Making Your Program Sing

In the International Child Resource Institute's thinkpiece, "Why Early Childhood Programs Succeed, Why They Fail," Ken Jaffe talks about how to make your program stand out:

"Any program attempting to gain a sense of uniqueness and high program quality would wish to develop their own 'curb appeal.'  This term means that any family childcare home or early childhood center can and should show, from the time a parent makes her way to the front of the space, that the program is child-centered, engaging to children, and understanding of state-of-the-art concepts and issues that directly meet the needs of children, families, and the community where they live.  It should be noted that modern child development practice sees engagement of children and families beginning before the entry door and flowing into other environments, by featuring the children’s own work that shows their process of creativity. This can be contrasted with many programs that have paintings created by adults — whether inside or outside the structure — of cartoon characters or other scenes that do not allow for the children and teachers to define what is going on in their program. 

"Programs do not have to invest in costly or elaborate artwork or interior designs.  Rather, the right simple treatments will provide for a level of peace and detachment while being easy to get to, where there is adequate parking (at least nearby), and where the program becomes a gathering place for parents, children, and the community.  All programs should seek to 'brand' their work, not with trademarked cartoons, but with its own innovative approaches to helping children to reach their full potential."

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