Worth the read...Wall Street writer Sue Shellenbarger gives us more insight about why play is crucial to creative thinking and how our questions and support in the early years are so important.

A Box? Or a Spaceship? What Makes Kids Creative?

Watch the video "Spark Creative thinking with Math & Stories"

Why Read to Babies?

Reading is not just knowing the abc’s…it’s a habit that you can begin from birth. The term “emerging literacy” refers to the skills and habits young children develop on their way to becoming readers. From birth babies are “hard wired” to attend to faces, sounds and learn speech—three things that are all present when we cuddle up and read to babies.

Babies learn which sounds make up our language when they hear them over and over. Reading simple rhymes helps us be sure babies hear a variety of stimulating voice tones and sounds. These sounds have different meanings and that’s how we talk and share our ideas. Use large books with bright simple colors for babies under 4 months—remember babies do not see anything like adults do. Choose sturdy books that can be stood up or pulled out into one long panel.

Most babies become joyful as they hear familiar songs and rhymes because language that has a rhythm and change in voice is most interesting to them. They love when they recognize a verse and will often settle down to listen. In this way babies learn to associate books and reading with cuddling and warm feelings.

Babies as young as 4-6 months can understand that books are full of “talk” written down. A book is another way to share a playful action rhyme or conversation and once a baby can hold up his head, he’s ready to sit in an adult’s lap and touch, hold and grab a book during a story time.

By 7-9 months, babies can actually turn the stiff pages of chunky board books and actually “look’ at the pages on his own. Now a baby can listen for longer periods and even if they may not really understand a plot, some may enjoy a very short story during a “cuddle up & read” time. If you haven’t already done so, make reading a regular part of your daily schedule. Label objects in pictures, point to text, ask your baby to “turn the page,” comment on new ideas in the story, these are all ways parents and caregivers can help babies learn the way a book “works” and how we use it.

With babies 9-12 months you can begin to make reading a conversation about the pictures and the “story” even if you fill in most of the discussion. Cuddle up and ...

• Catch a baby’s attention, point to the page (Look!)
• Ask a question about the page (What do you see?)
• Wait for the baby to respond in some way, look the child in the eyes
• And then respond back in a full sentence (It’s a monkey climbing up a tree!) and read on.
  

If a baby “takes over the reading”...meaning he starts babbling, talking, or naming pictures and turning pages…enjoy it and let him do this whenever he feels the urge. Of course he’s not reading, but he is using emerging literacy skills and learning to love reading.

To View or Not to View

After reading today's ExchangeEveryday addressing the issue: Viewing TV at the Center , a few specific thoughts come to mind. In light of what early childhood educators know about how TV viewing can affect child development, it was surprising to read that according to a study by the AAP, children in child care centers watch 2-3 hours of TV a day in family childcare homes---and up to 1 1/2 hours a day in centers. That is on top of any hours they may spend watching in a car or at home!

• Does your early childhood program or employer have a policy about the use of television?
• Do you use television, DVD's or other electronic devices in your program? How often? Under what circumstances?
• Can you estimate how many hours a week children in your care spend viewing television or DVDs?
• Do you feel that television can be part of a DAP educational program? If so, under what conditions? How?
  
• Do you feel that if you had better curriculum, professional training, and more staff you would feel the need to "turn on the tube" less often?

While PreschoolFirst does not suggest viewing any television programs or DVD resources as a part of it's classroom curriculum, it does use short youtube clips as a way to expand an idea or concept in a small number of specific activities. How do you feel about viewing in this context?

We are continually interested in the issues of parenting and educating young children in a technological world. Please share your views. Visit the ExchangeEveryDay webpage and see the posted comments by fellow EC educators.

To Multi-task or Not to Multi-task?

Many adults have come to believe that today's children are better at multi-tasking than previous generations. But is this really true?

Are their brains developing differently? Does the fact that today's children often use several electronic devices at the same time mean their brains do it better than previous generations? See what cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia and author of "Why Don’t Students Like School?" has to say on the subject.





How do you think multi-tasking parents and environments may impact the developing brains of infants and toddlers?

Will this information change the way you use technology in your early childhood learning environments?

Will it change how you use technology in your daily life?

Willingham, D. 2010. Data shows kids shouldn't multitask. Washington Post, May 25, 2010. Online at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/data-shows-kids-shouldnt-multi.html

PreschoolFirst at the 37th Annual Head Start Conference

Visit PreschoolFirst at Booth #1212

Meet with Antonio & Jennifer to learn more about PreschoolFirst, the online, research-based, formative assessment system!

Look for the PreschoolFirst presentations:

Accountability Matters: Discussing Data to Improve Programs and Communicate Outcomes

Session Pre-Registration required!
Date & Time: 5/3/2010 at 8 a.m. - 12 Noon
Presenters: Mari Blaustein and Cheryl Roberts
Location: Houston A

I Don't Know What to DO! Overcoming the Challenges of Infant-Toddler Assessment

Session Pre-Registration required!
Date & Time: 5/4/2010 at 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Presenters: Kamna Seth and Mari Blaustein
Location: 955 (Center Tower)

Guiding and Monitoring Program Quality through Focused Classroom Observation

Date & Time: 5/5/2010 at 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Additional session at 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Presenters: Cheryl Roberts and Mari Blaustein
Location: Plaza C (Westin Hotel)

PreschoolFirst at the NAEYC National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development

June 6-9 2010, Phoenix, AZ

PreschoolFirst will be there! Click here for more details....

Visit us at Booth: 522 & 621

Speak with Mari & Sheila to learn more about PreschoolFirst!

A Preschool Teacher shares one of the benefits using PreschoolFirst!

One of the main features of PreschoolFirst that I enjoy is the individuality it gives to me when developing my lesson plans. PreschoolFirst allows me to plan activities based on the level of development for each child. I have been able to provide activities to children who are not developing as fast as other children in the classroom. My classroom consists of four and five year olds, so development spans across a large spectrum. Before I started using PreschoolFirst I found it hard to plan activities on my own for each child. I would plan based on the majority of the children’s development, which left some children feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, or defeated. My lesson planning is now more meaningful since I can refer to the behaviors that each child has mastered or not mastered and plan according to the needs of that particular child.

Contributed by Lisa N., Maria Early Learning Center

NVAEYC is Offering Scholarships for Spring 2010!

Dear Colleague:

Northern Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children is offering scholarships for Spring 2010.

Applications are due by April 30, 2010.

Please click here for more information and application forms.

For additional information please contact a member of the scholarship committee:
Phone: Tracy Dry at 703-241-0845
Email: Susan Poretz at Susanporetz@cox.net

PreschoolFirst Team

A PreschoolFirst subscriber shares a success story!

We began using your program in October 2009. Since that time we have increased our enrollment by more than 20%. In today's economy we feel very fortunate to have a steady growth while other centers around our area are barely able to stay afloat. We owe a great deal of this growth to our implementation of your curriculum and assessments. Parents are thrilled and impressed with the program and love how they are able to chart their child's development. It also allows them to see that we are so much more than just babysitters, we are educators. You can also see a huge difference in the attitude of the staff at our center. They have so much more pride in their work. It gives our playtime more purpose and direction and the moral is at an all time high. I cannot say enough about this program. We opened our doors in July of 1994 and we have the the highest enrollment number ever and a waiting list of about 20 children, not including our Nursery program. Thank you so much for helping us to reach our goals. We know we are making a difference in these children's lives and offering a quality program for the families. Keep up the great work!

Shared by Lisa Travis, Director of Cheekwood Child Development Center located in Nashville, TN.

PreschoolFirst announces Subscriber Refresher Webinars for Program Administrators!

Join a Question & Answer Webinar!

Meet us for an online session during the third week of March. Ask our staff questions, get an "admin" refresher, and share your thoughts and success stories with other PreschoolFirst subscribers.

Watch your email for an invitation with the specific time and date for the webinar intended for your type of program. OR email us below with the name of your center, your name and the type of program.

I'm a PreschoolFirst Administrator and want to sign up for the webinar.

Step Outside: Outdoor Play Supports Healthy Visual Development

Here’s yet another reason to demand more recess and frequent outdoor play for our children! When children play outdoors they have the chance to exercise their leg and arm muscles and rest their eyes muscles. The AAP suggests that children under the age of 2 not watch television and that viewing should be limited to 2 hours a day even for older children. Reasons cited include the rise in childhood obesity resulting from sedentary lifestyles and negative affects on mental, physical and social development. But there’s an additional reason to limit or restrict the use of computers, hand-held devises such as electronic games and phones, and television for all children.

The National Eye Institute corroborated recent studies conducted in Australia and Singapore that strongly suggest “screen time” can negatively impact visual development and increase the occurrence of myopia (near sightedness) in young children (Brown, 2009). Vision disorders are the fourth most prevalent class of disability in the United States and the most prevalent handicapping conditions in childhood (National Eye Institute, 2008). Documented rates of myopia--near sightedness--have risen steadily over the past 40 years.

The definitive cause of myopia has not yet been determined. Children of parents with myopia tend to develop myopia more frequently than children with non-myopic parents. Near sightedness can be inherited, the result of poor nutrition or due to other environments factors. This new information suggests “near work” may be an environmental factor contributing to myopia in children. Children who spend too much time on hand held gadgets such as gaming and entertainment devices, hand phones, personal computers may be at increased risk.

Typical symptoms of myopia in children:

• Complaints of headaches (possibly extra crankiness in infants and toddlers)
• Squinting at a television, hand-held device or while trying to do an activity that involves “close work”
• Rubbing or frequently touching eyes
• Frequently blinking – more than usual.

Why does myopia matter?

Myopia can be corrected with glasses or contacts; however, methods for vision screening in young children vary tremendously as does the effectiveness of the methods (National Eye Institute, 2008). Even with proper correction research shows the eyesight of individuals with myopia becomes progressively poorer over time. While this condition may not be uncommon nor seriously affect a child’s overall health, it can impact his or her ability to function in the everyday world now--and in a classroom setting when they move to a formal educational setting. Our formal education system requires that children have strong "near" eyesight in order to read and focus objects close by while doing “near work.”

Early childhood programs can help young children reduce eye strain by encouraging more outdoor play. Some studies show the risk of developing myopia is less when children spend more time focusing on things in the far distance. So take preventative measures! Step outside and look at the passing clouds.

Help children practice good eye care habits:

• Schedule regular outdoor times to ensure children break away from up close work to rest their eyes
  
• Inform parents about the many risks of television viewing, computer use, and hand-held devices
• Limit the amount of time you schedule any “close work” activities in the early childhood classroom
• Resist pressures to increase academic expectations that require “seat work”
• Encourage children to wear hats and/or sunglasses to protect eyes from overexposure to strong daylight
• Advocate recess time as part of every child’s day in your community!

Resources and references for further reading:

The National Eye Institute. (2008). Vision In Preschoolers Study (VIP Study). Clinical Trials Database. Bethesda, MD: Author. (Retrieved 01/14/2010 online: http://www.nei.nih.gov/neitrials/static/study85.asp)

Brown, K. (2009).Health & Home: Good reasons to limit screen time. Chinook Observer. Salem, OR: East Oregonian Publishing, Co. (Retrieved 01/14/2010 online: ttp://www.chinookobserver.com/Main.asp?SectionID=2&ArticleID=32020)

B. Seet, T. Y. Wong, D. Tan, S. M. Saw, V. Balakrishnan, L. Lee, and A. Lim. Myopia in Singapore: taking a public health approach. British Journal of Ophthalmology, v.85(5); May 2001. (Retrieved 01/14/2010 online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1723957/)