Assessment must become more naturalistic and multidimensional to help educators understand and meet the developmental needs of very young children. This can be achieved through the use of integrated curriculum and assessment materials and strategies. This approach provides developmental information and ideas for program development. The use of authentic assessment techniques in early childhood programs uses a longitudinal look at children's work in the context of the curriculum to evaluate individuals progress. This may be done by documenting children's work in portfolios.
All children learn best when they have real materials they can manipulate.
Another principle shared by early childhood education and early childhood special education is the importance of meaningful learning experiences. Through direct sensory involvement with their environment, children learn about topics that are personally meaningful and interesting. Teaching children who have or do not have disabilities requires the use of real and relevant materials and experiences. Discovering what works best for all children requires knowledge of each child, knowledge of how children learn and clear learning outcomes. With these core components in place, other program areas can be planned, such as physical environment, teaching strategies, classroom management, materials, curriculum, evaluation, family education, staffing and staff development.