Skip the navigation and go directly to the content.
Subscribe to receive Newsletter
Welcome to this month's issue of the Better Kid Care E-Newsletter - A newsletter for those caring for children.
Notable Quote: "The older I get the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball -- the further I am rolled the more I gain." ~ Susan B. Anthony
Tips for Early Educators and PractitionersWeek of the Young Child is April 22 - 28, 2007! Check out resources and start planning ways to build better futures for all children!
Celebrate the week of the young child by coordinating special programs or activities that include parents, businesses, and other community partners.
Visit the National Association of Education of Young Children's Web site to learn more: http://www.naeyc.org/about/woyc/
Where do you find the best ideas on caring for children? From early educators and practitioners, of course! Do you have a great tip or good thing? Send us your best tips in writing and your tip may end up in our newsletter! Email Christine at crb16@psu.edu or contact the Better Kid Care Program at 814-865-7894 or 800-452-9108 (within PA).
by Christine Belinda
As a caregiver, you probably have noticed how most young children have a natural interest in drawing and writing. Even the very youngest child seems magnetically drawn to anything that makes a mark. Drawing and writing are important to children throughout their development. How do children learn how to draw? Why are drawing and writing opportunities so important?
Imagine you are in another country where the writing is very different from your way of writing: All the symbols, letters, and numbers look different (and you do not speak the language). Now imagine you are asked to write in that particular way. Your attempts 
may be wobbly and at first you would not know what items, letters, or numbers you are representing. You would need to learn all the symbols, languages, and representations of that country. Now imagine a very young child who is learning to draw, write, and develop language and what this experience might be like. Wow!
Children learn to draw through different forms of modeling and by taking in many experiences that either use drawing or offer a drawing experience. Have you ever noticed a very young child playing with her food and realizing that by dragging her finger through her applesauce she makes a mark? This might be a first attempt at drawing. There is no purpose or idea behind the action, but she has stumbled on an action that leaves a result. We often see this on paper (and walls!) and refer to these uncontrolled marks as scribbling.
For young children, drawing offers an opportunity of self expression or a way to convey a particular idea. The wonderful thing about scribbling is that it can represent both drawing and writing for the child. They may not be able to write words yet, but they can attempt to make marks that show something. All forms of scribbling are important to the development of drawing, writing, reading, and communicating.
Very young children don’t know what they should use for writing; hence the marker drawn directly on their belly (instead of paper). As children grow, they begin to make marks with more shape involved on proper surfaces (paper!) and they want us to see it and to be able to "read" it. You may have heard a child say after drawing or scribbling, "What did I make?" or "What does it say?" This is when we know the child has an understanding that drawing means something and has a connection to literacy (reading, writing, drawing, and communicating). How exciting!
Early stages of scribbling are very enjoyable to a child and provide support for other drawing/writing stages. See the chart below for some early stages of drawing:
Observe writing and drawings by others |
3 mos. - 1 year |
Develops ideas of how to make marks with tools |
Uncontrolled scribbling |
1 ½ - 2 years |
Uses tools to mark with, has little control, often looks elsewhere when drawing |
Controlled scribbling |
18 mos. - 3 years |
Repeats certain lines, patterns, simple geometric shapes (circles) begin to appear |
Pre-schematic stage |
3 - 4 years |
Shows symbols, attempts at people and representation, pictures that tell stories, more complexity, great variation in abilities |
Schematic stage |
5 - 6 years |
Begins to write and draw on the same page, tells stories, portrays objects, includes letters and numbers, order in spatial relationships, such as tree coming out of the ground |
For most children, drawing is something they enjoy and seek out often, but for others, 
we might need to take steps to make drawing and writing experiences available and inviting. Encourage the many stages of drawing and writing:
Enjoy the following highlights from one of the many Better Kid Care Distance Education Lessons.
 |
Writing is Exciting!Professional Development Code K2C1 CDA 5 |
There are many ways to make writing exciting in your child care. Give children reasons to write every day. Support the natural way that children learn to become writers: pretending to write. This lesson suggests ways to get children excited about writing. Preview and order the distance education lesson Writing is Exciting
To view a complete listing of all Distance Education Lessons and additional information and resources, visit the Better Kid Care Distance Education page.
New Distance Education Lessons
Five new one-hour lessons are now available to complete online as web-based lessons. Preview new One-Hour lessons by selecting titles
Update Forms and Instructions -- If you have received educational materials prior to November 1, 2006, please download REQUIRED updated forms to use when submitting assignments and also check the list of discontinued lessons that are no longer accepted for professional development.Learning Through Play with Table Toys (K2C1) CDA 8
Fun Ways to Improve Behavior (K2C1) CDA 5
Kitchen Science (K2C1) CDA 2
Health and Safety Tips |
National Poison Prevention Week was authorized by Congress and the President in 1961 by Public Law 87-319 (75 Stat.681). Each year, National Poison Prevention Week is designated by Presidential proclamation and occurs during the third full week of March. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) participates in a joint effort with the Poison Prevention Week Council and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to promote and publicize National Poison Prevention Week on a national level. Each year, AAPCC and the Poison Prevention Week Council sponsor a poster contest to choose the National Poison Prevention Week Poster. For more information, see www.poisonprevention.org.
Pennsylvania’s One Book for Every Young Child is in its second year of highlighting
the importance of early literacy development in preschoolers. The collaborating agencies believe strongly in early childhood literacy and showing preschoolers how much fun reading can be. Learn about the multi-faceted programming accessible throughout the state to promote reading early and often to preschoolers and to encourage family bonding through books and reading.
The selected book for 2007’s One Book for Every Child is titled A Splendid Friend, Indeed, by Suzanne Bloom (author and illustrator). It is the story of a polar bear and a goose that develop an unlikely but rewarding friendship. To learn more, visit One Book for Every Young Child Web site for schedule of events and programming contacts.
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 child care providers.
 |
Storing and Using Medicines Safely Click on graphic to view publication |
Send Us Your Questions - Do you have a question on any of the satellite workshop topics listed below? Send them to us! If your question is chosen to be read and answered during a satellite broadcast, you will receive a gift certificate to Redleaf Press. Submit questions two weeks prior to the satellite broadcast date via e-mail (enter Subject Line: Satellite Question), fax 814-865-7893 or mail directly to Better Kid Care, 253 Easterly Parkway, State College, PA 16801.
March 29, 2007
Your #1 Priority: Keeping children healthy and safe
K7C1 - Topic Code 77 / CDA 1April 26, 2007
How to Turn Good Play into GREAT Play
K2C2 - Topic Code 15 / CDA 2
Join with other early childhood practitioners in experiencing satellite workshops, offered in Pennsylvania and across the United States. To participate in these workshops, visit the Satellite Workshop link.
Providers in the Child Development Associate (CDA) Program
Better Kid Care can help you obtain your CDA -- Although Better Kid Care does not offer a CDA program at this time, we offer professional development training accepted by the Council for Professional Recognition to meet the 120 hours of formal early childhood education required to obtain a CDA credential. These one- and two-hour distance education lessons are coded and categorized for CDA. To view a complete listing, please visit the Better Kid Care Distance Education page.
CDA News: The Council for Professional Recognition has updated its Web page www.cdacouncil.org Live Support Launched! Revised Competency Standards Books Released!
For information regarding Child Development Associate, visit our CDA page or contact Christine at 814-865-7894 or email crb16@psu.edu.
Do you have questions about caring for other people's children, such as:
Call the Better Kid Care Mentoring Line at 800-859-8340 or e-mail your questions to betterkidcare@psu.edu for information about child care and children's issues.
Better Kid Care Kit
Need ideas in your work caring for children? When you enroll in the Better Kid Care Program and sign up for the Better Kid Care Kit, family child care providers will receive several free publications in the mail. Family home child care providers will also receive The Basics of Caring for Children in your Home notebook to organize and store your Better Kid Care publications. Have you signed up to receive a Better Kid Care Kit yet? Complete our online registration form or call 800-452-9108 to order.
Notebook Contains: Tip Sheets, Activities Pages & Lunch and Snack Ideas
All publications are available online to print and share with your friends, family, and other childcare providers. Select issues are also available in Spanish.
New Staff Orientation curriculum is specifically designed for new staff members in child care centers. Meets the Keystone STARS Performance Standards. Order at no cost by calling 800-452-9108. Prepayment for review of each Orientation is $5.00. If you received materials before November 1, 2006, please download new Instructions and REQUIRED Forms.
Home-Based Caregiver Orientation - Meets the Keystone STARS Core Series Training Requirements. Order at no cost by calling 800-452-9108. Prepayment for review of each Orientation is $5.00. If you received materials before November 1, 2006, please download new Instructions & REQUIRED Forms.
Interested in professional development opportunities? Take a look at the following professional development training available for early childhood practitioners:
For more professional development opportunities, visit the PA Keys online calendar.
April is Child Abuse and Prevention Month - In 1998, CWLA (Child Welfare League of America) launched a public awareness campaign to direct attention to the tragedy of violent child deaths as part of a national initiative to reduce child mortality.
National Playground Safety Week - April 23-27 www.playgroundsafety.org
Bidders' Conference Dates! - PDE (PA Dept. of Education) is hosting bidders' conferences throughout the commonwealth for early learning programs interested in applying for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts. In addition, teleconferences are being scheduled to address the questions of each type of potential Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts provider (child care, Head Start, school district, nursery school). Visit www.pacca.org for conference dates or click on the PA KEY link for additional information.
What Providers Should Know About Child Care Unification - By June 2007, all Pennsylvania families that qualify for help with paying for child care will get that help from the local Child Care Information Services (CCIS) agency. This includes families that currently receive help from the local County Assistance Office (CAO). Child Care Unification is an initiative of the Department of Public Welfare to unify the child care subsidy program by making the CCIS responsible for managing payments and provider agreements for all families who qualify for child care. The local CCIS will provide additional information when unification is implemented in your county. A county map including Go-live and enrollment effective dates is available through PACCA's Web site.New subscribers can join by sending an email to:
BetterKidCareNews-subscribe-request@lists.psu.edu.
View archived Better Kid Care E-Newsletters
Upcoming April E-Newsletter:
Transitions: How Can I Help?
We would love to hear from you! E-mail your ideas to crb16@psu.edu or call 814-865-7894.
