ECE Curriculum Framework — Navigation Layer
Start Here: How We Work
Use this page in the moment. Use the full framework when planning, training, or problem solving.
For staff & educators: This page gives you the essentials you can hold in your head during a busy, stressful day. The three commitments below are the "why." The eight practices are the "how." Everything else in the framework exists to support them.
Layer 1 — What We’re About
Our Three Commitments
Kindness
No harm — physical or emotional.
- Assume behavior is communication.
- Use calm presence as the first tool.
- Repair relationships after conflict.
- Co-regulate before expecting self-control.
Cooperation
We take care of the group, the space, and the day — children included.
- Share power in age-appropriate ways.
- Children participate in solving problems.
- Families are genuine partners.
- Routines protect everyone’s dignity.
Consideration
Make room for different needs, cultures, languages, abilities, and family structures.
- Fix bias when you see it.
- Design for inclusion; don’t improvise it.
- Represent authentically — materials, books, walls.
- Ask whose voices are missing.
See: Equity Audit · Equity Audit Tools
Layer 2 — How We Act All Day
Eight Daily Practices
1
Safety & Regulation First
Adults co-regulate before expecting self-control. Lower demand when needed. A calm body and voice is the first intervention, not the last.
2
Connection Before Correction
Lead with relationship: get close, name feelings, listen, then guide. Repair after conflict is part of the daily schedule, not an interruption to it.
3
Teach Skills, Don’t Just Manage Behavior
Explicitly teach waiting, turn-taking, asking for help, joining play, handling "no," problem-solving, and calming strategies. Children need instruction, not only redirection.
4
Choice & Agency Built into the Schedule
Children get real choices throughout the day — materials, roles, where to sit, how to participate. Independence is supported and scaffolded, not rushed or withheld.
5
High-Quality Talk & Play Are the Engine
Prioritize open-ended questions, narration, back-and-forth conversation, and sustained play. Adults scaffold rather than direct. This is the core of learning, not a break from it.
6
Routines Are Predictable, Transitions Are Humane
Use clear cues, minimize waiting, give children jobs, stagger transitions, and allow flexible participation. No public shaming. No power struggles as a default response.
7
Inclusion Is Designed, Not Improvised
Provide multiple ways to join activities, accessible materials, visual supports when useful, authentic representation in books and walls, and culturally responsive examples throughout the day.
8
Families Are Partners
Maintain two-way communication, use strengths-based language, respect family culture, and keep expectations transparent. Share what you observe and ask what they observe.
Quick Reference — Memorize This
When Things Get Hard: The In-the-Moment Flow
Five steps you can run through in any difficult moment. Each one links to the deeper guidance when you have time to dig in.
1
Stop harm / Make it safe
Physical safety first, always. Move close. Speak quietly. Remove danger or create space. — Trauma-Informed Practices
2
Connect & co-regulate
Get on their level. Name what you see: "You’re really upset right now." Stay regulated yourself. Wait. — Interaction Quality
3
Offer a choice / Reduce demand
Lower the bar temporarily if needed. Offer two real options. Restore some sense of control. — Daily Routines
4
Teach the missing skill
Once calm: name what happened, identify the skill needed, model it and practice together. — Developmental Domains
5
Repair & rejoin the group
Reconnect with warmth. Reintegrate without shame or lecture. Repair with the other child if needed. — Trauma-Informed Practices
Team Practice
Weekly Reflection (10 minutes)
- Which of our 8 practices was strongest this week?
- Which practice broke down most under stress?
- Did our routines feel humane to children this week?
- Where did we see real co-regulation happen?
- What one small change would help most next week?
- Whose voice or family felt most centered? Least centered?
Planning Integration
Add to Every Lesson & Week Plan
Layer 3 — Full Framework
When a practice breaks down, open the full framework.
Use this when planning, coaching, or problem-solving. Each section provides the theory, examples, tools, and rubrics behind the daily practices above.
Print a one-page quick reference of the 3 Commitments + 8 Practices for your staff room or clipboard.