The document discusses key aspects of developing a vision, mission, and program evaluation for an early childhood program. It outlines that a program's vision must align with the sponsor's purpose, be based on an early education philosophy, and reflect the community's needs. Developing the mission involves learning stakeholders' values and articulating the program's purpose in a short statement. An effective evaluation assesses the program's effectiveness, quality, and alignment with its goals through both informal and formal methods.

1. Chapter 2:
Developing a Vision, Mission, and
Program Evaluation
Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs
Tenth Edition
Nancy Freeman
Celia A. Decker
John R. Decker
Prepared by:
Nancy K. Freeman
Tere Holmes
Kris Curtis

2. 2-2
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Program’s Vision
• The program’s vision must :
○ align with the sponsor’s purpose
○ be based on an articulated philosophy of early care
and education
○ reflect the culture & values of the children and
families is serves
○ meet the community’s needs

3. 2-3
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Learn about key stakeholders’ values by
asking:
• What knowledge and skills are important?
• What can this early childhood program add to your
community?
• What are the most important services this program
can provide?
• What expectations do you have for teachers in this
program?

4. 2-4
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Developing the Program’s Philosophy
• The program’s philosophy guides curriculum and
influences all adult/adult & adult/child interactions
• Philosophical dimensions of curriculum address:
○ Epistemological assumptions: the nature of
learning
○ Pedagogical assumptions: the nature of teaching
or facilitating learning

5. 2-5
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Influential Psychological Theories
1. Maturational view: Development is largely
genetic.
○ Teachers should provide experiences when children
show an interest.
○ Maturationists have developed expectations for
children at different ages.
2. Behavioral-environmental view: Learning
depends on the environment and the behavior it
prompts.
○ The focus is on eliciting and reinforcing verbal,
perceptual, and motor behaviors, not on mental
processes.

6. 2-6
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Influential Psychological Theories
(Continued)
3. Constructivist View: Children interact with their
environment to construct their own intellect.
○ Experience and maturation (nurture and nature)
influence what a child comes to know about the world.
4. Social-Constructivism: Children construct
knowledge as a result of social interactions with peers
and adults.
○ Adults and more competent peers provide scaffolding
within the learner’s zone of proximal development (ZPD)
to increase knowledge and skills.

7. 2-7
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Administrator Needs to Plan All
Program Components
• Curriculum: All aspects of the program that influence
what and how children learn.
• Program Services: What services will you provide for
your clientele?
• Operations Management: Establishing systems to
ensure that the program runs smoothly on a day-to-
day basis.
• Financial Management: Monitoring the program’s
income and expenses and developing on-time reports
of the program’s financial health.

8. 2-8
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Program’s Vision
• A broad and ambitious view of what the program
can accomplish
• An image of what the program will look like in
operation.

9. 2-9
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Developing Your Program’s Vision
 Reflect on your personal values, hopes, & dreams
 Describe what you hope the program will become
 Share this description & ask for feedback
 Revise the mission statement based on this
feedback. Print it, frame it, and post it where
everyone will see it regularly.

10. 2-
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Developing Your Mission Statement
• A clear expression of the program’s purpose
• Make it a simple, short, and easy to remember
statement
• This mission statement should guide all of the
program’s decisions

11. 2-
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Program Implementation – Considering
Pedagogy
Ask yourself:
• What are the program’s goals and objectives?
• What provisions for individual differences are
consistent with the program’s goals?
• What schedule (full day/ half day/ year round/
flexible enrollment) will help us help us meet the
program’s objectives?

12. 2-
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Program Implementation –
Considering Operations
• What staff roles are necessary to implement the
learning environment described in the program’s
philosophy?
• What staff positions are needed operate the
program?
• What equipment and materials does the program
need?
• What physical arrangement is compatible with
program’s goals?

13. 2-
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Program Evaluation
• Intuitive Evaluation: Evaluating how people
perform on a minute-by-minute basis.
• Formal Evaluation: Planned assessment of
effectiveness guided by specific performance
criteria.

14. 2-
Freeman/Decker/Decker, Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, 10e
© 2012, 2008, 2005, 2001, 1995 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Common Assessments of Program
Quality
• High/Scope Program Quality Assessment
– High/Scope Research Foundation (1998)
• Environment Rating Scales
– Early Childhood (Harms & Clifford, 2005)
– Family Child Care (Harms & Clifford, 2007)
– Infant/Toddler (Harms, Cryer, & Clifford, 2006)
– School Age Care (Harms, Jacobs, & White (1995)
• Assessment of Practices in Early Elementary
Classrooms (APEEC)
– Hemmeter, Maxwell, Ault, and Schuster (2001)