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“Early childhood is and should be a time of laughter, love, play, and great fun.” — Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, 3rd edition, Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp, editors
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: A Decision Making Tool
We are decision makers. As adults caring for children, it is our responsibility to seek out and intentionally plan the best opportunities for children that support their over-all well being and healthy development. Developmentally appropriate practice, commonly known as DAP, is a comprehensive educational perspective that supports optimal healthy development for every child. Understanding DAP - its meaning and intentional practices - is essential in guiding the decisions we make for young children.
"Children benefit most from teachers who have the skills, knowledge, and judgment to make good decisions and are given the opportunity to use them." – NAEYC, Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 (2009)
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!
Featured Course:
NEW! Sparking Kids' Curiosity (K2C2) CDA 2
Curiosity leads to learning. This lesson helps teachers of young children understand why children's curiosity is an important part of their learning. Learn how your classroom environment and supportive materials are an opportunity to expand on the interest and curiosity of children. This lesson also highlights the value in asking open-ended questions to further encourage children's thinking skills.
View Better Kid Care's comprehensive list of web based and mail based professional development lessons here.
Research Collections:
Quality Early Learning Programs Reduce Violent Crime, Save Millions in Special Education Costs — The law enforcement leaders of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California are determined to see that dangerous criminals are put behind bars. But those on the front lines in the fight against crime know that America's anti-crime arsenal contains no weapons more powerful than proven programs that keep kids from committing crimes in the first place. High-quality early education, including preschool programs, helps kids get the right start in life. Read the report here.
Toward the Identification of Features of Effective Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators Literature Review – Prepared for U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Policy and Program Studies Service, Child Trends, 2010 - This review incorporates findings from research on four targets of early childhood professional development: 1) strengthening human or social capital; 2) strengthening practices at institutions or organizations providing professional development; 3) strengthening early educator practices related to specific child outcomes; and, 4) strengthening overall quality in classroom or group settings (see Figure 1). The literature review analyzed the research on professional development of early childhood educators to work toward identification of a set of core features that characterize effective professional development. http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/professional-development/literature-review.pdf
New Resources for You (and they're free!)
Tip Pages - Embrace, enhance, and recharge your knowledge in working with children
CDA Credential: A Catalyst to Professional Growth
Early Literacy: 10 Views to Contemplate
Activities - Meaningful activities to connect to children's development, interests, and curiosities
Lunch & Snack - Nutritious, delicious, and good for you recipes & information
Budget for More Fruits and Vegetables (13-1)
Turn the PageA Basket Full of Apple Stories
Here's a list to take to the library
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.
Protecting Your Children
By Nancy Wilson,
Early Childhood Program Specialist
Parents, be alert. It's up to you to keep your child safe in and around vehicles. Here are some ways to keep your child safe:
Get in the habit of always checking to make sure your child is not in your vehicle when you get out. Even the most loving parents can have tragedies strike when they are distracted by other things in their busy lives and forget their child is in the car. Think it can't happen to you? Let's hope not, but it's good to double check every time you get out of your vehicle. Unfortunately, since the law that requires children to ride in the back seat of vehicles was passed there have been more cases of parents leaving their children in a vehicle. A child may fall asleep and not be noticed.
Read more here.
School Age childcare PA School Age childcare
The Pennsylvania School-Age childcare Alliance invites you to its 13th Annual Statewide Conference for school-age care and after school professionals on November 12 and 13, 2010. The conference is formatted to allow for in-depth discussion of some of the most important and timely topics effecting today's school-age care and after school professionals. The conference features state and nationally recognized speakers. It is centrally located to make it more accessible to professionals across the Commonwealth. Find out more here.
For more School Age information and resources, visit the Better Kid Care School Age page.
NEWS from the CDA Council
The Council for Professional Recognition offers training sessions relative to the CDA Assessment system in conjunction with early childhood conferences. Participants must register directly with the conference committees listed. Council Representatives planning to attend refresher training sessions must call the CDA Council, Training Services Unit at 800-424-4310 to reserve a space.
Currently scheduled CDA information and training sessions are:
October 13-15, 2010, Region VII Head Start Association, Fargo, ND - General CDA Information, CDA Advisor Training, and Council Representative Refresher
October 25-28, 2010, Birth to Three Institute, Washington, DC – General CDA Information, CDA Advisor Training
November 3-5, 2010, NAEYC, Anaheim, CA – General CDA Information, CDA Advisor Training, and Council Representative Refresher
November 17-18, 2010, Idaho AEYC, Boise, ID – General CDA Information, CDA Advisor Training, and Council Representative Training
Uncover more CDA Information from Better Kid Care:
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.
Penn State's Better Kid Care and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Programs are teaming up to bring you "Go Green for Kids," a monthly tip to help you provide a healthier and safer environment for the children in your care. This month focuses on bed bugs.
Bed Bugs are Making a Comeback!
The media is filled with stories of these nuisance pests and all kinds of speculations of how best to manage them. Bed bugs can hitchhike from a home to a childcare facility on or in children's belongings. If bed bugs are suspected or found in your childcare facility, it is not necessary to spray the entire building with a pesticide. Take an integrated pest management approach to deal with bed bugs.
Remember, spraying a building for bed bugs is not necessary or effective! For more bed bug information, check out the IPM's Got Bed Bugs? brochure, Pest Press Bed Bugs Go To School and IPM's Bed Bug Resources.
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.
October 2 – Professionalism in the Early Childhood Work Enviornment, WQLN, Erie, PA, contact 814-217- 6001 or kcarducci@wqln.org
October 13-15 – Early Childhood Education Summit, State College, PA, http://www.earlychildhoodsummit.org/
October 16 and 23 - Celebrating Diversity in the Classroom through the Arts, Pittsburgh Children’s Museum
October 16 and 30 – Amazing Kids: Building Inclusive Classrooms, Pittsburgh Children’s Museum
October 17-20 – Connecting Children with Nature Action Forum, Nebraska City, Nebraska
October 22- 23 – 2nd Annual PA Infant Mental Health Conference, Philadelphia, PA, http://www.chatham.edu/imh/
October 25-28 – Birth to Three Institute, Washington, D.C., http://www.ehsnrc.org/PDFfiles/BTTprogram_2010.pdf
October 29-31 – The Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA) annual conference, contact, wendymmilne@aol.com.
October 30 – Across the Curriculum with Animal Antics, WQLN, Erie, PA, contact 814- 217-6001 or kcarducci@wqln.org
November 3-6 – National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), http://www.naeyc.org/conference/
November 6 – Behavior Tools that Make a Difference, WQLN, Erie, PA, contact 814- 217-6001 or kcarducci@wqln.org
November 10 – Webinar: Brain Insights for Early Educators: Stimulating Brain Development in Your Program by Deborah McNelis
November 11 – 14 - Get Outdoors! Be Active! Be Green! Take it outside – purposeful play, meaningful movement, Seven Springs, PA Registration Form, www.psahperd.org
November 13 – PA School Age childcare Alliance Conference, http://www.pennsacca.net/
November 13 – 7th Annual Building Blocks to Early Learning Professional Development, Penn State Cooperative Extension and Lock Haven University, Clearfield, PA contact 814-765-7878 x5, jla17@psu.edu
November 18 - Sustainable Energy Education Project: Teacher Training FREE Workshop (for 6th-12 grade teachers) IU3
Nov. 18-20 – Big Tent Conference (Better Developmental Outcomes for our Youth), Houston, Texas, http://www.bigtentconference.com/
December 4 - The Potential of Materials as Languages That Support Relationships and Inspire Research: Natural Materials as Communicators of Identity and Encouragement, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, ted.coe.wayne.edu/reggio
December 9-11 – Zero to Three National Training Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, http://www.zttnticonference.org/
February 5 - The Power of Light as a Language for Exploration: Children, Science and Creativity, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, ted.coe.wayne.edu/reggio
March 15-19 – National Association of childcare Resource and Referral Agency, Making Connections: All Children, All Families, All Settings, Washington, D. C. http://www.naccrra.org/conferences/symposium/2010-nps.php
April 16 - A Child’s Right to Invent, Imagine and Observe: Constructing and Deconstructing the Language of Drawing, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, ted.coe.wayne.edu/reggioThe August-September edition of the PDE Kindergarten newsletter is now available on the PDE website.
Ed Extras is a free monthly service that offers preschool programs, elementary schools and PTAs articles about learning that you can include in your parent newsletters. The one page articles are available as a formatted PDF or Word document, in both English and Spanish. View here.Listen to the latest Better Kid Care podcast, Babies Sleeping Safely, now available on iTunes.
Building Healthy Families Step-by-Step Video Series – Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, has a six-part video series with supporting materials to help families create healthy home food environments. Available in English and Spanish: www.bcm.edu/cnrc/buildinghealthyfamilies/
A Free Fall Resource from Be Out There - If you think outdoor time is the last thing your over-scheduled kids have time for, National Wildlife Federation can help! Download the brand new Outdoor Family Fun Guide with tips, ideas, and games to help your family incorporate the great outdoors into this season’s daily routine. It’s easy and free. Simply fill out an informational page and download the Fall Family Fun Guide here.
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network – www.foodallergy.org website has excellent information about all types of allergies, including peanut allergies in young children. It includes research information for parents, doctors and teachers/caregivers. FAAN has put together a back-to-school tool kit for all grade levels. These tools are great resources for parents, teachers, and school nurses alike to educate others about food allergies.
Eating Healthy Posters – The Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine has downloadable posters for use in schools, childcare programs, after school programs, and snack rooms here .
Healthy Communities for Healthy Children – EPA will be celebrating Children's Health Month this October by developing publications and activities that highlight the importance of protecting children from environmental risks. This year, they are featuring work to ensure children breathe clean air, drink safe water, and live in healthy communities.
Grants, Funding, & Opportunity
The Terri Lynne Lokoff childcare Foundation is calling for submissions for the Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's TYLENOL® National childcare Teacher Awards™. This is an annual awards program open to all childcare teachers and home and group home providers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The application deadline is December 6, 2010. To apply, download a copy of the application here http://bit.ly/chNtPs. Read more about the Terri Lynne Lokoff childcare Foundation www.tllccf.org .
Teacher and Administrator opportunities from Office Depot – Find resources, savings, and reward opportunities from Office Depot here http://www.school.com/teachers.html.
The Big Help Grants Program Need funding for a project in your area? Through The Big Help, Nickelodeon provides grants to help students who want to make a difference in their communities. Students can team up with their PTA to fund projects focused on: education, the environment, community service or health and wellness. For more information, visit: http://www.nick.com/thebighelp/
Health and Obesity Grants (deadline November 1; $5,000-250,000 to programs that address obesity among U.S. adults and children)
2011 Youth Garden Grant Applications Available~ Deadline: November 1 Youth Garden Grants recognize outstanding youth-focused garden programs throughout the country. This year 100 recipients will receive a $500 gift card from our sponsor The Home Depot and educational materials from the National Gardening Association. The top 5 winners will also receive a $500 gift certificate to Gardening with Kids. Download an application.
Play with Your Produce Challenge ~ October 30, 2010 Produce For Kids invites families and classrooms across the country to create a new game or activity idea using fresh fruit and vegetables that encourages healthy eating and exercise for a chance to win grocery store gift cards (families) or cash (classrooms) prizes. Learn more.
Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! Polliantor Garden Grants ~ December 1 In 2010, Project Learning Tree and the USDA Forest Service are offering grants to teachers and students participating in PollinatorLIVE: A Distance Learning Adventure. Participating teachers can apply for GreenWorks! funding to create pollinator gardens in their schoolyard or community. The maximum grant amount is $500, and the deadline to apply is December 1st, 2010. Learn more.
Build-A-Bear Workshop® Giving Programs ~ Champ–A Champion Fur Kids grants for children’s health and wellness are awarded to programs with measurable outcomes that make the world a healthier and happier place for kids. Click here for more details.
Annie's Grants for Gardens ~ Annie's offers a limited number of small grants to community gardens, school gardens, and other education programs that connect children directly to gardening. These funds may be used to buy gardening tools, seeds, or other gardening supplies. Click here for application details.
Fruit Tree 101 ~ This program of The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation brings fruit tree orchards to schoolyards, so students can make a positive environmental impact at their school, while creating a source of tasty snacks for decades to come. Click here to download an application.
New subscribers can join by clicking this link: http://eepurl.com/dRhWg..
View archived Better Kid Care E-Newsletters here.
References
Position Statement for Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8, National Association for the Education of Young Children
Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, 3rd edition, Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp, National Association for the Education of Young Children
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.
