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Discoveries for those caring for children…
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Notable Quote
“Knowledge – like the sky – is never private property…. Teaching is the art of sharing.”
— Abraham Joshua Heschel
Feature Article
Professional Development:
Part 1 – Developmental Learning for Practitioners
By Roxie Nestlerode, Early Learning Specialist
As early childhood practitioners, you work to engage children in learning, building on the children’s sense of wonder, curiosity, and interests. You also create learning activities and environments that meet thechildren’s developmental needs, accommodate learning characteristics/observe learning principles, support early learning standards, and are play-based. Your goal is to help children develop strong learning skills and maintain their desire to learn. As an early educator it is important for you to be a learner, too, growing as a teacher, engaged in learning,and exploring new ideas. Yet, as a learner, do you have a responsive, supportive learning environment?
Distance Education Highlights
Embracing Professionalism
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!
Embracing Professionalism - Part 2
This lesson takes a deeper look at professionalism and prepares you for professional growth by describing important early childhood professional terms, planning for quality professional development, reviewing the role of mentorship, and generating written professional development plans. Preview the lesson here.
Available as a one-hour Web-based lesson. To complete this lesson on your computer and receive credit and comments, you will need to register.
View Better Kid Care's comprehensive list of web based and mail based professional development lessons here.
Research Collections:
Developing Executive Functioning Skills:
Researchers from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs explain how executive functioning is developed, what can disrupt development, and how supporting the development of executive functioning is important for healthy development and school success. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain's "Air Traffic Control" System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu.
A New Look at Preschool Pedagogy - Direct Instruction or Exploration?
Two studies, one from Dr. Alison Gopnik at UC Berkeley and one from MIT, are set to be published in the journal Cognition. Results from both studies suggest that direct teaching of young children can constrain children's curiosity, exploration and discovery. Dr. Gopnik, lead researcher in the UC study, discusses the question of direct teaching for young children in the article "Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School" in Slate Magazine. Within the article are links to both studies.
Inspirations
New Resources for You (and they're free!)
Tip Pages - Embrace, enhance, and recharge your knowledge in working with children
Creating Opportunities for English Language Learners: 4 Action Plans
Creating Structures: Common and Uncommon Ideas
Activities - Meaningful activities to connect to children's development, interests, and curiosities
Beach Times / Stormy Rhythms / Fun with Boxes
Bubble Blowing Fun / Sand Art / Body Parts / Poem / Jump Over the Stream
Trees and Branches and Leaves, Oh My! / Paper Art / Creepy, Crawly Things
Lunch & Snack - Nutritious, delicious, and good for you recipes & information
Turn the Page
Celebrating Mothers
For children:
Family Time / Work Time
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.
Support Your childcare Provider
By Nancy Wilson, Early Childhood Program Specialist
The person who cares for your child while you are at work is important to both you and your child.
Read more here to find out more about how you can support your childcare provider.
View archived Family Time/Work Time articles here.
Caring I.D.E.A.S. for Children from Military-Connected Families:
Information,
Developmental understanding,
Educational resources,
Action ideas, and
Supportive practices
Caring for children from military-connected families requires a comprehensive understanding of their unique needs and strengths. Each month, Caring I.D.E.A.S for Children from Military-Connected Families features research-based information to support and increase the quality of caring for children from military-connected families. This month’s highlight is on …starting a Family Childcare program.
From our new feature: Great Ideas! Supporting Quality Childcare for Military Families.
Getting Started in Family Childcare: From Dreams to Reality
Access to quality childcare remains a need for families. You may be interested in family childcare because you enjoy working with children or you want to start a business/career from home – or both! Caring for children in your home can be an exciting professional career opportunity.
“Working together, we believe we can find new childcare options for tens of thousands of military children.” ~ President Barack Obama, Strengthening Our Military Families: Meeting the Commitment, January 2011
Read the new Great Ideas!
Another great resource:
Children of Military Service Members Resource Guide – The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) is committed to building resilience, maximizing recovery and promoting reintegration for our nation’s warriors and their families in all areas related to psychological health and traumatic brain injury. DCoE recognizes that children of military service members may demonstrate mental and emotional health needs associated with their parents’ deployment, rehabilitation, or reintegration. DCoE is pleased to provide the Children of Military Service Members Resource Guide to assist parents, other family members, and health care providers in addressing the mental and emotional health needs of military children through topic-specific, age-related, public-domain literature. View the Resource Guide here.
Dates to Remember
May 21, 2011 - Armed Forces Day
May 30, 2011 - Memorial Day
June 21 - 23 - Military Children: A Nation’s Inspiration, Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee http://www.militarychild.org/annual-conference.
School Age childcare
Newly Recommended National Standards for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in Out-of-School Time Programs
This project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has developed up-to-date, evidence-based, practical Quality Standards for providing children with healthy eating and physical activity (HEPA) practices that foster the best possible nutrition and physical activity outcomes for children in grades K-12 attending out-of-school programs. The recommended practices for healthy eating and physical activity will be submitted to the National Afterschool Association for endorsement. The revisions would update the following standards:
More School Age Resources
ASQ: After-School Quality Guide: The Process of Program Improvement - Revised: The ASQ process is a 5-step program quality improvement process using a team approach that helps afterschool programs create a common vision for their program and a road map for how to achieve that vision. ASQ was originally developed in 1996 as the continuous improvement process for afterschool programs seeking national accreditation. Today, it is still the process of choice for afterschool improvement and it can be used with any tools, questionnaires or surveys. The revised ASQ guide is now available through the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST). Preview highlights here.
Visit the Better Kid Care School Age link here.
CDA Notions
NEWS from the CDA Council:
As noted the past two months, the CDA Council is making significant changes in the CDA process. Another change that became effective April 1, 2011 is that high school students enrolled in child development vocational education programs can be CDA candidates. To apply, candidates do not have to be 18 years of age if they are a junior or senior in a high school vocational program OR have a high school diploma or equivalent.
CDA Information from Better Kid Care
Penn State 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. IPM works to promote healthy alternatives for pest management to lower children’s exposure to both pests and pesticides through a variety of educational programs. Resources for children, teachers, and parents are available on the IPM website. This month’s focus is on spring cleaning.
Contributed by Amber Brunskill, PA IPM Program, abrunskill@psu.edu, 814-865-7994
Springtime is upon us…
Warmer days, flowers blooming, and birds singing signal that spring is finally here. And with this season of renewal comes the time honored tradition of spring-cleaning! It’s time to dust off those shelves and reduce the clutter that’s been collected over the last year. Reducing clutter is an important step of integrated pest management (IPM). Boxes, piles of paper, and disorganized food and supply closets can provide many hiding spots for insects and other pests looking for food, water, and shelter. Cleaning around clutter is also very difficult. Lots of clutter and lack of adequate cleaning allow dust and dust mites to accumulate. This in turn reduces the indoor air quality in the building and may trigger an allergic reaction or asthma attack in some individuals. Clutter does more than just create chaos; it can also be a health concern. Some helpful tips to begin de-cluttering and spring-cleaning:
For more information on clutter control, check out the Pest Press article and visit the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program at www.paipm.org.
Professional Development Highlights
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. Go to PAKEYS.ORG and Log in, Click on Calendar, Search the Calendar, and Contact the Pennsylvania Early Learning Keys to Quality office with any questions at 800-284-6031.
May 2, 2011 - May 5, 2011– Greensboro, NC – The National Smart Start Conference is hailed as the nation's largest conference devoted to early education systems and strategies.
May 4-5 – Pennsylvania Head Start, Harrisburg, PA http://www.paheadstart.org/index.cfm?mm_id=11
(May 3 – Pre-Conference Session)
May 5-7 – DVAEYC (Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children) Conference, Philadelphia, PA http://www.dvaeyc.org/events/annual-conference
May 5-7 – 29th Learning and the Brain Conference, Chicago, IL http://www.learningandthebrain.com/
(May 4 - Pre-conference workshops)
May 12-14 – 2011 Leadership Connections Conference, Chicago, IL http://cecl.nl.edu/training/lc.htm
May 16-18 – 11th National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute, Chapel Hill, NC http://www.nectac.org/~Meetings/Inclusionmtg2011/splash.html
May 22-24 – Building Quality: Educational Leadership for a Changing World, State College, PA, contact jenben@berksiu.org
June 2-4 – International Mind, Brain, and Education Society Conference, San Diego, CA http://www.imbes.org/conference
June 4 – Save the Date! Behavior Symposium, Beaver Falls, PA
June 12, 2011 – NAEYC National Institute for Professional Development, Providence, Rhode Island
June 16-18 – 7th NAREA Summer Conference – Valuing Early Childhood: An Invitation for Community Dialogue, Pacific Grove, CA http://www.reggioalliance.org/narea/summer_conference/current.php
June 18 – CPR Training & Certification, True United Church, Philadelphia, PA, contact 215-844-1132, ext. 2, or email sdavidheart@aol.com. Registration is due by June 4.
June 20-23 – 15th Annual Birth To Three Institute – Hand in Hand: Collaborating to Support Our Babies, Toddlers, Families and Communities, Washington, DC http://ztt.confex.com/ztt/btti11/cfp.cgi
June 21-23 – Military Child Coalition 2011 Annual Conference – Military Children: A Nation’s Inspiration, Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee http://www.militarychild.org/annual-conference
July 10-13 – National Principals Conference: Strengthening Communities through Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Learners, Orlando FL
July 10-13 – National Principals Conference: Strengthening Communities through Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Learners, Orlando FL
July 11-12 – NIOST Summer Seminars 2011 – Looking Forward, Looking Back: Preparing the Next Generation of Out-of-School Time Leaders, Boston, MA http://www.niost.org/summer-seminars
July 17-19 – Save the Date! Research Symposium: The Life-Changing Benefits of Connecting Children with Nature, arbor Day Farm, Nebraska City, NE
July 19-21 – Save the Date! PA Infant-Toddler Symposium, Blair County Convention Center, Altoona, PA contact Karen at 717-526-4646 or karen@paheadstart.org
July 21-22 – 2011 National Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood Investment, Boston, MA http://www.partnershipforsuccess.org/index.php?id=90
July 21-23 – The 19th Annual Children and Youth Garden Symposium "Digging into the Art & Science of Gardening", Lansing, Michigan, 4-H Children's Garden and the Frederik Meijer Botanic Gardens and Sculpture Park. Updated registration link to insert http://www.ahs.org/youth_gardening/2011/registration.htm
July 21-23 – 2011 National Association of Family Childcare Conference “Quest for Quality: Supporting Happy, Healthy Children”, Henderson NV
NAFCC’s Annual Sue Stevens 4 Star Accreditation Essay Contest – The Sue Stevens 4-Star Contest recognizes an accredited provider who has demonstrated passion for family childcare and for quality care through an essay contest. This contest was created to honor Sue Stevens from Louisville, Colorado who was in the first group of providers to become accredited by NAFCC in 1988 and has remained accredited for 21 years. The winner of this contest is honored and receives an award at the Annual Conference Accreditation Reception and VIP seating with Sue Stevens at the conference luncheon. The contest application is available here.
Nov. 2-5 – Save the Date! 2011 NAEYC Annual Conference & Expo, Orlando, FL http://www.naeyc.org/conference/
Nov. 17-19 – Save the Date! Division for Early Childhood – DEC2011: The 2th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs & Their Families, National Harbor, MD http://dec-sped.org/Conference/
Dec. 9-11 – Save the Date! Zero to Three – 26th Annual National Training Institute (NTI), Washington, DC http://www.zttnticonference.org/
Provider Appreciation Day is a special day to recognize childcare providers, teachers and other educators of young children everywhere. For ideas on how to celebrate this special day and to find your state’s proclamation, go to http://www.providerappreciationday.org/index.php
Great Resources
By topic: Early Education, Families, Nature, Health and Well Being, Grants, Funding, and OpportunitySam Meisels, co-author of the Work Sampling System and the Ounce Scale, discusses his work on developmentally appropriate assessments of young children and on measuring program effectiveness and quality. To read the interview, please go to http://illinoisearlylearning.org/interviews/meisels.htm.
Dr. Alison Gopnick discusses the importance of play in young children’s learning in the article “The Importance of Play, A Conversation with Dr. Alison Gopnik” Read more.
Spring family health updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Accidental poisoning: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/PoisonPrevention/?source=govdelivery
Preparing for spring weather: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/SpringWeather/
Children & Nature Network has partnered with PBS American Masters to honor John Muir who championed the joys and the healing power of time in nature and spent his life encouraging his fellow Americans to get out of the city and journey into the wild. An Educators Guide and a Family Guide have been developed and are available for free.
NestWatch: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology invites you to find nests right in your own neighborhood and watch as birds raise their young. Then share your observations with the Cornell Lab's NestWatch project to help scientists learn more about the nesting success of birds! You'll learn how to find nests, how to safely monitor them, and how to record your data so scientists can learn from what you see. To participate in this free project, visit NestWatch.org.
Spring is time to get outdoors and enjoy biking and many sports. Unfortunately it can also be a time of accidents if safety practices are not followed. Here are guidelines from Safe Kids USA for keeping activities fun and safe.
Sports safety guide:
http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-guide/sports-safety-guide/
Bike riding and skating safety tips:
Getting the right fit for helmets:
Grants, Funding, & Opportunity
Early Childhood Reading
We Give Books – A new digital initiative that provides access to award-winning children’s picture books for reading to young children online. The program was created by the Penguin Group and Pearson Foundation.
Reading Resource Project Free books for preK-2 literacy programs. Programs only pay for shipping. Deadline: rolling.
Verizon Foundation – Grants for education and literacy programs. Grant applications available here. Deadline: rolling
Field Trip Grants
Target Community Outreach – Educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, and classified staff of these institutions must be willing to plan and execute a field trip that will provide a demonstrable learning experience for students. Must have a curriculum component. Award: Grants are up to $700. Grant applications are available here. August 1–September 30.
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Reflections…
Let's hear from you! Email your ideas to Roxie or call (814) 867-4687.
Feature article references:
Professional Development: Part 1 – Developmental Learning for Practitioner
Bergen, Sharon. Best Practices for Training Early Childhood Professionals. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2009.
“Early Childhood/Generalist Standards (for teachers of students ages 3–8) Second Edition.” National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Arlington, VA: 2001.
Helterbran, Valeri R. and Beatrice S. Fennimore. “Collaborative Early Childhood Professional Development: Building from a Base of Teacher Investigation.” Early Childhood Education Journal 31, no. 4, (June, 2004): 267-271.
Katz, Lilian G. “Developmental Stages of Preschool Teachers.” The Elementary School Journal 73, no. 1 (Oct., 1972): 50-54.
Knowles, Malcolm S., Richard A. Swanson, and Elwood F. Holton III. The Adult Learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development – 6th edition. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005.
Lanigan, Jane D. “Family Childcare Providers’ Perspectives Regarding Effective Professional Development and Their Role in the childcare System: A Qualitative Study.” Early Childhood Education Journal 38, no. 6, (March, 2011): 399-409.
“NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs.” National Association for the Education of Young Children. Washington, DC: 2009.
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