Developmental Playbook, Staff Training, and Resources for Community Child Development Center: Infant to Four-Year-Old Programs

Abstract

Researchers suggest that lower levels of socioeconomic status (SES) in children are associated with higher rates of infant mortality (Haider, 2014), higher rates of obesity (Levine, 2011), decreased success in education (Sheridan & McLaughlin, 2016), and have lasting impacts on behavior, learning, and health (Shonkoff & Garner, 2012). Sheridan & McLaughlin (2016) discuss how poverty can negatively affect the child's ability to have more exceptional school achievements, fewer difficulties with academics, and the ability to graduate from high school compared to children not raised in poverty. They found a correlation between the lack of learning experiences before entering school and the impact on memory, language skills, attention span, and unspoken and unambiguous learning processes. The purpose of the capstone project was to provide the Child Development Center (CDC) in a low-income area of Indianapolis with a developmental playbook incorporating age-appropriate play suggestions, educational materials, and additional resources for the child development center staff and the families that they serve to encourage child academic success. Project success was evaluated through the use of quantitative and qualitative data from participants. Due to low teacher response rates, it is not possible to analyze the significance between pre-and post-survey responses. However, in-person qualitative data was obtained to provide insight on project successfulness from the teacher's perspective. Executive staff reported they were extremely satisfied with the materials delivered and presented, and the materials were excellent and valuable to the CDC.