Essay Assignment

Length: 2-3 Pages Narrative Essay, APA Format.

Child care centers can become a nexus point where many societal, personal, and cultural issues and ideals merge and manifest themselves in day to day reality. The last module provided you an overview of socio-cultural issues within which we understood the larger dimensions to the need for child care. This module we explored the local dimensions to the need for child care, i.e. family and community. For this component you will explore local needs assessments and how they relate to a program's philosophy. You will develop your own child care development center philosophy. Determine some aspects to family and community needs in your region. This may be by talking with a few families, by getting local census, and/or demographic information, etc.. Locate two child care centers in your local region (Brookings, South Dakota) that have websites. Explore their websites and look for their program philosophy and information on who they serve. Respond to the following assignment criteria.

Describe what you have done, comparing the local region needs assessment and family needs to the two programs philosophies.

Critically analyze the philosophy statements and how they meet or do not meet the family and community needs.

Evaluate if you agree with the program approach of each center. Explain, if so, why? If not, why not?

Develop a philosophy for your child care development center based on the needs assessments conducted.