A Guide to Evaluating Preschool Curriculum Kits for Childcare Providers

Preschool curriculum kits serve as a comprehensive resource for providers, offering a blend of education and engagement to foster an environment of learning and growth. These kits are more than just teaching aids; they are a meticulously curated collection of lesson plans, learning materials, and interactive activities designed to stimulate a child's curiosity, creativity, and cognitive skills.

In this article, we're going to break down what makes up the perfect preschool curriculum kit, shining a light on the must-have features that make for a really enriching and well-rounded educational experience.

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What is curriculum in early childhood education?

Curriculum in early childhood education is a sequence of planned learning experiences that follow a specific educational philosophy to help children learn and develop. It connects content, methodology, and delivery by outlining what you want children to learn, how you want them to learn, and how you plan to teach.

A preschool curriculum kit is a comprehensive program designed for young learners that educators can use to guide preschoolers through education and development. Preschool curriculum kits include supplies for projects and activities, and like brightwheel's Experience Curriculum, they provide learning materials and resources to save you time in lesson planning.

Variations between preschool curriculum kits reflect different values in prioritizing what children should learn as well as how they should learn. For example, Experience Curriculum is a research-based, creative curriculum that uses songs, art, logic, and hands-on learning to teach. Developed for children ages two to five, it’s ideal for educators in childcare centers as well as families at home. 

Before Five in a Row is an alternative preschool curriculum kit that emphasizes how literature influences young children. Divided into books, units, and readiness activities, this curriculum provides plans designed to read each book in the program for five days in a row. It also includes a daily lesson or activity in social studies, language arts, applied science, math, or art. 

The Horizons Preschool Curriculum Kit is a faith-based program with a more academic approach. Through subject-specific exercises, worksheets, and a sprinkling of hands-on activities, children cover academic topics like math, social studies, and phonics, as well as practical subjects like physical education and creative cooking.

Preschool curriculum kits take a lot of the guesswork out of planning your daily activities and ensuring that they align with early learning standards. An effective preschool curriculum guides you in giving your children the knowledge and skills they need to learn and develop inside the classroom and beyond.

What makes an effective curriculum?

An effective preschool curriculum is the foundation of meaningful early childhood education. It's not just about the content that is taught but how it is delivered and experienced by the children. At its core, a truly impactful curriculum is comprehensive, fostering all areas of development—social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. Here are the key elements that contribute to the effectiveness of a preschool curriculum:

• Child-centered approach: It is important that a curriculum is tailored to the children's needs, interests, and developmental stages. It must allow for flexibility and adaptability, offering choices and catering to individual learning styles.
• Holistic development focus: An effective curriculum addresses not just academic skills but also the holistic development of the child. This includes social skills, emotional well-being, physical development, and creativity.
• Interactive and engaging materials: The use of engaging, hands-on materials and activities that stimulate curiosity and invite active participation is crucial. Oftentimes, the central theme is learning through play and exploration.
• Cultural and social inclusion: The curriculum must reflect and respect diversity, promoting inclusivity and understanding of different cultures, backgrounds, and abilities.
• Family involvement: Encouraging active participation from families enriches the learning experience for children, creating a supportive and collaborative educational environment.
• Skilled and responsive educators: Educators play a pivotal role in the effectiveness of the curriculum. Their skills in observing, guiding, and scaffolding children's learning experiences are essential.
• Alignment with educational standards: While maintaining flexibility, the curriculum needs to align with educational standards and goals, ensuring that children are gaining the foundational skills required for future academic success.

Choosing the right preschool curriculum kit: What to consider

Finding the right preschool curriculum kit can be challenging as there are many options available. To ensure that the curriculum you choose aligns with your educational philosophy and meets the needs of your children, there are several key factors to consider:

Adaptability to your setting

The curriculum needs to be versatile enough to fit within the unique context of your preschool environment, whether you operate in an urban or rural setting, have varied class sizes, or cater to children with diverse needs and backgrounds. A software like brightwheel can be easily adapted to the needs of your program and is aligned with all 50 states' early learning standards. 

Ease of implementation

Look for a curriculum that is straightforward for your teachers to implement. A kit with clear instructions, comprehensive resources, and support can minimize preparation time and allow educators to focus more on engaging with children.

3. Training and support for educators

A superior curriculum often includes professional development and ongoing support for educators. This might be in the form of workshops, online training modules, or access to a community of educators for sharing best practices. The curriculum can offer suggestions on ways to set up the learning environments, as well as what learning materials and equipment to use for single-age or multi-age groups.

And lastly, while teachers have the freedom to make adjustments to the curriculum based on the group of children, preschool curriculum kits can also offer suggestions on organizing daily schedules and routines. For example, they can offer information on when to schedule group time and how to organize greeting and goodbye rituals.

Assessment tools

Effective curriculums provide mechanisms for tracking children’s progress. These tools align with the curriculum’s goals and help educators tailor instruction to meet the learning needs and paces of all children.

Assessments and evaluations also help you determine whether the program is successful. The right preschool curriculum will guide you through conducting formal and informal assessments throughout the learning and developmental processes.

Cost vs value

Budget considerations are inevitable, but it’s important to evaluate the overall value a curriculum offers. Consider not only the cost of purchasing the curriculum but also the long-term benefits such as comprehensive materials, training, and support that reduce the need for additional resources.

Reviews and testimonials

Seek out feedback from other childcare providers who have used the curriculum. Their experiences can offer invaluable insights into the curriculum's effectiveness, ease of use, and the level of support provided by the curriculum developers.

Toddler curriculum

Toddlers go through an intense transitional period in all developmental areas—cognitive, language, physical, and social-emotional. They’re developing foundational cognitive skills that will help with critical thinking and problem-solving. Language development at this stage includes receptive and expressive language skills, which allow them to understand conversations and speak, while developing their language and vocabulary. During this stage, toddlers are working to build muscle strength, coordination, and balance. And they’re also developing social skills, learning impulse control, and developing daily routines. 

Curriculum kits for toddlers take these developmental milestones into consideration and use this information to design their kits. Popular toddler curriculum kits include:

• Welcome guides
• Activity guides
• Teaching guides
• Assessment guides

• Board books
• Storybooks
• Story folders
• Math manipulatives
• Display posters
• Name tags
• Card sets (e.g. letter cards, word cards, photo activity cards)

• Lesson plans
• eBooks
• Coloring pages
• Listening library
• Music

Preschool curriculum

When children enter preschool, they continue building on the knowledge and skills they learned as toddlers. Therefore, preschool curriculum kits don’t vary much from what you’d find in a curriculum kit for toddlers. The tools are similar, but the knowledge is more advanced. Preschool learning objectives include things like learning about cause-and-effect relationships, recognizing letter sounds, identifying patterns, and making sounds with instruments.

Although nearly identical to the list above, preschool curriculum kits offer more advanced supplies, which is demonstrated in the types of card sets provided for preschool instruction. Popular preschool curriculum kits include:

• Welcome guides
• Activity guides
• Teaching guides
• Assessment guides

• Storybooks
• Math manipulatives
• Display posters
• Name tags
• Calendars
• Word puzzles
• Art supplies
• Card sets (e.g. counting cards, letter cards, syllable cards, vocabulary cards, photo activity cards)

• Lesson plans
• eBooks
• Coloring pages
• Listening library
• Music

Experience Curriculum

One of the most challenging parts of being an educator is creating and implementing an effective curriculum. You have to make sure it addresses all developmental milestones, aligns with the early learning standards of your state, and is individualized for the benefit of each child. Brightwheel's Experience Curriculum is a high-quality curriculum system that supports child development and education for all early learners. 

With Experience Curriculum, you have a complete education plan that:

• Is research- and evidence-based
• Aligns with NAEYC, Common Core, and Head Start
• Aligns with all 50 states’ early learning standards
• Provides a mailed monthly curriculum kit with supplies and hands-on activities
• Offers lesson plans for children 0 to 5 years old
• Incorporates 35 research-based skills into lesson plans, activities, and experiences
• Integrates hands-on learning materials with the brightwheel app for seamless lessons
• Easily tracks progress and assessments
• Records pictures, videos, and notes to share with families

Your curriculum will guide you in providing your preschoolers with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need for educational and developmental success. With brightwheel’s all-in-one education platform, you can be one step closer to making it happen.

Save valuable time

Choosing the right preschool curriculum requires a thoughtful balance of practicality, content, support, and value. It's a decision that should align with your educational goals and the needs of your program, ensuring that you provide a rich, engaging, and inclusive early learning environment.

By prioritizing these considerations, you can select a curriculum that not only meets educational standards but also sparks joy and curiosity in your young learners, laying a solid foundation for their lifelong learning journey.

Brightwheel is the complete solution for early education providers, enabling you to streamline your center’s operations and build a stand-out reputation. Brightwheel connects the most critical aspects of running your center—including sign in and out, parent communications, tuition billing, and licensing and compliance—in one easy-to-use tool, along with providing best-in-class customer support and coaching. Brightwheel is trusted by thousands of early education centers and millions of parents. Learn more at mybrightwheel.com.