Parent and Child Education (PACE)

Curriculum

Child artwork Your child will participate in daily activities that include stories, writing, math, science, music, movement, block building, and dramatic play. The indoor and outdoor experiences that staff provide will promote your child's growth in all developmental areas:

social/emotional
physical
language and literacy
math
science
the arts
social studies

Your child's teacher uses the Arizona Early Learning Standards in planning learning activities for the children.

Field Trips
The PACE program notifies families of all field trips that are scheduled and provides them with the following details: the field trip destination, times of departure and arrival, and how the trip relates to what the children are studying. Parents are required to give written permission for their child to participate. The program uses TUSD school buses to transport children and family members to and from their destination.

Assessment
The PACE program uses the Work Sampling System as the ongoing assessment tool to measure children's progress throughout the year. Teachers observe the children as they participate in the daily routines and activities, and document the children's growth in each of the developmental areas in the Arizona Early Learning Standards. Teaching staff share a written report of each child's progress with his/her family twice a year. All information about children is kept confidential and shared only with families and the TUSD team members that support the PACE program.

Special Needs
If your child has any special needs, please discuss these with your child's teacher to determine what can be done to provide the best learning environment for him or her.

Holiday and Birthday Celebrations
PACE believes that holidays and other celebrations are times for you to create traditions and lasting memories for your child. Holidays will be studied through songs, stories, cooking experiences, and by sharing how families celebrate these special times.

Birthdays will be celebrated through special activities in the classroom. Check with your child's teacher on his or her policy for celebrating the children's birthdays.

If you do not wish your child to participate in any holiday activities or celebrations, please let the teacher know.

Licensing
The PACE programs are regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Inspection reports are available in the classroom upon request and also at:

Arizona Department of Health Services
Office of Child Care Licensure
400 W. Congress St., Suite 100
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 628-6540

All PACE programs are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Staff Qualifications
Each PACE classroom has a state certified teacher and a teaching assistant. Teachers have degrees in elementary education, early childhood education, or child development. Teaching assistants have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent, previous experience working with young children, and meet the No Child Left Behind requirements for Highly Qualified paraprofessionals.

Staff members complete at least 12 education/inservice hours in the area of early childhood per year.