This project involves Wheelock College with the Associated Day Care Services of Boston (ADCS), Boston Head Start, and Cambridge Head Start, to design, pilot, produce, and disseminate a comprehensive staff development program in early childhood physical science. The materials produced will enable those individuals responsible for education quality in community-based, pre-school settings to provide staff development activities to enhance science teaching and learning in the classroom. The project will also allow Wheelock to design and implement three institutes to train trainers in the use of the new program. During the first year of the project the staff will work intensively with early childhood teachers in their classrooms and in workshop and seminar sessions. As the teachers enhance their skills in teaching physical science and redesign their environments, the project staff will gather data on the nature of the teaching and learning and on the specific training needs of early childhood teachers. Year two will be focused on the development of an extensive Staff Development Manual and accompanying training video. During year three project staff will field test the materials and conduct three institutes in three states to train early childhood staff developers in their use. Ongoing dissemination of the final products will occur through national and local conferences and regional day care and Head Start training networks.
