Sharing Web Resources

 The Healthy Beginnings website is a tool for Child Care Director, parents, caregivers and educators, as it provides the pertinent information on how to teach children from birth to 3 years old in the following developmental areas: social and personal skills, language, cognitive and physical skills. As Child Care Center Director, I find that the website is a great resource to reference when I am evaluating my staff members’ lesson plans and classroom activities.  “Healthy Beginnings may not be that long-missing instruction manual for child care, but it is a tool that can help you give the very best you can to the infants and toddlers in your life,” (Maryland State Department of Education, 2013).

                Consequentially the Health Beginning website offer a developmental chart that outlines the key milestone/ developmental skills that each age group should acquire. As a Child Care Center Director and I parent, I have first had experience in know that each child is unique and progress at their own paste in the areas of language, cognation, social and personal skills and physical movement. However, the chart allows those who work with children the opportunity to fully understand how to measure a child’s growth and what areas of development the child has achieved. The website was created by the Maryland Department of Education in as effort to  ensure that the early child care educations where being given a creditable resource to carry out the Maryland State Department of Education's Division of Early Childhood Development in partnership with Johns Hopkins University/Center for Technology in Education, mission which involved establishing guidelines for families and those who live or work with children from birth through three years of age, (Maryland State Department of Education, 2003).

"Children are born with tremendous potential and capacity for learning. Our youngest children need positive early learning experiences that will lay the foundation for success," said Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick, State Superintendent of Schools. "Healthy Beginnings will help those living or working with young children to recognize appropriate behaviors and set realistic expectations for infant, toddler and preschooler growth, development, and learning." The Healthy Beginnings guidelines are compatible with the Maryland State Curriculum and the Maryland Model for School Readiness, making them an important part of a Birth to Grade 12 learning continuum. Federal funding from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Child Care and Development Fund support the production and dissemination of Healthy Beginnings,( Maryland State Department of Education, 2003).

References:

Maryland Department of Education, (2003). Health Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Year of Age.  Retrieved from http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/pressrelease_details/2011_03_25.htm

Maryland Department of Education, (2013) Healthy Beginnings. Retrieved from http://www.marylandhealthybeginnings.org/