1

Training Program Plan

Brittany Morneweg

AET/570

December 21, 2015

Dr. Joseph Walter

2

TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN

A Step Ahead Preschool is a privately owned preschool located in Ahwatukee,

Arizona. The current owners and directors of the school have been established there for

5 years. In 2016 the school was selected to participate in the first cohort of a program

called First Relationships, a new subsidiary of First Things First. By opting to participate

ASA was assigned an Early Childhood Education Consultant (ECEC) to work with the

directors and teachers on providing them with support to help young children develop

healthy relationships so they can learn, grow, and thrive (Quality First, 2015).

As a part of this project teachers were required to attend 50 hours of training,

receive onsite coaching visits and observations which included a variety of coaching

strategies and a focus on caregiving consistency, implementing small groups, and

responsive caregiving (Quality First, 2015). Participation in the grant funded program

has allowed teachers to learn together, produce a foundation of collegial support, and

create strong bonds with their students and parents.

As a result of the completion of the first cohort of First Relationships the ECEC

provided feedback for the directors based on a summative assessment of their

progress. From the analyzation of the data, the ECEC and the directors determined that

their main focus for the second of three cohorts would be on developing consistent

curriculum for each age-defined classroom. To ensure this goal is met, a training

program was developed for the teachers to provide them with positive adult learning

opportunities and allow them to be armed with the strategies to be able to foster healthy

relationships with children.

3

Training Program Description

Scope of Training Program

ASA will train 14 teachers how to plan, implement, evaluate developmentally

appropriate curriculum for their students, and then upgrade the current curriculum used.

This project will facilitate training that leads to a positive impact on adult learning,

improvement of teacher effectiveness, and an enhancement of educational outcomes.

The project begins January 2016 and will be completed May 2016.

This training will provide instruction and guidance to teachers at ASA which will

result in a positive impact on adult learning by providing consistent opportunities for the

teachers to learn and grow together by incorporating the Innovations – Comprehensive

Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Curriculum series, written by Kay Albrecht (2004). Kay, a

colleague of the ECEC will be a support staff on the facilitation team.

Teachers will learn and work together to develop “one year curriculum” that is

appropriate for each age group; and furthermore, fosters support from teacher to

teacher (Albrecht, 2004). The curriculum from the Infant Room will provide a foundation

for the curriculum to be used in the Ones Room; the curriculum in the Ones Room will

build on previous curriculum and prepare children for the next class, and continue that

scaffolding approach in each age-defined classroom.

Intended Audience

The participants in the training will include two teachers from the Infant Room,

three teachers from the Ones Room, three teachers from the Twos Room, two teachers

from the Threes Room, two teachers from the Prekindergarten Room, and two transition

teachers (floaters).

4

Program Goals and Objectives

Goal 1 – Each group of teachers will plan developmentally appropriate activities for their

students

Objective 1 – Teachers will be able to identify at least 15 developmentally

appropriate content areas and related activities for their

students.

Objective 2 – Teachers will be able to describe how and why each content area

and activity selected is suitable for the age of their students.

Goal 2 – Teachers will gain strategies to be able to implement plans into their instruction

Objective 1 – Teachers will be able to outline students developmental needs

based on Arizona State Standards and learnings from

Innovations: The Comprehensive Curriculum.

Objective 2 – Teachers will be able to construct curriculum for a one year plan

based on findings from their outlines.

Goal 3 – The developed curriculum will be evaluated by comparing and

contrasting with other age group curriculum created and Arizona Early

Childhood Education State Standards

Objective 1 – Teachers will be able to adapt drafts and plans of curriculum to

support scaffolding by working with other teachers

considering what students need to know before moving into the next

classroom.

Objective 2 – Teachers will be able to conclude the instruction and activities to

complete a one year curriculum plan which is designed to be

5

repeated year after year with on-going evaluations

Needs or Gap Analysis

Observations

During the first cohort of First Relationships the ECEC kept a record of

observations related to a disconnect in curriculum from classroom to classroom,

teachers not being prepared with lesson plans, and lack of awareness of

developmentally appropriate educational activities. This data supports the need for the

Innovations Curriculum Training.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires were provided to the teachers at A Step Ahead Preschool by the

ECEC. The feedback remained anonymous but provided information which supports the

need for this training. Teachers reported that they felt there was not enough support

from administration regarding creation and implementation of curriculum. A disconnect

on curriculum continuity from classroom to classroom was consistent feedback from

79% of the teachers.

Interviews

14 out of 14 teachers opted to be interviewed by the ECEC, the responses were

consistent across the board with a common theme. Teachers felt that when students

transitioned into their classroom they were not being taught skills and concepts the

teachers expected them to know. When asked about types of activities teachers

provided for children in their respective age group, 65% of activities were not

developmentally appropriate for their students. This proved that there was a need for

6

teachers to learn what is developmentally appropriate education for early childhood and

that there was a large gap in consistent curriculum being used.

Group sessions

The ECEC conducted one group session consisting of lead teachers from each

age group. Teachers completed a version of a KWL chart, which tracks what they know,

what they want to know, and what they learned. Each teacher provided information on

what they believed to be developmentally appropriate for their students, what they

thought their students needed to know before moving on, and what they expected new

children to know (entering their class from another class). Once the teachers completed

their charts they presented them to the group and then their answers were compared to

Arizona State Standards and the Innovations Curriculum. Teachers were able to see the

gaps, gain an understanding as to why the curriculum training is so important, and then

advocate the training to their colleagues.

Documents and Artifacts

During the first year of First Relationships the ECEC reviewed the current

curriculum content that teachers had access to. The first observation regarding the

documents provided was that teachers barely utilized them. Upon more research the

reasoning for that was due to the activities provided were not specific to any age group

or organized for teachers to be able to utilize efficiently. Teachers that would use the

lesson plans were not using them because they were most appropriate for their

students, but because they were either easy to create last minute or seemed fun for the

students. These findings were discussed with the directors and provided further

indication that training on curriculum was necessary.

7

Budget

Budget

The following chart provides cost estimates for expense categories in the budget.

Category Expenses Explanation

Personnel $14,000 Based off hourly costs for teachers to attend 50 hours of trainings for 5 months. Each employee gets paid a flat rate of $10 an hour for any required trainings outside of their 40 hour work week.

Fringe Benefits

$4,000 The directors, ECEC, and author of Innovations, Kay Albrecht, will receive fringe benefits based on performance services, provider benefits, and recipient benefits.

ExternalStaff

$2,500 The author of Innovations will be attending 1 training session per month and each consultation is $500.*ECEC is the facilitator of the program; however, the cost for services is included in the grant for First Relationships.

Materials $1,500 $300/month is the current estimate for materials needed for trainings

TechnicalSupport

$0 Technical support is covered by the facilities (University of Phoenix Fountainhead Campus) free onsite technical support

Equipment $0 No equipment outside of materials, supplies, and what is provided by the facility training room is needed.

Travel $3,500 The author of Innovations will be attending 1 training session per month; this estimate includes airfare and room and board.

Facilities $2,500 University of Phoenix Fountain Head charges $100/hour for utilizing their training rooms. *price may vary as some training will take place at ASA.

Supplies $400 The cost of required Innovations: The

8

Comprehensive Curriculum booksMiscellaneous $4,000 Miscellaneous costs include lunch for the

participants, directors, and ECEC.TOTAL EXPENSES $32,400

The following chart provides income estimates for income sources in the budget.

Category Income Explanation

Company $5,000 The owners of ASA have dedicated $5,000 of their funds allotted for annual training and professional development.

Donations $4,000 40 of 67 families were able to make donations to improve the education their children receive.

Participants $560 Each participant has agreed to donate $10 a month for the certificates of completion they will receive on they are done with the training.

Grants $22,840 From participating in First Relationships ASA is receives a grant for $30,000 for each cohort they participate in. After all other income sources are allocated; the remaining amount will be paid for by the grant funding. With the current projections there will be $7,160 left to put towards the training program if needed. Funds from the grant that aren’t used will be dedicated to other areas that will be decided upon by the ECEC and ASA directors.

TOTAL INCOME $32,400

Staffing Plans

The training program will be facilitated by the ECEC, the author of Innovations:

The Comprehensive Curriculum, Kay Albrecht, and ASA directors. The directors will be

supplementing some of the training instruction as they have worked with the ECEC on

aspects of the needs analysis, deciding the curriculum to incorporate, and developing

the training program. The chart on the next page includes more information about the

requirements to be considered a staff on the Curriculum Training Program team.

9

Required Qualifications

Staff Positions

Time Required

Job Skills Knowledge Abilities

1 Facilitator 1 training a week for 5 months

- Master’s degree in Education- 5 years of experience as an ECEC

- Adragogical concepts- Developmentally appropriate curriculum for early childhood- Different strategies for instruction, coaching, and mentoring preschool teachers

- Effective communication - Provide differentiating instruction- Develop, implement, and assess training programs

3 Directors 1 training a week for 5 months

Master’s degree in Education with 5 years classroom experience and 2 years management experience

- Employee strengths and opportunities- Trends, productivity, and gaps for the organization- Budget and available resources

- Supportive leaderships skills- Effective communication- Deal with ambiguity- Accept constructive feedback

1 Support staff

1 training a month for 5 months

Bachelor’s degree in Education with at least 5 years of experience in Early Childhood Education

- Subject matter expert- Androgogical and pedagogical concept knowledge preferred

- Effective communication- Strategies for training differentiating- Able to coach and mentor via distance learning

10

Available Internal Resources

The facilitator, the ECEC, is accustomed to the organizations culture, their

needs, and their way of operating as they have one year experience working with ASA.

The ECEC meets each of the requirements listed in the chart above and has proved

they have the knowledge and abilities during the first cohort of First Relationships. The

directors meet the qualification listed in the chart as well. Data that proves the directors

meet the requirements is shown in their Director Evaluations from the first cohort of First

Relationships, as well as evaluations from their employees over the last 5 years.

Available External Resources

The author of Innovations: The Comprehensive Curriculum, Kay Albrecht, will be

the support staff throughout the training program. Kay meets the requirements to be

able to be considered a staff of the program. As an external resource she will be able to

provide unbiased insight into the trainings for the benefit of the training program, First

Relationships, and a positive Adult Learning Experience. Receiving instruction from the

author herself will be an amazing and positive opportunity for the employees at ASA.

Additional Resource Needs

As the trainings will be held on Saturdays and after work hours there will be no

need for additional employees to step in while teachers are in training. Due to the

current partnership with First Relationships the facility for the training has already been

established predominately at University of Phoenix, with some trainings taking place at

ASA. If teachers need to be pulled out of the classroom for pre-assessments, formative

11

assessments, or summative assessments the floaters will be available to fill in for the

teacher.

Strategy to fill Resource Gaps

As ASA is a small privately owned organization, there is not a specific Human

Resources department; instead, one of the co-directors is in charge of dealing with HR.

Each employee has access to multiple avenues to provide on-going feedback

throughout the training. Also, Kay will be available to fill gaps not met by the ECEC and

directors via email during the weeks she is not present for the trainings physically.

Staff Performance Evaluation

Employees are familiar with weekly formative assessments as they were required

and encouraged to complete them during the first cohort of First Relationships. These

same evaluations proved to be successful and will continue to be utilized during this

second cohort and the Curriculum Training Program. The evaluations will reflect the

knowledge and ability requirements in the chart on page 9. They will also include

questions relating to the overall goals and objective of the training, and have spaces

provided for employees to include any feedback that is not addressed in the other

questions.

A summative assessment of the staff performance will be implemented at the

end of the five month training and again one month after the training has been

completed. This information will be beneficial and add to the positive impact of adult

learning as employees will have opportunities to do self-reflections as they are

evaluating the staff and training received. The data received from these assessments

will be evaluated for improvement opportunities on future trainings which include both

12

the ECEC and ASA.

Stakeholders and Goals

Stakeholders Partnership goal Ways to build support

Instructor/ECEC - Continue educating ASA staff on how to foster healthy, meaningful relationships with students - Help ASA with curriculum continuity and implementing developmentally appropriate education for their students.

- Provide positive and relative feedback for staff- Incorporate practical applications of instruction- Model examples during actual classroom time for teachers to see suggested instruction in action

Directors - Collaborate with ECEC and employees to provide higher quality education to the students-Implement consistent curriculum from classroom to classroom- Provide employees with desired and/or necessary support

- Keep open and ongoing communication with the ECEC, including feedback and suggestions- Consider all feedback from weekly formative assessments- Be available to meet with staff to do temperature checks on their progress and reaction to training

Employees/Teachers - Provide students with developmentally appropriate instruction- Collaborate with co-teachers to plan, implement, and evaluate curriculum- Ensure students are learning skills needed to be prepared for their next classroom

- Communicate any doubts, confusion, frustration as it is happening to avoid negative connotations related to training- Partner with co-teachers and teachers from other classrooms to evaluate curriculum effectiveness and any gaps that may arise

Parents - Promote positivity regarding child progress with the new curriculum- Continue learning at home- Be active participants in school functions

- Ask teachers questions about what their children are learning- Inquire how new training has been implanted in the classroom- Discuss education received with their children

Innovations Author/Support Staff

- Deliver content from Innovations to ASA staff in person- Discuss rationales and data to support information from the text

- Become familiar with ASA staff, student demographics, and culture to provide the most beneficial feedback

13

- Offer support throughout the training to promote positive impact in adult learning to ensure positive impact in child learning

- Be available via distance learning channels to assist even when not physically present

Communication Plan

Marketing Message

and

(Quality First, 2015). (A Step Ahead, 2015).

First Things First” and A Step Ahead Preschool collaborate to promote positive

impacts on adult learning, as they develop and implement a training program which will

provide employees with strategies to incorporate continuity in developmentally

appropriate curriculum.

The slogan for and logo for this partnership advocates that with First Things First

and A Step Ahead children will be:

14

(Google Images, 2015).

Below is a fact sheet for the training program.

We are…… A Step Ahead Preschool

We offer…… high quality education for early childhood

We are learning…… how to incorporate developmentally appropriate curriculum with continuity from infancy through preschool.

Our progress is…… moving along as scheduled. We have developed the training program and evaluations to continue improving as we learn.

We are currently…… getting ready to start training in January 2016.

We want to…… arm our employees with the tools necessary to be successful early childhood educators.

Benefits of the Training Program

The Curriculum Training Program has been developed based on data that

showed a gap in the curriculum utilized in previous years not being developmentally

appropriate and the instruction that children were receiving not being aligned with state

standards or other teacher’s expectations. This program will benefit all stakeholders as

the ECEC will be able to show an improvement as a result of the First Things First role

and therefore be eligible to receive more grants for the third cohort of the program. The

directors should see employee satisfaction increase, parents more involved in their

child’s learning, and an increase in revenue from retention and attracting new

enrollments. Teachers should benefit from having more time to spend with children and

being less stressed, as the curriculum will be planned and prepared ahead of time. Most

15

importantly, the children will benefit from the training program as they will be receiving

instruction that is appropriate for their needs developmentally.

Instructional practices are benefits that are embedded throughout the training

instruction. The Group Session from the Needs Analysis indicates that the ECEC is

teaching for understanding. Part of having a successful training program with a positive

impact on adult education is having the participants realize the importance of the

training for them personally. During the Group Session, the lead teachers were able to

see first-hand how their lack of collaboration and continuity in curriculum caused rifts in

there collegial relationships, increased stress and frustration at work, and provided

children with instruction that was not developmentally appropriate for them. This

realization was enough to encourage and motivate the employees to participate in the

training program.

Differentiated instruction is another instructional strategy that will be utilized

throughout the training to promote a positive impact on adult learning. This strategy is a

requirement of the program instructor, or ECEC, and the support staff, or Innovations

author Kay Albrecht. Disseminating information in various ways is beneficial to adult

learners as they all have a preferred way of learning. Differentiating instruction is not

only offered to the employees during their training, but also modeled for them, as that is

an expectation of them as teachers in their classrooms. Children also prefer to receive

their instruction differently and respond to certain types if teaching more than others

(Albrecht, 2004).

Promotional Channels and Materials

Considering the logo and slogan for this training program, it has been stated that

16

by attending this training, early childhood educators will provide instruction to children

that will allow them to be “Ready for School. Set for Life. A Step Ahead.”. Part of

advocating for education is sharing helpful information and encouraging others to learn

and grow. That being said, promotional channels should be identified and focused on.

Other early childhood centers should be aware of the progress and positive impact the

training has on A Step Ahead to not only ensure curriculum is developmentally

appropriate for their students, but that they also have a positive impact on their

employee learning. This can be done by updating information on their website. Perhaps

a bi-weekly update can be implemented so other schools can see what is incorporated

in the training and envision it in their school. Providing information on the website will

also allow current students’ parents to track the progress, and potentially increase the

word of mouth marketing. Prospective enrollments will also be attracted to ASA as they

can see the progress and trust that the school will provide appropriate instruction for

their children.

Another way to promote the training program, its progress, and its successes is

to inform the networks of the staff at ASA. Each employee can provide updates on the

company’s social media platforms, and their own personal social media applications.

The assistant director is in charge of the social media outlets and ASA’s blog updates.

They will provide updates throughout the five months of training to further spread the

word, raise awareness, and advocate a program that has such a positive impact on not

just early childhood learning, but adult learning as well.

Program Evaluation

Individuals Responsible for Overseeing Program Evaluation

17

After the training is complete in May, 2016 there will be a summative assessment

for the ECEC, the Directors, and the success of the training program based on the

improvement from employee instruction. Another assessment will take place one month

after the training program as well. This assessment will allow ASA and the ECEC to see

short-term retention of instructional strategies and how the new curriculum plans are

being applied in each classroom. The assessment of the effectiveness of the ECEC will

be administered by the directors, the support staff, and the teachers. The evaluation of

the roles of the directors, their support and their leadership will be overseen by the

teachers and the ECEC. The training program evaluation will be managed by all

stakeholders involved, even parents and children.

Purpose of Evaluation and How Results Impact Adult Learning

There are many reasons to reflect on the training program. Examples of some of

the purposes for the evaluation is to gage the effectiveness of the instruction from the

facilitators, determine if the content delivered was disseminated in the best ways, if it is

able to be applied with meaningful relevance, and to see how employees are adapting

to the new changes in conjunction with a positive impact on their learning. Revisiting,

questioning, and judging these aspects will only make the individuals stronger in their

ability to provide high quality and developmentally appropriate instruction to their

students. These evaluations will impact positive adult learning as new gaps will be

identified, allowing the need for additional training that is specific to the teachers and the

culture of the organization. Based on inevitable future trainings, another way

evaluations impact adult learning is that if the facilitation was lacking in certain areas or

other improvement feedback is identified; these areas can be worked on for the training

18

to come.

Metrics to be Measures, Evaluation Type(s), and Data Collection Techniques Used

Metrics to be measured Evaluation type Data collection techniques used

Content application

How much of the content from the training is actually able to be applied in the classroom?

- Observations- One on one interviews- Focus groups

Information obtained regarding the evaluations of the content application will be tracked and analyzed. If employees and managers are having a hard time apply the skills they learned that will be identified by the collection of this data.

Knowledge retention

What information did the employees retain, if trends, why those specific content areas?

- Paper and pencil test- Informal observations

Tests will be collected and interpreted to see if instruction and strategies provided to the students was retained. If it was not retained for all students, a new gap will be identified, if only some teachers were not able to retain the information, a new consideration for future trainings might be to implement other ways to differentiate instruction so that all learner types present will benefit from the training.

Facilitation

Was the trainer and support staff effective in their instruction? Was the feedback constructive and

- Questionnaire Questionnaires will be provided to the students asking about both the directors and the instructor and will remain anonymous. Directors will also assess the instructor, and the instructor will evaluate the

19

meaningful? Were they knowledgeable and trusted?

directors. Feedback will be analyzed by the respective parties so they can celebrate their successes and focus on improving their opportunities.

Participation

Did the employee participate in group discussion? Did they add ideas, opinions, and input? Were suggested assignments completed? Did they stay on top of their progression requirements? Did they have an active role in developing the new curriculum and adding to a positive adult learning environment?

- End of training review Each teacher will sit down with the ECEC and directors to discuss their progress through the training program, their highlights will be mentioned, as well as areas for improvement. This proactive approach will allow the parties involved to have a discussion to uncover what happened in the training that motivated them to be so successful in a certain area, and then also how they could have benefited in other areas.

Overall training

How do the employees, parents, directors, students, and ECEC feel about the overall training and organization success?

- Questionnaire- Interview- Focus groups

This information will be compared and contrasted with the formative assessments throughout the program. Information will be collected, tracked, analyzed, interpreted, and acted upon for future trainings, training development, and to promote positive adult learning opportunities.

(HRSA. 2011).

20

References

A Step Ahead Preschool. 2015. About us. A Step Ahead Preschool and Montessori.

Retrieved from http://astepaheadpreschool.com/

Albrecht, K. 2004. Innovations: The comprehensive preschool curriculum. Gryphon

House: Lewisville, NC.

Quality First. 2015. First things first. Quality First. Retrieved from

http://qualityfirstaz.com/

Google Images. 2015. Google. Retrieved from https://images.google.com/

HRSA. 2011. Managing data for performance improvement. U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services. Retrieved from

http://www.hrsa.gov/quality/toolbox/508pdfs/managingdataperformanceimprovem

ent.pdf