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Notable Quote
“If you don't go far enough back in memory or far enough ahead in hope, your future will be impoverished.”
— Ed Lindeman
Feature Article
Looking Back to Move Forward
By Roxie Nestlerode, Early Learning Specialist
It’s January, and it may be the beginning of a new calendar year, but it’s mid-year for child care programs. You probably are feeling settled and have worked out routines for planning and programming. After spending a lot of time and energy making program transitions, managing all the fall seasonal activities, and getting acquainted with new children and staff, winter can give you the chance to slow down and focus on goals and projects. It can be a time for plans to take root and for your program to flourish. But as the pace slows down and activities and tasks become more routine, you can hit a slump and it feels like activities drag, ideas seem stale, and your program is in a holding pattern.
So what can you do to keep moving forward as the New Year begins? Take a look back!
Distance Education Highlights
Are you aware that Penn State Better Kid Care provides comprehensive curricula in early childhood development? The 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. Two types of lessons are offered: on demand web lessons and lessons by mail. You can view the comprehensive list of professional development web lessons and lessons by mail. Lessons can be sorted by Core Body of Knowledge area, CDA code, and School-age code. To access the entire Penn State Better Kid Care Distance Education curriculum on line, visit us at www.betterkidcare.psu.edu and choose your course of study today!
For more professional development lessons, view Penn State Better Kid Care’s comprehensive list of on-demand web lessons and lessons by mail.
New On Demand Lessons:
Available as On Demand web lessons. To complete any of these lessons on your computer and receive credit and a certificate, you will need to register.
Are You Ready for An Infant? [K2 C1, CDA 8] This lesson will help you understand the unique needs of caring for infants. If you choose to do infant care, this lesson will help you create a welcoming place and responsive environment for babies in your family child care or group home. (1 hour)
Baby Play [K1 C1, CDA 8] This lesson describes the value of playing together with babies. As babies grow, their needs change and so do the kinds of games and toys they enjoy. Learn games that babies enjoy and how to make these games great learning experiences. (1 hour)
Toilet Learning [K1 C1, CDA 8]The key to toilet learning is teaching – not training – children. This lesson supports children playing an active part in learning to use the toilet. Learn the signs of readiness to look for in children, set the stage for success, and support parents in helping children develop toilet learning skills. (1 hour)
UPDATE: To assist practitioners in providing quality care, Penn State Better Kid Care strives to reflect up-to-date information in all of our materials. Periodically it is necessary for us to remove some older lessons that contain outdated child development information, program practices, or standards. An updated list of Discontinued Lessons that will no longer be accepted for professional development hours is available on our website.
The On Demand system may be unavailable on Sundays from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. (EST) for system maintenance.
Research Collections:
Zero To Three
In their newest Public Policy Toolkit, A Window To the World: Early Language and Literacy Development, Zero To Three outlines policies and practices for promoting positive early language and literacy development, beginning with infants and toddlers.
American Planning Association (APA)
In their briefing paper, Child Care and Sustainable Community Development: The importance of ensuring adequate child care in planning practice, the APA presents 5 keypoints supporting the social, economic, and environmental benefits of having accessible, quality child care within communities and highlights how planners are playing a vital role in building stronger child care and early education systems in communities.
Inspirations
Winter Resources for Staying Energized!
Winter is when your program hits its stride. You’ve gotten to know the children and their families, everyone is settled into routines, you’ve set goals, and your curriculum is in place. But sometimes you can also slow down in winter or activity planning can seem lackluster. After the busyness of fall transitions, the excitement of holiday activities, plus the arrival of stormy weather, you might just feel like hibernating! But don’t fall into a rut. Use the extra indoor time and quiet weeks to focus on extended projects, dig deeper into topics, and work more closely with small groups and individual children. Beat the winter doldrums by jazzing up activities, rotating materials and toys, bringing in some guests to share special interests, and adding some swing with music and movement! Here are some peppy activities from Penn State Better Kid Care to make winter a wonderland of fun!
Through our Caring Ideas resource pages – Tip Pages, Activity Pages, and Lunch & Snack Ideas – we share ideas to inspire your work with children. We’d like to know what you think about the Caring Ideas resource pages and how you use them. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey.
Better Kid Care Caring Ideas Survey
Turn the Page
Distinguished Thinkers:
Dreams, Kites, and Honey
Martin Luther King’s birthday (Jan. 15, 1929)
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler, published by Holiday House. ISBN: 0823408477
Martin’s Big Works: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, published by Hyperion Book CH. ISBN: 1423106350
Benjamin Franklin’s birthday (Jan. 17, 1706)
Now & Ben by Gene Barretta, published by Square Fish. ISBN:0312535694
The Story of Benjamin Franklin by Patricia A. Pingry, published by Candy Cane Press. ISBN:0824942272
A.A. Milne, author of Winnie-the-Pooh (Jan. 18, 1882)
The Enchanted World of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, published by Dutton Juvenile. ISBN: 0525479716
Winnie-the-Pooh’s ABC by A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard, published by Dutton Juvenile. ISBN: 0525467149
Winnie-the-Pooh’s Colors by A. A. Milne, published by Dutton Juvenile. ISBN: 0525454284
Winnie-the-Pooh’s Giant Lift-the-Flap-Book by A. A. Milne, published by Dutton Juvenile. ISBN: 0525420886
Ideas and resources that you can use for involving families in your program, engaging families in early learning, encouraging family time, and supporting families in need. This month our topic is…the early intervention system.
The early intervention system is extensive and there are many services and resources for families to consider and work with if their child has special needs. To support children and families, it is important for child care practitioners to be knowledgeable about the early intervention system and services available in the community and region. An Early Education Provider's Guide to Early Intervention in Pennsylvania, a guide from the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), gives an overview of the early intervention system in Pennsylvania. It can be used to help families and new staff start to understand the early intervention system.
More resources for families:
Autism Speaks – Family Support Tool Kits for teaching parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends about autism and supporting families of autistic children in leading happy, successful lives.
The Early Childhood Outcomes Center (ECO) – “Child Outcomes Step by Step", produced by L. Edelman (2011), is a new video from The Early Childhood Outcomes Center (ECO) that introduces the three child outcomes that have been adopted by the Office of Special Education Program (OSEP). It can be used to help staff, families, and the community better understand the outcomes. The video is published collaboratively by Results Matter, Colorado Department of Education; Desired Results access Project, Napa County Office of Education; and Early Childhood Outcomes Center. Retrieved Dec. 22, 2011 (The link to the video may take a while to load.)
National Center for Learning Disabilities (LD.org) –
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) – The OSEP has translated over 200 educational terms into Spanish and complied them into a glossary to help practitioners assist Spanish-speaking families participate in the decision-making process for educational planning. The OSEP Spanish Glossary can be accessed online and can be downloaded for printing.
Better Kid Care Resources for Families:
Great 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, Great 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 … building supportive relationships with military-connected families.
Mindsets to Support Military Connected Children and Families
Developed by Christine Belinda, Early Learning Specialist
It is likely that early educators, at some point, will care for a military connected child as there are an estimated 2 million children who have one or both parents in the military. Approximately 40% of today’s service members have children in the ranges of 0-5 years of age. (Sherman and Marshal, 2011)
Young children from military families, like all children, benefit from quality early childhood programs that foster social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. Military connected children also need caregivers who are aware of military lifestyle and culture. Supporting military connected children and families is a journey of getting to know one another and building supportive relationships.
Read the full article in the newest Great IDEAS! Resource page. Mindsets to Support Military Connected Children and Families
More for You:
Visit the CYTTAP website to access a variety of helpful resources, including Great Ideas, Parent Topics, Vodcasts, and more, for supporting military-connected families.
School Age Child Care
Afterschool: A Strategy for Addressing and Preventing Middle School Bullying – This research brief, issued by the MetLife Foundation and the Afterschool Alliance, looks at how being in quality afterschool programs can help middle school children combat bullying by building confidence, learning how to deal with bullying, allowing children to feel safe, and having access to caring adults.
Children of Latino Immigrants and Out-of-School Time Programs – This recent Child Trend Research-to-Result brief identifies risk factors that keep Latino immigrant children from participating in out-of-school programs and looks at ways programs can attract and keep the children enrolled in OST programs.
More School Age Resources –
Teaching Tolerance – The “Different Colors of Beauty” series helps children explore their racial or ethnic identities through a variety of creative lessons that use painting, literature, and writing to help children to gain a better understanding of themselves and their peers.
Better Kid Care On Demand Distance Education lessons are now coded for school-age content and can be sorted by the school-age code.
Visit the Better Kid Care School Age link here.Home Visitor Credential – Materials for the Home Visitor CDA have been revised and will be released in January. Check the Council Bookstore for availability.
CDA + Better Kid Care = Success!
Check out our revised materials that reflect recent updates from the CDA Council!
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… radon, the odorless, colorless risk!
Contributed by Amber Brunskill, PA IPM Program, abrunskill@psu.edu, 814-865-7994
The odorless, colorless risk…
I think by now most of us know about the risks and warnings associated with smoking and being exposed to secondhand smoke, and especially the dangers young children face if they are exposed. But did you know there is an odorless, colorless gas called radon that can also cause lung cancer? You can’t see, smell, or taste radon, but it could be a problem in your child care center or home. Radon is produced during the natural decay of uranium found in soil, rocks, and water and is found in the air, both inside and outside. It can enter any building through cracks in flooring and walls, gaps around pipes, construction joints, and even through the water supply. Buildings trap the gas as it enters allowing the radon concentration inside to increase to hazardous levels. While there are some locations across the country where radon is more prevalent, hazardous levels can be found anywhere in the United States.
How do you know if you have a radon problem?
January is National Radon Action Month so this is a perfect time to test your child care center or home if you haven’t done so already. There are inexpensive “do-it-yourself” kits available or you can work with a qualified radon tester. There are two types of test available, a short-term test and a long-term test. Both tests involve placing a radon-detecting device in the building, but this device only remains in the building for 2-90 days if it is a short-term test and over 90 days if it is a long-term test. Radon levels can vary day-to-day and season-to-season, so it may be necessary to repeat a short-term test. It is very important to conduct a test in your own building and not to rely on testing results from surrounding buildings because high levels of radon may be found in one building, but the building next door may not have a radon problem.
What do you do if you find out you do have a problem?
Radon in the air is measured in “picocuries per liter of air” or “pCi/L.” The average indoor level of radon is 1.3 pCi/L and with levels registering 4 pCi/L or higher, the recommendation is to fix the building. A common way to fix, or mitigate, a radon problem involves a vent pipe system and a fan. This system sucks radon from the ground below the building and vents it outside. Implementing this system doesn’t require major changes to building, but it does require technical knowledge and special skills. Your state radon office can help you locate qualified or state certified radon contractors in your area. They can study the problem within your building and determine the best treatment option for the situation.
Here is a factsheet about radon in child care facilities developed by the Children’s Environmental Health Network’s Eco-Healthy Child Care Program. For more information on radon and testing, National Radon Action Month, or to find your state radon office, please visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s radon website: http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html
For more information about integrated pest management (IPM) and steps you can take to prevent pests and keep your home, school, or child care healthy and safe, visit the website of the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program (www.paipm.org). You can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to our blog through our website.
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.
Feb. 16-18 – Teaching the Whole Child and Brain: Using Brain Research to Develop Smart, Social, Happy and Healthy Students, San Francisco, CA. Teaching the Whole Child and Brain conference information
Feb. 18 – Early Years are Learning Years Conference, State College, PA. Call 814-355-4897 for conference information and registration brochure.
Feb. 27-29 – 2nd Annual Green Schools National Conference: Growing Green and Healthy Schools for All Children, Denver CO. Green Schools conference information
Feb. 29-March 2 – 10th Annual NorthWest PBIS Conference, Portland, OR. NWPBIS conference information
March 6-10 – NACCRRA – The National Child Care Policy Symposium, Washington, DC. NACCRRA Symposium information
March 14-16 – Early Education and Technology for Children Conference, Salt Lake City, UT. EETC Conference information
March 28-31 – ACEI 2012 – Annual International Conference: Global Summit on Childhood, Washington, DC. ACEI 2012 Annual Conference information
March 28-31 – 9th Annual National Training Institute on Effective Practices/Supporting Young Children’s Social and Emotional Development: Addressing Challenging Behavior, Clearwater, FL. Addressing Challenging Behavior National Training Institute registration information (Registration is limited)
April 2-4 – 2012 NAA Annual Convention, Dallas, TX. 2012 NAA Convention information
April 16-20 – Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN) National Conference: Celebrating the Past – Imaging the Future, Washington, DC. OCAN conference information
April 18-19 – Save the Date! 2012 PA Council of Children, Youth and Family Services: Lighting the Way to a Brighter Future, Harrisburg, PA. PCCYFS conference information
April 25-27 – Save the Date! 28th Annual NACCP National Conference: How Successful Directors Manage, San Antonio, TX. 2012 NACCP Conference information
April 25-28 – 2012 BOOST Conference: Redefining Leadership in Out-of-School Time, Palm Springs, CA. BOOST conference information
April 26-29 – International Symposia for Contemplative Studies, Denver, CO. Symposia information
April 30-May 3 – Save the Date!2012 National Smart Start Conference, Greensboro, NC. Smart Start conference information Registration to open Dec. 1, 2011
June 10-13 – Save the Date! NAEYC National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, Indianapolis, IN. Institute information
June 18-20 – Save the Date! Head Start 11th National Research Conference: Effective Practices in an Age of Diversity and Change, Washington, DC. Registration to open in February 2012. National Research Conference information
June 27-29 – Save the Date! Military Child Education Coalition 2012 Annual Conference: Military Kids: Shining from Sea to Sea, Grapevine, TX. MCEC conference information
July 15-18 – CAYL Institute 2012 National Conference for Principals and Child Care Directors: What Really Works? Impact and Innovation for Young Learners, Baltimore, MD. CAYL conference information
Great Resources
Early Education
American Academy of Pediatrics – The AAP has updated their policy statement on screen time for infants and toddlers and discourages media use for children under the age of two. Read the key findings.
Head Start Body Start – Their Play Space Assessment survey can help early childhood programs create age-appropriate outplay spaces that encourage active play and movement activities. (Also available in Spanish.)
Health & Well Being
Sesame Workshop – The Healthy Habits for Life initiative provides ideas and strategies for helping children build healthy nutrition and exercise habits. Check out the Healthy Habits toolkit for activities and related resources.
ecels-healthychildcarepa.org – Health Capsule, retrieved 12/18/11
“If most child care workers and children in child care get flu vaccine, the predictable outbreak of influenza can be stopped. For the 2010 season, the CDC reported low influenza vaccination rates among child care workers in a national sample. Only 22% received the strongly recommended annual vaccine. The most common reasons for not getting the vaccine were mistaken ideas. The respondents didn’t understand that they needed to get the vaccine, that the vaccine does prevent or reduce the severity of the flu, and that the vaccine is safe. Those who got the vaccine had the facts and felt some external pressure to receive the vaccine. If you or anyone around you has not yet had flu vaccine, consider flu vaccine as a lasting holiday present of good health for the coming New Year. The vaccine is available from health care professionals, in grocery stores, pharmacies and public health departments. Another study showed that strong promotion of flu vaccine has been associated with significant decreases in rates of emergency department visits for children with flu-like symptoms. Check that all children and adults who can have flu vaccine have received it this year. Use this Health Capsule to spread the message.
12-18-11 Susan S. Aronson, MD, FAAP - ECELS Pediatric Advisor”
Leadership
Harvard EdCast: Transformational Leadership – In this podcast, Dr. Richard Elmore from the Harvard Graduate School of Education discusses transformational leadership and what is needed to strengthen the quality of educational leadership.
Nature
PenguinScience.org – This website follows penguins in the Antarctic to see how they are adjusting to global warming. It has a “PenguinCam” that features time-lapse photos!
Nutrition
National Food Service Management Institute – The November issue of Mealtime Memo for Child Care features ideas for cost effective food shopping. Read the article, Cost Effective Shopping for Child Care.
Safety
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention – The CDC has steps for families to take to protect their home from fire. Fire prevention tips
Winter safety –
Spanish Resources
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion – healthfinder.gov en español, the Spanish version of healthfinder.gov, the online guide for health information, is now live.
Illinois Early Learning Project – A new tip sheet for dual language learners, “Helping Your Preschooler Learn in Two Languages.”
Grants, Funding, & Opportunity
Community Grants
DoSomething.org – Seed grants for community action projects. One grant is awarded each week. Amount: $500. Deadline: Rolling.
The Wal-Mart Foundation – Grants for education projects and health and wellness projects. Amount: $1,000 - $5,000. Deadline: Rolling.
Creativity
LEGO Children's Fund – Grants for programs with specific, identifiable needs primarily for early childhood education and development that is directly related to creativity and for technology and communication projects that advance learning opportunities. Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis. Amount: Award amounts vary. Deadline: January 15
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 pay for shipping. Deadline: Rolling
Verizon Foundation – Grants for education and literacy programs. Deadline: Rolling
Health and Wellness
The Rite Aid Foundation – Grants for health and wellness projects. Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis. Amount: Award amounts vary. Deadline: April 1
As we start a new year, we would like to feature reflections from readers to share ideas and take a closer look at why we do what we do as early childhood educators. Michaelle, a program supervisor from Pennsylvania, reflects on white glue versus the glue stick and raises an interesting question about why we choose materials for our classroom.
“The art area at my child care center is a popular area with the children. I always supply the center with lots of collage material, paints, brushes, markers, crayons, and lots of other creative art materials to allow the children to create their own works of art. For gluing, bulk white glue that comes in a large jug is used. All too soon, I begin to hear a common question from staff, “Why can’t we allow the children to use glue sticks?”
Staff members do not like the white glue that they have to pour from a jug into pans or other small containers, anything from cups to plates. Staff see white glue as messy – messy for tables, messy for the children, and most of all, messy for them. Glue sticks would be so much easier. Glue sticks are not messy. So why should white glue be used in the art area of child care settings?
Children love to use the white, creamy, sticky glue to create their masterpieces. However, more importantly, white glue helps children’s developing motor skills. Children who are at the age of three, four, and five are developing their fine motor skills. When teachers give the child a cup of white glue to use, the tools to manipulate the white glue are endless. Children can use q-tips, sponges, paintbrushes, and their fingers to move the glue from the holder to their artwork. Their fine motor skills are being developed, and they are learning to grip paint brushes and other tools, which in turn is helping children develop their motor skills for writing and holding that first pencil, crayon, or marker.
Glue sticks are fine to use, and I am sure there are many centers out there that love to use them. However, I find that white glue has so much more potential for our children. So at your center will it be glue sticks or white glue?”
We would love to hear more ideas and reflections about teaching young children from you! Email your ideas and reflections to rln10@psu.edu or call 814-867-4687.
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