The ACCESS Curriculum Overview
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The ACCESS Curriculum is an intentional, integrated and inquiry-based curriculum for children ages infancy through grade five. It was developed at the University of Dayton Bombeck Family Learning Center by teachers, administrators, and early childhood faculty. ACCESS is being used in a variety of early childhood education settings including public and Catholic schools and other formal and informal early childhood education programs. The curriculum was developed out of respect for the intelligence and creativity of teachers who seek to create cohesive, engaging and meaningful curriculum. It also embraces children as capable thinkers who have important questions to be answered.
ACCESS can address early learning and development standards from all states using developmentally appropriate principles (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2020). The Head Start Early Learning Outcome Framework (Head Start Resource Center, 2015) can easily be used with ACCESS as can courses of study developed by Catholic dioceses for early childhood programs (The Catechism of the Catholic Church (American Council of Bishops, 2016). Nontraditional educational programs such as nature centers, museums, and community center programs also find that ACCESS is appropriate as a framework to develop engaging and appropriate experiences for young children. ACCESS can be used in conjunction with other curricula or can stand alone. We believe that effective teachers must be able to, not only create appropriate integrated and inquiry-based curriculum, but also articulate their practice to parents, administrators, board members, policy makers and other stakeholders who may lack an understanding of appropriate and effective curricula and assessments. 
ACCESS was developed as an approach to early childhood curriculum and supports intentional decision-making about what and how to teach young children in the 21st century. The curriculum reflects respect for the intelligence of young children and their teachers who provide responsive care and quality educational experiences. While some in the field have developed curricula that steer away from the emergent, child-centered models that have been the theoretical foundation of early childhood, this curriculum embraces the traditions of the field while also pushing the professional forward to better serve children and families as they face the demands of the 21st century. ACCESS avoids the "either/or" view of early childhood curriculum that has the play-based traditionalist on one end of the developmentally appropriate practice continuum while reformists hover on the other end, embracing an academic emphasis on content standards. ACCESS is based on a "both/and" perspective that incorporates a rich, child-centered, emergent curriculum model. This model is supported by authentic assessment allowing teachers to make well-informed decisions about how to stage the learning environment, select engaging materials, and plan meaningful and connected experiences that allow young children to investigate important topics. The curriculum builds upon young children's natural curiosity about the world around them fostering a sense of wonder and providing opportunities for scientific inquiry. It also capitalizes on the teachable moments that present themselves throughout the child's daily routines. A Research-based Curriculum ACCESS is a research-based curriculum that reflects the standards of the profession of early childhood education including the Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practices of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (2020); the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (2014); the Head Start Early Learning Outcome Framework (2015) and the the Zero to Three Recommended Practices (2016). ACCESS Stands for:
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Science can serve as the central topic around which other content areas and developmental domains integrate. Notice how engaged this child is as he explores a nature book and writes about a science topic that interests him.
Based on the understanding that no single curriculum can meet the needs of all learners, (Frede & Ackerman, 2007), ACCESS describes a process for making informed decisions that reflects the needs of children and families in a variety of early childhood education settings including but not limited to child care, early intervention, Head Start and public and private schools that house preschool, preschool special education, kindergarten and the primary grades.
ACCESS integrates the study of important science topics with opportunities for language, social, emotional, physical health, motor, aesthetic, and cognitive development as well as meaningful literacy, math and social studies learning with an emphasis on approaches to learning and executive functions. It is appropriate for young children who are typically developing, at-risk and those with mild to moderate learning needs. ACCESS has been field tested in a variety of settings including programs that serve children and families in poverty. ACCESS sets the stage so that children with a variety of life experiences can take advantage of a high quality, intellectually engaging curriculum. Because of an emphasis on academic language (Nagy &Townsend, 2011) and the inclusion of novel vocabulary, ACCESS adapts to the needs of children who are English learners and native speakers alike. The Intentional Curriculum Decision-Making Process (see below) that is the basis of ACCESS, allows teachers to make decisions that reflect the needs of diverse children and families including those who differ in terms of geographical location, cultural background, soci-economic status, race, religion, ethnicity and learning styles and abilities. 
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The ACCESS Curriculum relies on an Intentional Curriculum Decision-Making Cycle
Fig 1-1
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Investigations are an extended study of important science topics. This part of the curriculum can last for several weeks or several months depending on how long children continue to be engaged. Investigations are one aspect of the curriculum and occur during part of the day and part of the week. Extended investigations are broad enough to incorporate all content areas and developmental domains. They require opportunities for students to engage in inquiry with hands-on activities and authentic materials.
ACCESS reflects the work of Katz and Chard (2002) who created the Project Approach that focuses on inquiry-based topics worthy of study from a wide variety of disciplines. In contrast, ACCESS investigations focus on inquiry-based questions typically related to important science topics. Additionally, ACCESS includes an intentional system to track subject matter content and developmental skills. |
Mini-Investigations like the longer and more extensive "investigations," also constitute only part of the day. The duration of the mini-investigation is shorter than a full investigation, generally lasting a week or two. This shorter duration allows teachers and children to focus time on less substantial studies of topics that are meaningful to children and families but may not be worthy of the time commitment associated with a full investigation. Mini-Investigations allow teachers and children to incorporate the interests of children, teachers as well as, family and school culture in ways that are meaningful but do not warrant an extended investigation.
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In-betweens (Fig 1-1) refers to the time of transition between investigations. ACCESS emphasizes the importance of intentional planning and the need to capitalize on the learning opportunities that occur during transitions from one investigation to the next. ACCESS embraces the time "in-between" investigations as opportunities to discover children's interest, to reflect on what children have learned by analyzing documentation and to build anticipation and excitement for the next investigation.
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Daily Routines (Fig 1-2) are the common structures of the day that provide young children with the comforting predictability that is part of a quality early childhood program. Whether taking part in snack time, engaging in a morning meeting, or putting on coats to go outside, children can benefit from well-planned routines that support development and learning. For older children, daily routines also include curriculum addressed regularly as part of the adopted reading/math program.
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Fig 1-2