Education is big business and volumes of curricula are produced by educational publishers and sold to the Pennsylvania school system. Curricula that are used by the school system are required to be developed with learning strategies and activities that are aligned to early childhood research. In other words, educators cannot purchase or use content from publishers simply because it promotes learning gains unless it is backed by research produced by accredited educational institutions.
Whether a school's curriculum is constructed from pre-packaged products or designed from the ground up, it is required to be multi-dimensional. This recognizes the fact that no single learning method will be suitable for each individual learner. Curriculum must address different learning styles by exhibiting a varied array of teaching strategies and learning activities. In addition, multi-dimensional curriculum addresses diverse cultural, developmental and socioeconomic groups.
Delivering content through facts and activities is one side of the curriculum equation. The other side is assessment and curriculum that meets Pennsylvania requirements on early childhood education has a plan for assessing what students are learning. At the preschool level, assessment tools typically involve observing the student interact with objects and other students. Any criteria used to determine aptitude is required to be research-based.
The educator in charge of delivering curriculum is as important as the content. Pennsylvania requires educators developing and delivering curriculum for preschoolers to be adequately trained in early childhood development and education. This includes completing state-approved early childhood education courses, successfully passing the Praxis early childhood education exam, six months of student teaching and at least an associate's degree in early childhood education. These requirements are designed to ensure that Pennsylvania educators are highly skilled.