| A | B |
|---|
| early childhood | The period of life from birth to nine years of age |
| prekindergarten (PK) | The full range of early childhood programs including school-based programs for three- and four-year-olds, preschool, child care, Head Start, and home-based child care. The goal is to enable every child with skills needed to succeed in schoo |
| nanny | A child care worker who usually provides care in the child's home and may receive food and housing in addition to wages |
| au pair | A person from a foreign country who lives with a family and provides child care in exchange for room, board, and transportation. |
| licensing specialist | A person employed by a state to ensure that the state's child care rules and regulations are followed |
| entrepreneur | A person who creates and runs his or her own business. |
| Child Development Associate (CDA) | A national credential that requires postsecondary courses in child care education and a minimum number of hours of child care experience. To be eligible for this credential, a person must be eighteen years of age and have a high school diploma. |
| developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) | A set of guidelines that focus on the outcomes of learning activities. |
| ethics | A guiding set of moral principles, either those help personally or those determined by a professional organization for its members. |
| universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) | A state-sponsored program designed to introduce three- and four-year-old children to a literary-rich environment. The goal is to enable every child with skills needed to succeed in school. |
| family child care home | Child care that is provided in a private home |
| checking in services | Program assigning workers to call children in self-care to make sure there are no problems |
| laboratory school | Schools located on a postsecondary or college campus with a primary purpose of training future teachers and serving as a study group for research. |
| child care centers | Full-day child care facilities that focus on basic nutritional, social, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs. |
| custodial care | Type of child care that focuses primarily on meeting the child's physical needs. |
| Montessori approach | Schools provide children freedom within limits by a rather structured approach, and a mixed method in which materials are presented. |
| Head Start | A program developed by the federal government to strengthen the academic skills of children from low-income homes, and designed mainly for four- and five-year-olds. |
| school-age child care programs | Programs often sponsored by schools, houses of worship, or child care centers that provide care for children before and/or after school. |
| parent cooperatives | Child care programs that are formed and run by parents who wish to take part in their children's preschool experience. |
| licensing rules and regulations | Standards set to ensure that uniform and safe practices are followed. |
| child care license | A state-provided granting permission to open and operate a child care center or family child care home. |
| accredited | Having a certification that states a set of standards has been met. |
