Still Lost in Translation: Realistic Child Care Program Practices

The Gap between Policy & Theory

According to several recently published studies and data, the quiet revolution continues in how young children are being brought up in the world’s industrialized countries. In the world’s riches nations more and more children are spending longer hours in “out-of-home" or group care beginning at earlier ages (UNICEF, 2008). A stark reality remains: even in the best situations…group care experienced by an infant is often a rotating series of caregivers- essentially strangers- who struggle to meet the physical, emotional and cognitive needs of several infants and or toddlers. As well-meaning, energetic, nurturing, and loving as these caregivers may be, they may simply not be able to authentically connect in the ongoing close emotional interactive patterns during group care situations that are believed by neuroscientific researchers to be essential to healthy emotional, cognitive, and brain development.

What we know about the “Dance of Development”

Imagine the ideal exchanges as an intimate dance of responses to experiences shared between a parent and child that builds neurological circuitry and fosters the child’s growing ability to act on his own. Researchers believe that the best interactions must offer the following characteristics in order for this magic dance of development to unfold.

• Every baby needs to be the apple of someone’s eye…someone who shares a sparkle and a special smile of understanding. Every growing baby and child needs their very own "special person," someone who is especially attuned to the history of his or her unique experiences.
• Non-verbal babies especially need an adult guide who can interpret their individual “signals” and attempts to communicate. This guide lovingly helps them to learn how to learn about and “navigate” around their culture and the physical world.
• Our youngest children need adults who have the time, understanding and flexibility to engage in one-to-one interactions that are sensitive, reciprocal, and intimately shared exchanges as part of a loving “dance.”

What can we do?

Traditionally, a parent has filled the role of adult guide and shared the loving “dance” with young children. But how does a guilt ridden working parent manage? Cathleen Sherry, an Australian human rights lawyer believes the responsibility of child rearing comes with a harsh truth. She states, “No one has the absolute right to a career – men or women. If you chose to have children, your major responsibility is to care for them properly, and if that affects your career, it affects your career (Biddulph, 2006).” While this is a strong and controversial statement in the eyes of many working parents, the statement reinforces what we in the field of early childhood know: children require great care and attention, and that is expensive. Parents have to be wiling to sacrifice time and money and resist putting their children in cheap substandard care.

Many parents must work or choose not to provide care for their children, so we have to have the chutzpah to tell it like it is… we must be sure parents understand they either have to care for their children at home OR must pay well for high quality early child care. The best programs will cost more in order that they in turn can pay staff employees well. Simply logic dictates that when high-quality programs pay caregivers and providers a professional wage, they will have better trained educators and less staff turnover thus resulting in more responsive care for children. Why is this so important? Because research shows that babies and toddlers need consistent, ongoing, responsive care by adults who know how to dance with them.

What’s the Plan?

Its simple... in 2009 lobby your state representatives in Washington DC for:

• More public funding for effective services and policies for children under 3
• The creation of a Department of Early Childhood and School Readiness which ensures the research is considered by policymakers and provides national guidelines for oversight.
• Tuition tax credit for all caregivers or providers who attend and complete early childhood education classes
• A national standard of lower child–to-adult ratios for infants and toddlers to ensure they have the best opportunities for high quality care.

What's YOUR plan in 2009? Send us your comments!

Resources for further reading:

Biddulph, S. 2006. Raising Babies: Should under 3’s go to nursery? London: Harper Thorsons.

Gerhardt, S. 2004. Why Love Matters: How affection shapes a baby’s brain. New York, NY: Bruner-Routledge.

UNICEF. 2008. The child care transition: Innocenti Report Card 8. Florence, Italy: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre.

If Wishes Were Horses...

Among the many changes on the way in Washington come January, none is more eagerly awaited in circles like ours than a renewed emphasis on early childhood education. It’s a topic that is not only near and dear to our hearts; but as early child educators well know—it’s one that makes demonstrably good economic sense.

That said, it’s no foregone conclusion that all will be sunshine and roses from here on out. As with most federal efforts, the devil will be in the details. We’d like to hear from you, our readers and users, as to what the most important elements of a newly strengthened federal early childhood initiative should be. To get an online discussion rolling; here are just a few items we’d like to see:

• A re-emphasis on play as the way young children learn best; this lets those pre-literacy and early mathematical skills emerge naturally, and it focuses attention on each child’s development and progress, not the mastery of “facts.”
• A common sense approach to assessment & reporting—one that is useful and capable of appropriate implementation by caregivers, teachers and programs.
• An emphasis on teacher compensation, training and retention—one that recognizes that 30% teacher turnover does not make for effective instruction.

We’ll stop there, because we’re much more interested in hearing your thoughts and dreams. If you had more money to work with and you could “change the system,” what would early childhood education look like?

We hope you’ll join the conversation!

Read “Obama Pledge Stirs Hope in Early Education” to learn more details online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/us/politics/17early.html?hp

The Challenges of Public Pre-K: Organized Chaos or Standardized Childhood?

Despite tight economic times, the nation-wide push for universal Pre-K funded and supported by state and federal legislatures as an integrated program of the public system remains an item on the many agendas. As part of this push, early childhood educators anticipate new challenges helping lawmakers, superintendents, principals, and public school educators understand the unique period of human development that takes place in the years before Kindergarten. Many seasoned public school administrators and principals who have effectively used more traditional teaching strategies to guide and instruct students during the K-12 years based upon a school institutional model, will look at typical high-quality early childhood classrooms and hear only what sounds like noise, and believe they see no measurable learning outcomes and a “lack of classroom management.” The components we strive for in a high-quality early childhood environment may be viewed as a classroom in chaos.

Early childhood classrooms are messier, noisier, require flexibility in daily schedules and reflect a variety of discipline techniques that may seem quite different from those that are appropriate for older grade school children. In addition to these outward differences, Pre-K needs smaller class sizes, special materials and room furnishings– that look like “toys” to many principals, and additional staff in order to provide adequate supervision and care. Total all these factors up with the pressure school systems are under to get children “ready for Kindergarten” and then “Third grade testing,” and many administrators simply see the Pre-K years as race to get the children quiet, lined up and seated. With misguided – but honorable - intentions to bring the Pre-K classrooms and teachers “up to speed” and in-line with the quiet, independent seat-work model required take a standardized test, they risk making a critical blunder.

This is not a new dilemma – for decades the early childhood community has struggled against the introduction of “academic” content into early learning environments, now they will also have to resist the attempts to fit the early years into an “institutional model.” We’ve learned from conversations with supervisors of early childhood curriculum and instruction in school districts around the country that many administrators will adopt school-wide policies for conduct, class management, and evaluation of learning that may be very damaging to the youngest children in their schools. If this is a challenge for your early childhood staff, we’d like to offer a few rules that you can share with the principals and other administrators who visit your classroom to help them better understand the characteristics of a high-quality early learning environment and see the reasons we cannot just standardize expectations we hold for young children in the Pre-K years.

Golden Rules for Organized Chaos:

1. “Work & Play” appear interchangeable. Children are joyfully engaged in doing learning, practicing, and trying tasks in a variety of activities in meaningful ways during a time period or “center time.”
   
2. Listen to the “beautiful noise!” Children’s voices are heard! Children are talking, sharing, and interacting with peers and adults as they participate in the variety of activities.
   
3. All efforts are displayed and celebrated. Children’s work and “products” show a great deal of individual variation – and rather than being displayed with a “grade” or evaluative comment by an adult – the work includes the child’s thoughts about the process of what he did or learned.
   
4. Now you see it-now you don’t. A consistent framework is in place but, the expert planning of the educators is “flexible & invisible.” The children have choices and move about the room freely to places of both quiet reflection and interactive “work & play.”
   
5. Prove it works! Utilize a formative assessment program such as PreschoolFirst.com which weaves developmental learning behaviors appropriate for children 0-66 months of age into play-based curriculum activities to help educators evaluate the meaningful learning naturally inherent in high-quality early childhood classrooms so staff can share those outcomes with parents and administrators.

Share these resources with the decision makers in your district!

National Association of Elementary School Principals. 2005. Executive Summary Leading Early Childhood Learning Communities: What Principals Should Know and Be Able To Do. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Bredekamp, Sue, & Carol Copple (Eds.) 2009. Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs: Serving children birth through age 8. Third. ed. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Well Meaning Parents & "Home Schooling a toddler/preschooler"

Often we receive emails at PreschoolFirst from well meaning parents who struggle under the popular mis-perception that they must “do worksheets” with their young child as a way to help them learn and “be ready” for kindergarten. Here’s one we received over the Thanksgiving Day weekend from a NJ mom with the email subject line Home Schooling a toddler/preschooler. She wrote:

“With so many site(s) out there offering worksheets to work on and art activities, math, language, and reading, how does one know what their child is ready for and capable of? How much is to(o) much information for this age group before they get overstimulated or lose interest?”

With little or no background in child development, confused and overwhelmed parents often fall victim to the “better start’em sooner” syndrome. Child development experts know that worksheets and memorized facts are meaningless to a toddler/preschooler’s overall knowledge about the world and learning how he/she relates to it. In fact…memorized facts will only serve a very limited purpose even in an academic environment.

Knowing the alphabet song is not the same as recognizing letters that appear in your name; and rote counting to 20 is not the same as problem-solving how to share 5 cookies between 2 children. Academic subjects are artificial ways adults organize learning for older children, young children however experience all learning in an integrated way. For example, pre-mathematical concepts can be learned in the early years in block play and pre-literacy is practiced in a parents lap when they share a favorite story together.

Ultimately all adults want to help young children grow and be successful learners. If you’re not sure what is reasonable or unreasonable to expect a young child to be able to do, or if a parent asks for guidance, review an activity or “worksheet” with the following questions in mind.

Questions to determine if a learning activity is Appropriate or Inappropriate:

Would this child CHOOSE to do this activity over something else that is similar but involves more open-ended play?

1. Does he/she squirm, have difficulty sitting, or look away often during the activity?
2. Can the child hold and use the tools or supplies needed to do the activity without your constant “correction” or supervision?
3. Will the end result of this activity look unique and acceptable no matter your child’s skill level? Or does it only produce an end result that is “cookie cutter” (i.e. very close to the same no matter who completes it)?
4. Does this activity require the child to “sit and focus” as one would expect a 6-7 year old child to be able to do?
5. Does your child seem happy and interested while you do this together?
6. Does the end result require that an adult “fix it” so it looks “perfect?”
7. Is there only one "right" way to complete the activity?

Please add your 2¢ and respond!

What would you say to help this parent understand the unnecessary physical stress and emotional pressure worksheet activities place on toddlers and young children?

What would you suggest she try?

Stretch Every Story into a Center Time Activity

There is nothing quite like the sight of a young child engrossed in a story read-aloud! The best way to make young toddlers and preschoolers into "readers" is to share many, many loved stories and then to give them a fun place to "practice" early literacy skills in a self directed center - without any pressure. This way they can retell, think about, draw and "scribble-write" their own ideas - all essential skills they will use as they develop along the path to becoming a reader.

Here are a few tips to help you include more early literacy opportunities in your class or center.

• Read every story with expression and use interesting voices to add to the drama. This will help hold the children's attention longer, stop occasionally and ask the group to guess what will happen next - before you turn to the next page.
• Always have a table set up near the reading area with a writer’s caddy containing writing materials such as a set of thick colored markers, thick pencils, thick crayons, 8 ½ in. x 11 in. paper, colored paper scraps, glue sticks, one-hole paper punches, child safety scissors, and a stapler.
• After you finish reading and discussing the story, stand the book up on the table near the writing caddy so the children can see it.
• Invite children to visit the table as an “open-ended activity” and look at the book again during center or free time.
• Encourage children to use the supplies and tools in the caddy to draw pictures from the stories or illustrate their own ideas. (Provide adequate adult supervision when children use one-hole paper punches, child safety scissors, and staplers.)
• Ask each child to tell you about his/her illustrations. Print his/her EXACT words in yellow marker and invite – but do not force – each child to trace over the letters. Say, “Choose your favorite color marker to trace these words to make them ‘your very own.’ ” Allow each child to trace as many or as few letters as he/she chooses.
• Encourage older preschool children who show interest to pretend to “write” (scribble) more words or thoughts on the page for themselves. Ask each child to pretend to read his/her words back to you.

GOLDEN RULES!

1. Do not correct a child’s letter formation, tell the child how to spell, or correct his/her “reading” during this activity.
2. Only offer guidance if a child specifically asks you how to write a letter, about the sounds in a word, or how to read a word.
3. This process is intended to provide an enjoyable, age appropriate, comfortable place for all children to imitate and practice early literacy skills and express their ideas about theme related information.

To read more about developmentally appropriate ways to promote early literacy in your program:

National Research Council (2004). Starting out right: A guide to promoting children’s reading success. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Neuman, S. B., Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2000). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Schickedanz, J. A. (1999). Much more than the ABC’s: The early stages of reading and writing. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Vukelich, C., & Christie, J. (2005). Building a foundation for preschool literacy: Effective instruction for children’s reading and writing development. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Zigler, E. F., Singer, D. G., & Bishop-Joseph, S. J. (Eds.). (2004). Children’s play: The roots of reading. Washington, DC: Zero To Three Press.

Roll OUT of the Buggy! Help Children Develop Better Visual Perception

For those of you who were unable to attend this year’s NAEYC conference in Dallas, here’s an especially interesting piece of research discussed in a session reported to us by one of our longtime subscribers. Janet Galantay, Director of the Child Development Lab School at the Collins Community College District at the Spring Creek Campus told us about a fascinating session presented on Thursday afternoon titled: You don’t see with your eyes-you see with your brain! Visual perception disorders and what you can do to help these often mislabeled children.

In the session Kim Sutton, Diane Davis, and Connie Harmon, from the Ozarks Technical Community College, shared evidence and concerns that the lack of a visual variety in an infant’s daily visual field may be negatively impact the development of visual perception. Presenters mentioned that fact that many of today’s infants and toddlers spend much of their time strapped in infant seats, car seats, and stroller while parents and caregivers do adult tasks. This may have a very serious consequence that appears later on in the preschool child’s life as a visual motor integration or visual perception disorder (VPD).

According to Sutton, Davis and Harmon, “Children with a VPD have difficulty recognizing, organizing, interpreting and/or remembering visual images. As a result, these children can suffer from a poor sense of direction, problems judging speed and distance, difficulties with planning and organizational skills as well as understanding letters, numbers, and math symbols. The problem is not with their eyesight, but with the way their brain processes visual information.”

One point raised in the session was that all babies and toddlers need to spend time just rolling or lying on the ground, and looking at or moving in the world around them from different angles. This helps them to develop and improve their visual perception skills. It seems that these “tummy time,” rolling about experiences, and time spent “un-strapped” are essential to the healthy development of visual perception.

To learn more about the types of activities early childhood educators and caregivers can do to ensure great experiences are provided in their programs to help develop visual perception, we encourage you to contact:
Kim Sutton at suttonk@otc.edu, Diane Davis at davisd@otc.edu, Connie Harman at harmonc@otc.edu

Click to Download the terrific presentation handout by Sutton, Davis, and Harmon hosted on the NAEYC website.

PreschoolFirst Effectiveness: Academic Study Confirms Value to Educators and Families

RESTON, VA – A new study by academic researchers proves that early childhood programs can accurately and easily assess the developmental progress of young children by using an assessment tool provided by the nonprofit PreschoolFirst service. Years of evidence from the field have strongly suggested that PreschoolFirst’s approach is highly successful. To determine whether that evidence from users could be formally confirmed, the developers asked Dr. Lento F. Maez and Dr. Candelario F. Huerta, Jr., both affiliated with Texas A&M University, to conduct a rigorous study of both the validity and the reliability of the PreschoolFirst assessment tool.

PreschoolFirst’s formative assessment instrument observes child behavior in six developmental domains, and helps detect delays and social problems early enough to maximize the positive potenial of early interventions. The study’s data set was drawn from the PreschoolFirst database, based on early childhood educator’s observations of the children in their care. For both reliability and validity, using the Cronbach alpha coefficient scale, a score of 0.70 represents an acceptable degree; a score of 1.00 represents the ideal. The study found that the PreschoolFirst assessment system’s reliability was .86, and its validity was .94.

Steven J. Gorski, President and CEO of Source for Learning, Inc., the nonprofit parent corporation of PreschoolFirst, said, “It’s highly gratifying to have our confidence in PreschoolFirst confirmed. The system has remarkable capability, and this study helps prove its tremendous benefit to teachers, administrators, children, and parents.”

To review the full report contact: Contact:
Mari Blaustein, PreschoolFirst.com, mblaustein@sflinc.org
John Cosgrove, Cosgrove Communications, jcosgrove@sflinc.org

PreschoolFirst Congratulates Melissa Huber - Owner of Wonder Years Learning Center

Check out the cover of the October 2008 issue of TYC (Teaching Young Children)! We’d like to congratulate Melissa Huber – a wonderful early childhood professional, recipient of the Child Care Provider of the Week Award presented by PBS, and a subscriber of PreschoolFirst since 2006!

Melissa Huber is a licensed family child care provider and owner of Wonder Years Learning Center in Georgetown Texas. Read the article on page 4 titled What Do I Do? I Teach! and learn more about her views, philosophy and goals as a high quality provider. When asked about one thing that helped her with her teaching, Melissa responded, “I observed that engaged children are happier, more confident, and more competent (Huber, 2008).” PreschoolFirst is proud to be a resource that Melissa looks to when she plans meaningful learning activities and observes children’s growth and development.

To see a video segment of Melissa “in action" featured on the PBS series A Place of Our Own,” you may go to http://aplaceofourown.org/caregivers.php.

Huber, M. Do I Do? I Teach! In TYC: Teaching Young Children, 2 (1): 4.

Another Approach to the Kindergarten Push

As reported in October 17, 2008 in the New York Times some parents are pushing back against the academic expectations in Kindergarten and giving their 5 and 6 year children a year of "un-schooling."

Those who have the opportunity - some call it a luxury - are making the choice to spend time "at-home" creating a child-centered enriched learning experience.

Read more about the "un-kindergartners" online at The Anti-Schoolers .

Tell us what you think...

Pre-K Reading Pressure Cooker

Because young children develop and function at such different rates and levels, early childhood programs cannot assume all 3 and 4 year old children are inters ted or ready to read & write. Unfortunately, parents feel pressure from public schools to make sure their child is "ready." But ready is a vague word and can mean very different things to trained early childhood professionals versus administrators at elementary schools who have little or no training in early childhood development. They assume basic abilities that we adults take for granted such as 20/20 vision and focus are fully developed in young children - when in fact the opposite is true.

Erroneously, the proposed fix for this dilemma is start 'em sooner with seat work and phonics drills. Instead the research by the International Reading Foundation shows that programs must be flexible and prepared to offer a variety of playful activities that individualize learning experiences to meet each child at his or her level. All good teaching "builds on what young children already know, and it recognizes that children have had very different prior experiences with books and with oral and written language (NAEYC & IRA, 2005)." Enriching these prior experiences and making the magic of stories and reading come alive is the best way to inspire children to want to become readers. Providing meaningful and open-ended opportunities for the children to feel comfortable experimenting with language, sounds, and writing as a way to express their thoughts and ideas will extend learning into a love of reading.

To help you understand how infants and children actually develop into readers, we've included the information below published by in 2005 by the NAEYC & IRA to present a joint position on this hot topic (NAEYC & IRA, 2005).

"From Infancy through Third Grade: Phases in Children’s Development of Reading and Writing

Phase 1: Awareness and exploration (infancy through preschool)

Phase 2: Experimental reading and writing (kindergarten)

Phase 3: Early reading and writing (grade 1)

Phase 4: Transitional reading and writing (grade 2)

Phase 5: Independent and productive reading and writing (grade 3)"

In the preschool and Pre-K years it is only reasonable to expect that children function at Phase 1 in which they explore freely with the world of printed words and stories with adult guidance. All children can do this at his or her own developmental level. A few older 4 year old children might be ready to function at Phase 2 which often begins a more systematic approach to reading & writing. Rarely will a young child function at Phase 3, and none should be expected to function at Phase 4 or 5. Sooner is not always better or "smarter," sooner is sometimes just a result of pressure cooker expectations.

Resources for further reading:

NAEYC and IRA. 2005. Where We Stand on Learning to Read and Write. Washington, DC: NAEYC. (Available online at
http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/WWSSLearningToReadAndWriteEnglish.pdf)

Neuman, S.B., C. Copple, & S. Bredekamp. 2000. Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Washington, DC: NAEYC. (Available online at www.naeyc.org/about/positions/asp).

Mix It up!

Do the children in your center or class ever spend time in mixed age groups? Many states and programs must follow strict guidelines about how young children must be cared for in mixed age settings. When children have siblings, have neighborhood play dates or visit the park regularly they share time with younger and older children naturally. But those who have no siblings and/or spend "all day-everyday" in center-based childcare may have little or no opportunities to interact with various aged children.

Children learn and practice very different cognitive and social skills with various people. Here are just a few of the reasons research shows children need to associate with younger and older children.

• Three and four year old children will try to comfort a crying baby in a very different way from a peer.
• Three and four year old children will adapt the complexity of their language, length of sentences, and tone of voice when they speak to younger children.
• Learning to "read" non-verbal cues as a way to understand the feelings of others takes practice, this is often easier - and simpler for young children to do by watching children of various ages who may not yet have the same "filters" adults use to mask their emotions.

Please share your thoughts, any research and ways or suggestions you've found to to help "mix it up" without breaking regulations.

To read more about the great benefits of "mixing" it up see:

Katz, L. 2005. The Benefit of the Mix. Available online: www.childcareexchange.com.

Adapted from: ExchangeEveryDay. 2005. Benefits of Mixed Age Grouping. Available online: www.childcareexchange.com

Positive Thinking in Early Childhood Environments

This month we came across an article in the ASCD magazine Educational Leadership that discussed the very important idea of positive teachers. In the article, writer Marge Scherer presented the thought that by nature "educators are professionally predisposed to be optimistic." She states that most teachers go into the teaching profession to help children achieve success and "fullfill their dreams."

One important thought came to mind after scanning the article, teaching and caring for infants, toddlers and young children is especially challenging. Yet it is essential that those of us in the early childhood field remain "fresh" and "positive" through the unique challenges of each day. After all this is one of the most important times in a child's life and we're an important influence in the quality of their lives!

Here are a few of our thoughts about simple ways to stay "fresh" and "positive."

• Build relationships with the children - take a minute to learn what each one really loves or is especially interested in.
• When you feel less than positive - ask the children to look into your eyes and share a "smile."
• Notice the children's ability to start each day anew - celebrate the newness of the day.
• Take a moment to notice the simple joy in your children's faces when they learn something new.

Do you have any special "tips" or "strategies" to share with others that you use to stay positive?

Read the full article on the ASCD website: Perspectives / Ode to Positive Teachers

The Press Preschool Debate

In the last 2 weeks several controversial articles have appeared online and in various print publications debating the real educational value of "preschool." To those of us in the field, its not surprising to read further and discover much of the debate seems driven by those concerned about the taxpayer spending required should Universal Pre-K be adopted at state or federal levels.

To read the full Wall Street story visit: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121997547720682181.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Read Dr. Barnett's rebuttal! http://nieer.org/docs/index.php?DocID=240

High quality early child care is expensive. Some feel that with the need for families to earn 2 incomes to support their basic needs, our country has no choice but to provide Universal Prek.

We'd like your input! What's your opinion?

Presidential Promises and Preschool Education

In the Aug/Sept issue of Edutopia, writer Shari Wargo takes a look at the 2008 candidates stand on education. Both support revisions in the No Child Left Behind Act, more funding for technology, and core focus on science and math curriculum.

Of great interest to us is their approach to early childhood education...it seems both candiates still have to think through their views on this topic.

According to Edutopia, Obama's plan for early childhood education includes a $10 billion plan that would promote a "zero to five" effort, improve & maintain Head Start, and provide funds for universal preschool. Read more about the plan for education online at: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/#early-childhood,


Wargo writes that McCain's plan increases funding for Head Start programs. Read more about the plan for education online at: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/read.aspx?guid=2ca6f926-4564-4301-87cd-a5f35e68c0d4

• Please share your experiences in the field. What are your thoughts?
• Can you share a better link to the plans for either candidate?
• Do these plans sound realistic to you?
• Do you believe that increased funding would benefit your program?

Reference: Wargo, Shari. 2008. Hail to the Chief. Edutopia.com, Aug/Sep 2008. San Francisco, CA: tThe Goerge Lucas Educational Foundation.

Understanding Infant Development

Mari:

Emily and I have been reading the book that you recommended by one your professional colleagues, Margaret B. Puckett. We love the book, Understanding Infant Development. Thanks again for pointing us to this resource...we are gaining a good overview of key theories and research on child development.

Tips for New Early Childhood Teachers

1. Be relaxed and ready.

• Leave your room set up and ready for the first activities you've planned for the next day. You'll sleep better knowing that things are in place, and should you find you need extra supplies-you'll have time to pick them up or borrow them. Choose another experienced staff member as a mentor and end each week with a staff recap of what worked and what didn't.

2. Be flexible.

• You'll plan the day one way - but with young children things usually change quickly, or a new teaching moment happens unexpectedly! Maybe a new child joined the group and its a great time to talk with everyone about how to be a friend. Expect changes and do what the veterans do; have a back up plan.

3. Spend time building a relationship with each child.

• Young children who feel good about themselves and connected to the adults who care for them will be more likely to cooperate... And when misbehavior happens, you'll be able to more quickly understand why and guide the children back on track. With young children, punishment is not appropriate so make each mis-step an opportunity to help a child learn the right way to behave and how to fix the mistake.

4. Take joy in your children's natural energy.

• Don't try to fight it! Many teachers new to early childhood expect children to sit and listen. Encourage and inspire children to actively learn, ask questions, and move, move, move. When you have reasonable expectations about sitting and moving, you also have fewer behavior problems.

5. Share what happens in the room with parents.

• When parents see how learning happens, it helps them trust you with their child. If they want to volunteer, ask them to help create displays of children's artwork or write a parent newsletter. Then they'll really appreciate how hard you work!

Inspired by: Rigsbee, Cindi. 2008. Teaching Secrets: Five Tips for the New Teacher. Teacher Magazine. Online: http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2008/07/28/43tln_rigsbee.h19.html?print=1 (Retrieved August 11, 2008).

Shake a Leg! Exercise Improves Focus

Can’t get some of the more active children to focus in a Buddy Time activity? One great way to take advantage of the warm weather and get children interested in a focused activity is to take it outdoors! As a larger group of children pursues open-ended outdoor play activities, invite one or two children to a table set up in a shady area of the play yard and get them involved in a Buddy Time activity.

By giving all children a little exercise before doing a one-on-one or small group activity, teachers can better observe those who may normally have difficulty remaining focused. It’s fine to allow a fidgety child to take a few bike ride breaks during the activity if necessary.

"I Want My Blanky!”

Whether a child calls it a blanky, bankie, cuddly or wuzzy, all “security” objects help young children feel emotionally safe and comforted. Child development experts refer to these physical objects cuddled by children as young as 8 - 9 months old as “transitional objects.” Young children often use these security objects to bolster their confidence and provide a sense of well-being in routine situations such as falling asleep at bedtime. In unusual or unique situations such as meeting new people, cuddling a security object may even symbolically take the place of the primary caregiver.

Most children become attached to a blanket or teddy bear, but some seem to choose some very interesting objects. So…what is the most unusual “security object” a child has brought to your program?

Here’s a few of ours:

• One 3 year-old child in a preschool class always wore a pair of knitted gloves and carried an old Nikon camera – everywhere. He had even learned to put two gloves on one hand when he needed to touch or feel something and one glove got in the way!

•One child used her own ear as a “cuddly” all through early childhood. She would wrap her entire hand around it whenever she felt tired or stressed.

• A 4 ½ year old child was once overheard telling another child who had been a VERY close friend and constant companion for two years in our program, “I just can’t carry you anymore.”

• An infant who suffered from colic and projectile vomiting became attached to a collection of gauze diapers that her parents used to lay over their shoulder to sop up accidents. Don’t worry – the diapers were routinely washed!

We'd love to hear some of yours?

The “Readiness Debate” Revisited

Developmentally appropriate practices such as those we support in PreschoolFirst help preschool and prekindergarten children develop a broad range of characteristics associated with learning readiness – which goes way beyond “school readiness.” These basic characteristics provide the scaffolding for children to be successful learners in more restricted primary grade classroom environments.

"Readiness" must be apparent in all the domains of a child's development. It isn't just something we look for in a child's ability to count or say the alphabet, it includes self-help skills such as being able to independently use the bathroom, wiping a runny nose, even knowing how to ask for help when its needed.

A child should have the gross motor skills to run smoothly, skip, and jump with both feet off the ground. His or her language and speech should be easily understand by adults, and the child should be able to listen to and follows simple directions as well as tell a story in the proper sequence.

A child who is ready for kindergarten has the fine motor control to hold and use a drawing implement, copy basic letters such as X, H, V, D, O from a sample, and draw a human figure, and the coordination to cut around simple shapes. Social/emotional skills should include being able to use words to resolve conflicts, sitting for 5–10 minutes to focus on a story or task, and completing simple tasks.

What do you think? We'd like to hear your experiences.

Sources:
E.M. Lewit & L.S. Baker, Child indicators: School readiness, The Future of Children 5 (2): 128–39. Online: http://www.futureofchildren.org/information2826/information_show.htm?doc_id=71010

Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools, Starting school for kindergarten parents, 2005. Online:www.fcps.k12.va.us/start/kready.htm.

The Program Director Blues

This is the time of year when program directors are learning how well they budgeted and planned for the upcoming "school year." At PreschoolFirst we're interested in the challenges you face as you orient new staff and children in the program.

What's you're biggest concern:

- staff burnout?
- lower enrollment than expected?
- late "tuition payments?
- reduced federal or state funds?
- teachers leaving to look for new opportunities?
- do you have another?

How do you solve these issues in order to provide quality care in your programs?
Share your concerns and let's see how other programs cope with their ongoing challenges.

A Few Words on Whiners

Whiners! Every early childhood classroom has one. Whining can certainly try a teacher's patience - even drive a seasoned veteran teacher over the bridge. When an infant whines, we know that is important to listen to the sound of her cries; when a toddler whines, we know he may not have the vocabulary to express his feelings any other way. But when a preschool-age child whines, we become quite annoyed and just want it to stop. However, if we don't carefully deal with the underlying reasons behind why a child whines, we may unintentionally do more harm than good in our attempt to stop an annoying behavior from becoming a habit. Take a breath, calmly hold the child's hand and ask him or her to please stop using a whining voice. Then take a minute to think...before you respond.

So why IS this child whining?

• The child may want attention but lacks the social skills to participate in a positive way
• The child may not get enough sleep and could be overtired or getting sick
• There may have been a big change in this child's life - such as a new baby was born, a move to a new home or school, or possibly a change in the family members who live together in the home
• Someone in the child's life may only listen and respond to whining - in other words - it works at home!
• The child has not been shown how to try to express his or her feelings and desires with words

Do you know of another reason? Please write us!

Do you have a great tip to share about how to nip whining in the bud without damaging a child's self esteem?

We'd love to hear your ideas and to share them with other early childhood educators!

Infant Routines? Here's a Nap Tip!

I do work with infants and I enjoy it very much.

When it is time for one of my infants to nap, I watch for the signs then I go through a specific routine. I take him with me as I close the blinds and turn off the lights, I talk to him about what I am doing, I turn on the same classical music CD, and I also take advantage of the humming sound from the fan in the bathroom. By this time, he is already yawning. I am a big supporter of routines! It makes the environment predictable and makes the baby feel a sense of safety and security, not to mention feeling loved and nurtured.

Kimberly Vargas at The Vine Preschool

Nothing like a Great Coach!

Coach'em and keep' em! If you find your program has big staff turnover and that new teachers and caregivers who join your staff have trouble getting connected to the rest of the staff, try starting a "coach" system at your center. A coach is an experienced member of your staff who realizes that when one teacher struggles - the children in that class may also suffer - and ultimately that reflects on the quality of your entire program.


A coach acts as a "non-judgemental" mentor who supports new teachers. A good coach can help new teachers plan the room arrangement, learn about different families in the program, understand the program's procedures, plan currciulum and become an effective time manager. Great planning will help a new teacher proactively manage disruptive behavior - the biggest challenge for every EC teacher. When a new teacher and a coach develop a great relationship, new teachers feel supported and valued and will be more likely to become a long term member of your staff.

The Scoop on Self-Regulation

We at PreschoolFirst define self-regulation as a child's ability to:

• Direct his/her actions and play
• Stay focused on a task and "pay" attention
• Remember instructions and follow basic rules

A child who uses these self-regulation skills and handles most situations predictablyis one who is developing critical skills that will help him/her be successful in preschool and primary school. One crucial one best practice we believe contributes to good self-regulation is age appropriate curriculum and hands-on activities that are meaningful to children's lives.

What about you? What do you do in your early learning program that contributes to a child's development of self-regulation?

Read Aloud Story Discussions Foster Learning

Not only do group reading times encourage early literacy skills, they help children learn new words and facts in meaningful ways and develop a love for a good story. One of the most significant elements of a great story time is the conversation or discussion that the story inspires.

So…do you have trouble keeping the discussions going? Here’s a tip: wear a mitten on one hand and pretend it is a puppet listening to the story with the rest of the children. If the conversation stalls or the children are not sure how to respond, wiggle the mitten’s thumb as if the puppet is raising its hand for a turn to talk. Use the puppet to respond and model good group time manners at the same time.

To help children feel more comfortable “guessing,” try using the puppet to guess an answer and ask the children to help explain more about the story to help the puppet understand. OR use the puppet to respond inappropriately – and then ask the children to help remind it of the “group time manners.” When teachers welcome questions and comments during stories, young children stay more focused and can practice using new vocabulary to share their ideas.

The Play-Based Drive to Learn

Isn't it fascinating to watch an infant try again and again to roll over? To stand? Anyone who has spent time with a 4 year old child knows to expect to hear "Why?"many times throughout any given day. Did you ever wonder where young children get this amazing interest in learning?

Jerome Bruner believed that all children are naturally driven to increase their independence, and in order to do this at each stage of growth, this gives a child the motivation to work very hard to devlop new abilitites that will give him/her greater control over his/her world. The Source for Learning, the developers of PreschoolFirst, believe that all children are born hungry for love and learning. Our play-based assessment and curriculum resource for the infant/toddler and preschool years is designed by early childhood experts to support children’s development and school readiness in their most natural setting – at play.

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Help Parents Choose Play-Centered Preschools

Read our favorite article that explains to parents why play centered learning is BETTER for kids. Help parents understand why PLAY-CENTERED learning is where it's at. Written by Niskayuna Nursery School Co-op in NY state. http://co-opauction.info/docs/Choosing.pdf

PreschoolFirst Classroom Tip

Do you have PreschoolFirst parents and caregivers, who aren’t sure what to do to help their children continue learning and growing over the summer? Encourage parents to login and visit PreschoolFirst to get simple fun activity ideas they can do at home. Our PrescghoolFirst Home Time activities are designed so anyone can do them with children – grandparents, caregivers, even babysitters! They can continue to enter play-based observations over the summer to help track development for next year’s teacher. If parents in your program do not have computers, you can find age-appropriate activities online, print them out, and give them to parents on the last day of the class.

Play Power!: Teaching infants and toddlers?

Play Power!: Teaching infants and toddlers?

Teaching infants and toddlers?

Looking for great teaching strategies for infants and toddlers? PreschoolFirst has over 500 activities just right for the youngest ones - PreschoolFirst is one of the most comprehensive curriculum you can find! All these activities help children develop and achieve the outcomes most treasured by early childhood educators.

Young children do not think logically until around age 7...

Children do not connect ideas and new information together logically…

...they have to TEST every new thing they learn.

Why is observing a child's play behavior important?

Young children explore the world through play. Early childhood educators know that play is actually a young child's job. Play is the natural place to observe a child's abilities because it allows you to see what the child already knows and how he or she uses that knowledge. Most importantly, however, a child is internally wired and motivated to play. As all parents and teachers know, young children are naturally active and have short attention spans. Most young children are unable to sit still for even fifteen minutes at a time. This inability to sit still makes direct instruction an ineffective way to observe young children and teach new skills.

Young children learn best by imitating a new task and practicing it in a fun, non-judgmental setting. When they observe children playing, teachers can see a child's physical and intellectual abilities in use. A great online resource provides activities, stories, games, and materials suggestions for you to enjoy with your class. These play activities help you create different experiences and plan classroom centers that focus on specific age-appropriate behaviors. During play, children use accumulated knowledge in new ways, learn new information about the world, and practice emerging skills. All you need to do is set out the right materials, ask a few key questions, share the fun, and watch.

Care for Infants? Responsive Routines and Planning Matter!

Child Development experts agree that babies thrive best on a routine. We all know babies need to be fed and diapers must be changed on demand – so can someone who cares for several infants manage to respond to everything? We recommend you try to establish a routine around the time when your babies tend to get sleepy, hungry, and energetic.

A routine helps each baby settle into a regular pattern – so you can plan for activities that happen at about the same time and in about the same way each day. It allows the babies to have longer periods to be alert and focus on playing - and helps you form a strong attachment to each other. A responsive routine will have moments of care, filled with rich interactions between each baby and yourself.

Great Care-teachers use Routines

Routines matter because it helps a baby learn that his/her actions and communication set predictable responses in motion. This helps a baby find the world around him/her to be an organized place.

Routines helps a baby feel secure and comfortable because it helps a baby know that his/her needs are going to be met in a predictable way. Through your predictable response and on-demand care-giving, a baby begins to establish a sense of security.

Let's Share First!

Looking for tips to help make caring for young children easier? Let's share our favorite "short cuts" to smooth the way for others. One thing I've learned is that preparation is the key to a smooth day. I always make a point of leaving the classroom/centers set up with everything I need for the next day. Each activity is either arranged on each table ready to go OR I'd place materiels in a plastic tub so I can set up in a snap.