This project is developing and testing a new continuous quality improvement (CQI) model in NYC preschool programs serving low-income families. The model is designed to build the capacity of early care and education programs to engage in ongoing efforts to strengthen program quality. Two key CQI activities of the model are: 1) Programs’ Education Directors, trained in the project’s focused coaching model, provide supportive coaching to teachers focused on effective teaching practices to promote children’s language, social-emotional, and literacy growth; and 2) Teachers, trained in the models CQI methods, engage in regular self-practice and reflection focused on effective teaching strategies and curricula. Several tools have been developed to support these CQI efforts:
- The Teacher Practice Tool describes specific research-based practices that support children’s learning in key areas (e.g., language, literacy, social-emotional, early math) and will be used to guide coaching sessions in which teachers practice well-defined teaching strategies.
- The Coaching Plan and Record guides the Education Director in planning a coaching session and documenting the coaching and feedback with the teacher.
- The Teacher Reflection Tool helps teachers plan a self-practice session and reflect on their use of effective strategies in the classroom, share reflections with a peer, and plan wider use of these strategies across the curriculum.
The evaluation of the model will assess the models feasibility (e.g., Education Directors’ and teachers’ ability to use the CQI tools and activities) and potential efficacy (e.g.,achieved levels of classroom quality, gains in children’s social-emotional and language skills).
Funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Contact
For more information about NYC Continuous Quality Improvement for Preschool Programs, please contact:
Sheila Smith, PhD
National Center for Children in Poverty
215 West 125th Street, 3rd floor
New York, NY 10027
(646) 284-9643
sheila.smith@nccp.org