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Discoveries for those caring for children…
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“All important is the intent behind the direction teaching takes. — Ralph Peterson, Life in a Crowed Place: Making a Learning Community
Shaping the Plan: Elements to Consider in Approaching Teaching
If you are in a caring role with children, you are a teacher. As teachers caring for children, we develop plans and methods of teaching so that we can best support children's overall development and learning. As we reflect on who we are as teachers we start to gather an understanding of how our time together with children will unfold. Although we are offered many guidelines, suggestions, and even regulations, our plans and approaches have their own unique stamp on them. With this in mind, consider what elements help shape your plans and approaches to teaching.
Simply stated, planning is thinking. Planning can be intentional and include written ideas, objectives, and overall goals (such as a written lesson plan). There are also planning approaches that go well beyond the written lesson plan. These can include various formats of negotiating ideas, gathering research, and generating on-going educational activities, environments, and experiences. Plans and methods may be acquired in various ways, such as talking with other professionals, reading books and articles, accessing online educational information, or attending professional development opportunities.
Read the rest of the article to get a BKC Planning Tool.
Are you aware that Better Kid Care provides comprehensive curricula in early childhood development?
The Better Kid Care curriculum follows the Pennsylvania Core Body of Knowledge and offers multiple course titles to choose from. Each course offers numerous Distance Education lessons, providing a well-rounded approach to meet your professional development needs. View the entire Better Kid Care Distance Education curriculum on line at www.betterkidcare.psu.edu and choose your course of study today!
Better Kid Care has new resources to help you care…
Distance Education:
Plus, 150 other lessons
Professional development approved for Act 48, DPW and CEUs. Most lessons are $5.
View Better Kid Care's comprehensive list of web based and mail based professional development lessons here.
Research Collections:
Degree, Education, and Readiness
A Matter of Degrees: Preparing Teachers for the Pre-K Classroom – Pre-K Now has published a report which finds that teachers with at least a bachelor’s degree and specialized training in early childhood are best able to promote the development of the cognitive and social/emotional skills young children need to be ready for kindergarten. The report also highlights state models for increasing teacher quality. A Matter of Degrees: Preparing Teachers for the Pre-K Classroom (March 2010), by Marisa Bueno, Linda Darling-Hammond and Danielle Gonzales, can be accessed online at http://www.preknow.org/documents/teacherquality_march2010.pdf
School Readiness Practices in States – A new Child Trends brief provides an overview of state early learning guidelines and efforts to monitor statewide school readiness across multiple domains of development. The brief, A Review of School Readiness Practices in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and Assessments, also outlines key policy considerations for supporting and tracking school readiness at the state level. The brief is available at www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2010_06_18_ECH_SchoolReadiness.pdf.
Textile Aesthetics & Inspirations
Adding textile and fabrics to your environment can be a way to add beauty, interest, and inspirations. Textiles, fabrics, and varied materials also provide a sense of fostering intimacy, relationship, and home-like settings in the environment.
Textiles and fabrics can be used in a variety of ways:
Turn the PageStart Clapping!
13 Books that chant, rhyme, and sing
Are you looking for articles to share with your families? Do you need information for your parent/family bulletin board? Family Time / Work Time shares easy-to-read articles for busy parents and caretakers with a focus on Building Strong Families.
You are welcome to print and share these publications with your friends, family, and other childcare providers.
Getting Kids To Cooperate
By Nancy Wilson,
Early Childhood Program Specialist
Is your child able to cooperate with others? Cooperation is an important life skill and there are ways you can help your child learn this skill. Understand that cooperation is when two people are able to "give and take" to end up with something both agree on. Both need to think about what they want and also what the other person wants, then find a way for both to agree. This process can be simplified for young children.
Read more here.
School Age childcare New! School Age Resources from Better Kid Care
Visit the New School Age Resource link on the Better Kid Care web site at http://www.betterkidcare.psu.edu/schoolage.html
The School Age Resource link from Better Kid Care assists in finding curricula and resources that contain information and ideas for school-age childcare and afterschool programs.
You can also view Distance Education lesson from Better Kid Care that are appropriate for the School Age childcare provider. Lesson titles reflect content that school age practitioners can adapt and apply to their programs, and follow a developmental progression that includes young school age children. DVD video footage is filmed in childcare settings with children age 0-6.
CDA Notions is a section on the Better Kid Care web site providing extra bits of information and contacts regarding the CDA (Child Development Associate) credential. See more here.
Uncover CDA Information:
As with any CDA work, it is important to stay in communication with the CDA Council for Professional Recognition. Be sure you visit the Council's web site at www.cdacouncil.org or call 800-424-4310 with your CDA questions.
NEWS from the CDA Council….
Happy First Birthday to the CDA CounciLink Newsletter! View archived CounciLink newsletters or sign up for the newsletter here.
The following information highlights upcoming professional development opportunities available for early childhood practitioners:
PA Keys to Quality - Professional Development Training Calendar - Are you looking for training specifically in your area? Visit the PA Keys to Quality web site to locate and search the professional development training calendar. Locate the PA Key Training Calendar in 4 easy steps:
Contact the Pennsylvania Early Learning Keys to Quality office at: 800-284-6031.
August 9-12 — PA Early Head Start Summer Camp, http://www.paheadstart.org/
August 11 – Supporting “The Literacy Loop” in Every Classroom: A Planning Guide for Early Childhood Administrators by Cathy Puett Miller, http://www.investigatorclub.com/about-the-program/webinars.aspx
August 13 – CPR Training & Certification, True United Church, Philadelphia, PA, contact 215-844-1132 or 215-844-1208. E-mail sdavidheart@ao.com. Registration is due by July 23.
August 24 – School-Age Director's Leadership Series: Fun in the Workplace - Applying the F.I.S.H. Philosophy to School-Age Care , Narberth, PA, Contact Colleen Estock, 610-617-4550
August 24 – Creating a School Yard Habitat, Free Webinar, National Wildlife Federation
September 15 – Webinar: A Conversation with Ellen Galinsky about Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs, http://www.investigatorclub.com/about-the-program/webinars.aspx
September 22 – Webinar: 10 Leadership Tips to Inspire Your Early Childhood Program Staff by Deborah J. Stewart, http://www.investigatorclub.com/about-the-program/webinars.aspx
September 27-29 – Facing the Challenge: Helping Teachers Better Work with Children with Challenging Behaviors Train-the-Trainer Session, Villanova, PA, register here.
October 13-15 – Early Childhood Education Summit, State College, PA, http://www.earlychildhoodsummit.org/
October 17-20 – Connecting Children with Nature Action Forum, Nebraska City, Nebraska, visit http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wf2010_nature/index.php
October 22- 23 – 2nd Annual PA Infant Mental Health Conference, Philadelphia, PA, http://www.chatham.edu/imh/ , http://www.chatham.edu/imh/pdf/savethedate2010.pdf
October 29-31 – The Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA) annual conference, contact, wendymmilne@aol.com.
November 10 – Webinar: Brain Insights for Early Educators: Stimulating Brain Development in Your Program by Deborah McNelis, http://www.investigatorclub.com/about-the-program/webinars.aspx
November 11 – 14 - Get Outdoors! Be Active! Be Green! Take it outside – purposeful play, meaningful movement, Seven Springs, PA http://www.psahperd.org/documents/2010_Registration_Form%5B1%5D.pdf, www.psahperd.org
Nov. 18-20 – Big Tent Conference (Better Developmental Outcomes for our Youth), Houston, Texas, http://www.bigtentconference.com/
December 9-11 – Zero to Three National Training Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, http://www.zttnticonference.org/
Yellowstone National Park Resources - Children of all ages, as well as teachers, will find interesting information on this site. A few examples are alphabet books with pictures of animals that live in the park, science ideas, scavenger hunts, on-line slide file with over 13,000 quality images, and more. Become a junior ranger, learn about wolf quest, or take an electronic field trip through the park with the Window to Wonderland, an award winning educational program.
Voices of Practitioners: Teacher Research in Early Childhood Education is an online publication with the purpose of providing a vehicle for publishing the research of early childhood teachers, who are often underrepresented as authors in the educational research arena. This publication includes informative articles, resources, and tools to promote the participation of early childhood teachers in teacher research. Teachers grow more competent when they examine their questions about teaching and learning, reflect with colleagues, and make improvements in their teaching practice. Find out more here.
The Get Ready to Read! Screening Tool is free, easy-to-use and designed with activities and supports that help young children get the early literacy skills they need to become successful readers (from the National Center for Learning Disabilities). Watch these short webcasts and help your child "Get Ready to Read!"
National Night Out; Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood? - National Night Out is an event that brings community members together to interact with and find out about the services provided by the police, fire, public works, and health departments. This crime prevention event is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and is celebrating its 27th year of existence this August. Visit http://www.search-institute.org/national-night-out
Family Communications - Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) named his company Family Communications because what he most wanted was to help families with "important talk" - talk about thoughts, feelings and concerns. In the Resources for Parents, you will find articles that will help you find your own ways to communicate with the children in your life. Visit Resources for Parents
eNature.com has an extensive Field Guide to Dangerous and Poisonous wildlife and plants.
Become a Firefly watcher – Firefly Watch combines an annual summer evening ritual with scientific research. Join a network of volunteers, observe your own backyard, track your progress online and interact with fellow Citizen Scientists, and help scientists map fireflies found in New England and beyond. Participating in Firefly Watch requires just a fraction of your time. The Museum has teamed up with researchers from Tufts University and Fitchburg State College to track the fate of these amazing insects. Learn more about getting involved.
America's Children and the Environment brings together, in one place, quantitative information from a variety of sources to show trends in levels of environmental contaminants in air, water, food, and soil; concentrations of contaminants measured in the bodies of mothers and children; and childhood diseases that may be influenced by environmental factors. For a guide to all of the measures included in this site, see the Summary List of Measures. EPA is working on a new edition of America's Children and the Environment. You can find more information here.
Home Canning and Preserving – The National Center for Home Food Preservation can help you do so safely and deliciously, with a web site packed with recipes, videos, slide shows, tutorials and even a free self-paced, on-line course to teach you how to can, pickle, dry, smoke and freeze produce, fish and meats. You can also download the 2009 version of the popular USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, or order a printed copy. And to learn more about safe food handling, take a look at Kitchen Companion: Your Safe Food Handbook.
Grants, Funding, & Opportunity
Healthy Sprouts Award – Application deadline October 1 The Subaru Healthy Sprouts Award recognizes and supports youth gardening programs focused on teaching about the environment, nutrition and hunger issues in the United States. Schools planning to garden in 2011 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 are eligible to apply. Award package includes a $500 gift certificate to the Gardening with Kids catalog and online store, gardening supplies and educational materials. Learn more.
New subscribers can join by clicking this link: http://eepurl.com/dRhWg..
View archived Better Kid Care E-Newsletters here.
Reflections…
Let's hear from you! Email your ideas to crb16@psu.edu or call 814-865-7894.
Disclaimer: Where trade names appear, no discrimination is intended, and no endorsement by Penn State Cooperative Extension is implied.
