certain areas or
other improvement feedback is identified; these areas can be worked on for the training
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to come.
Metrics to be Measures, Evaluation Type(s), and Data Collection Techniques Used
Metrics to be measured Evaluation type Data collection techniques used
Content application
How much of the content from the training is actually able to be applied in the classroom?
- Observations- One on one interviews- Focus groups
Information obtained regarding the evaluations of the content application will be tracked and analyzed. If employees and managers are having a hard time apply the skills they learned that will be identified by the collection of this data.
Knowledge retention
What information did the employees retain, if trends, why those specific content areas?
- Paper and pencil test- Informal observations
Tests will be collected and interpreted to see if instruction and strategies provided to the students was retained. If it was not retained for all students, a new gap will be identified, if only some teachers were not able to retain the information, a new consideration for future trainings might be to implement other ways to differentiate instruction so that all learner types present will benefit from the training.
Facilitation
Was the trainer and support staff effective in their instruction? Was the feedback constructive and
- Questionnaire Questionnaires will be provided to the students asking about both the directors and the instructor and will remain anonymous. Directors will also assess the instructor, and the instructor will evaluate the
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meaningful? Were they knowledgeable and trusted?
directors. Feedback will be analyzed by the respective parties so they can celebrate their successes and focus on improving their opportunities.
Participation
Did the employee participate in group discussion? Did they add ideas, opinions, and input? Were suggested assignments completed? Did they stay on top of their progression requirements? Did they have an active role in developing the new curriculum and adding to a positive adult learning environment?
- End of training review Each teacher will sit down with the ECEC and directors to discuss their progress through the training program, their highlights will be mentioned, as well as areas for improvement. This proactive approach will allow the parties involved to have a discussion to uncover what happened in the training that motivated them to be so successful in a certain area, and then also how they could have benefited in other areas.
Overall training
How do the employees, parents, directors, students, and ECEC feel about the overall training and organization success?
- Questionnaire- Interview- Focus groups
This information will be compared and contrasted with the formative assessments throughout the program. Information will be collected, tracked, analyzed, interpreted, and acted upon for future trainings, training development, and to promote positive adult learning opportunities.
(HRSA. 2011).
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References
A Step Ahead Preschool. 2015. About us. A Step Ahead Preschool and Montessori.
Retrieved from http://astepaheadpreschool.com/
Albrecht, K. 2004. Innovations: The comprehensive preschool curriculum. Gryphon
House: Lewisville, NC.
Quality First. 2015. First things first. Quality First. Retrieved from
http://qualityfirstaz.com/
Google Images. 2015. Google. Retrieved from https://images.google.com/
HRSA. 2011. Managing data for performance improvement. U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. Retrieved from
http://www.hrsa.gov/quality/toolbox/508pdfs/managingdataperformanceimprovem
ent.pdf