Head Start Tapestry

What is the Head Start Tapestry?

The Head Start Tapestry weaves together research on early childhood literacy with the mandates of the Head Start Performance Standards, the Program Review Instrument for Systems Monitoring (PRISM), and the Head Start Leaders’ Guide to Positive Child Outcomes, which includes the Child Outcomes Framework.

The listed resources:

emphasize developmentally appropriate curriculum and assessment, particularly literacy learning for three- and four-year-old children,
address the need for individualization, the inclusion of children with disabilities, and parent involvement.
include recommendations for professional development.

The resources are intended as individual documents for staff training or presentations to policy councils and committees, governing bodies, parent committees, and for community partnerships. The summaries may also be used together for selecting, developing, evaluating, or implementing the mandated written curriculum.

All emergent readers and writers need a high-quality preschool education. The preschool years are critical for the social, emotional, cognitive, language, literacy, and physical development of the young child.

Download the Head Start Tapestry

How is the Tapestry organized?

The Head Start Tapestry is divided into seven Sets. In each of these Sets, Head Start requirements are integrated with the research on emergent literacy.

Sets 1-6 are for staff development and community outreach
Set 7 explains the curriculum evaluation process.

Set 1: Head Start Performance Standards and Program Review Instrument Systems Review (PRISM) regulations.

Learn the requirements in the Head Start Performance Standards and PRISM for Curriculum and Assessment, Individualization, the Inclusion of Children With Disabilities, and Parent Involvement. See also recommendations for professional development goals.

Set 2: Leaders’ Guide to Positive Child Outcomes and the Child Outcomes Framework requirements.

Learn the Elements and Indicators of the Domain of Literacy: Phonological Awareness, Book Knowledge and Appreciation, Print Awareness and Concepts, Early Writing, and Alphabet Knowledge. Learn how the Outcomes Framework can support Professional Development.

Set 3: Research on Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Environment.

Learn the principles of a literacy-rich, developmentally appropriate environment that meet the Head Start requirements.

Set 4: Research on How Young Children Learn to Read and Write.

Learn what research shows about how children learn to read and write. Find research-based principles for development of Curriculum and Assessment, Inclusion of Children With Disabilities, Individualization, Parent Involvement, and Professional Development goals.

Set 5: Research on Teaching Literacy to the Young Child

Learn research-based guidelines for developing Curriculum and Assessment and for adapting instruction to meet the Head Start requirements.

Set 6: Research on Developmentally Appropriate Assessment

Find principles for assessing student learning and progress in the classroom, adapting to meet the Head Start requirements. Find recommendations for Assessment and Accountability and for Standards of Fairness, Equity, Validity and Reliability in Measures of Accountability.

Set 7: Evaluating Curriculum

Find guidelines for evaluating a literacy curriculum that is currently being used or developed, or a curriculum that is being considered for adoption. This guide integrates the Head Start requirements of the Performance Standards, PRISM, and Child Outcomes framework with the research on emergent literacy.

The guide provides instruction in the process as well as Curriculum Evaluation Worksheets for recording decision-making. The charts are organized around the PRISM Core Questions on Curriculum and Assessment, Individualization, Inclusion of Children With Disabilities, and Parent Involvement. The guide includes a chart for evaluating the effectiveness of Professional Development.
Curriculum Evaluation Worksheets

Other Resources

The Head Start Library is a list of resources on teaching, policy and research to be used with the Head Start Tapestry to support the needs of Head Start educators working to fulfill the Head Start mandates.

Head Start Tapestry

Head Start Library

Focus on Beginning Readers