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"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for.  And the most you can do is live inside that hope."  Barbara Kingsolver

BOTTOM-UP VIEW OF QUALITY

Lilian Katz, writing in the March, 1992 issue of Child Care Information Exchange ("Looking at the Quality of Early Childhood Programs"), observed . . .

"The characteristics of a program that really predict its outcome are the answers to the bottom-up question which is: What does it feel like to be a child in this environment?

"Obtaining answers to this question is not easy!  It requires making the very best guess one can about how each individual child in this group experiences the program.  We can proceed by asking about the environment on behalf of each child:

*  Is it welcoming rather than merely captivating?
*  Do I belong in the group rather than merely have a good time?
*  Am I usually  accepted by adults rather than scolded?
*  Am I taken seriously rather than just precious or cute?
*  Am I usually accepted by some peers rather than isolated, neglected, or rejected?
*  Is this environment usually involving rather than entertaining?
*  Are the activities meaningful rather than mindless?
*  Are the activities engaging rather than amusing?
*  Are the activities interesting rather than boring?
*  Do I usually come here willingly rather than reluctantly?"

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