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Welcome to this month's issue of the Better Kid Care E-Newsletter - A newsletter for those caring for children.
Notable Quote: "But it’s not just learning things that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters." - Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
"Blankies" We found small to medium wicker laundry baskets to store the blankets in and we showed the children how to fold a blanket with a friend (each hold an end, meet your ends, and keep folding!). Great problem solving and team work! The children draped them over block buildings, gave them to friends, wrapped up babies, and much more. Some mornings we would unfold several at a time and just lay them on the floor or a table to see what the children would do with them. We even took them out in the snow! (And yes, we wash them often!) The blankets provide comfort and create unique experiences. --Early educator from Penn Trafford, PA |
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
No matter what their role, adults who spend time working with young children are important. Early educators provide multiple skills in serving children and their families and are a critical link to quality child care. What are some of the critical links early educators (you and me!) provide?
Professional development keeps us growing and learning
Caregivers who are kind, nurturing, and responsive to children’s needs make quality possible. Equally important is intentional planning and ongoing professional development. Professional development is what provides the needed education, information, and strategies to link to quality child care and education. Even those with the best intentions and warm hearts will need to understand child development and what makes for quality child care.
relationships they develop in such settings, and also because of the ways in which the caregivers provide cognitively stimulating activities and support for developing positive relationships with other children. 7*End notes are located at the end of this newsletter
Learn a great deal about infants and toddlers by registering for the mail-based Infants and Toddlers Course.
Register for one or try all three!
| INFANTS AND TODDLERS COURSE ( K-1) | |
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View a complete listing of all distance education lessons and information about how to register by visiting the Better Kid Care Distance Education page.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and encourage individuals and communities to support children and families. Learn more about the history of the month, see examples of presidential and state proclamations, and find strategies for engaging communities and supporting families. For information, visit http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/preventionmonth/
Turn the PageGreat Books to Read with Children: Blanket Stories |
The Red Blanket, by Eliza Thomas, published by Scholastic Press, ISBN 0439322537. After learning that she has qualified to adopt a baby, a woman purchases a variety of necessities, including a soft, red blanket that she has been eyeing for months. She takes it with her to the orphanage in China. Find out how special the red blanket becomes.
Flora's Blanket, by Debi Gliori, published by Orchard, ISBN 0531303055. Flora loses her blanket and needs it to go to sleep. What will her family do?
The Big Red Blanket (I'm Going to Read Series), by David Jacobson, published by Sterling, ISBN 1402720912. Everyone in Kara's family is too busy to play until they see how much fun she is having with her blanket.
More blanket stories...
The Quiltmaker's Gift, by Jeff Brumbeau, published by Scholastic, ISBN 9780439309103
The Keeping Quilt, by Patricia Polacco, published by Simon and Schuster, ISBN 9780689844478
The Patchwork Quilt, by Valerie Flournoy, published by Dial, ISBN 9780803700970
The Quilt, by Ann Jonas, published by Penguins Young Readers Group, ISBN 9780140553086
Pickle and the Blanket, by Lynne Breeze, published by Kingfisher Books Ltd., ISBN 0753402378
The Red Woolen Blanket, by Bob Graham, published by Little Brown and Company, ISBN 0316323101
Blankie, by Leslie Patricelli, published by Candlewick, ISBN 0763623636
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.
The Power of Words |
Better Kid Care Satellite Season 2007-08
Welcome to the 2007-08 satellite season! Satellite workshops offer opportunities for child care providers to learn form experts and to share their experiences with other child care providers nationwide. Professional development hours are available. Mark your calendars now with the following date and topic:
Next up! May 15, 2008
Improving Transition Times
Professional Development Code K2C2 / Topic Code 13 / CDA 1
Moving from place to place, activity to activity, is often filled with tears, screaming, and tantrums. Learn how you can smooth transitions to make them productive, fun times for children and stress free for adults.
Visit the Satellite Workshop link for more information.
Missed a show? Visit the Past Satellite Workshop page to view video online. If you live in Pennsylvania, contact your local extension educator for information to attend a workshop in your area. Outside Pennsylvania view Out-of-State Information link.
Visit the Better Kid Care "What is the CDA?" newly revised link and get answers to your CDA questions! Call Christine at 800-452-9108 or e-mail your CDA questions to crb16@psu.edu.
Need CDA verification for Keystone STARS?
CDA Verification for Keystone STARS - The Better Kid Care Program has developed a document to help support the CDA candidate who needs verification for the Keystone STARS program in regards to enrollment in a CDA program. The document is to be filled out by the CDA candidate, along with directions for the CDA advisor. If you are using Better Kid Care Distance Education lessons to complete your CDA education requirements and need CDA program verification, use this link to preview the form. Download PDF 
Interested in professional development opportunities? Take a look at the following professional development training available for early childhood practitioners.
In Pennsylvania:
Other:
Outside Pennsylvania:
Earth Day is April 22, 2008! Thousands of groups and individuals are planning events all around the world. http://ww2.earthday.net/~earthday/
Universal Checklist for Identifying Infants and Toddlers Eligible for Early Intervention -
The Tracking, Referral and Assessment Center for Excellence (TRACE) has released a new practice guide entitled Universal Checklist for Identifying Infants and Toddlers Eligible for Early Intervention, by Carl J. Dunst, Carol M. Trivette, and Glinda Hill. The guide describes the development and use of a universal checklist designed to be used by primary referral sources for identifying infants and toddlers who may be eligible for early intervention. Download PDF
SafeToys.com Offers New Roundtable on Toy Safety
Parents and other consumers of toys now have a new resource on toy safety at www.SafeToys.com. The Web site includes the latest toy recalls and other information on keeping children safe, as well as reviews of toys, books, games, and movies for children. In addition, you can sign up to receive e-mail alerts when the Consumer Product Safety Division issues a toy recall.
Free Training Resources from Community Playthings http://www.communityplaythings.com/RequestLiterature/frmCCRR.aspx
U.S. Department of Education - Teaching Our Youngest: A Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child Care and Family Providers
This guide provides free resources offering scientifically based research about what preschool teachers and child care providers can do to help children develop their language abilities, increase their knowledge, become familiar with books and other printed materials, learn letters and sounds, recognize numbers, and learn to count.
Visit the U.S. Department of Education web site.
A new addition has arrived on the MyPyramid Web site.
Geared towards moms and their nutritional needs.
The My Pyramid for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding section provides valuable tools to new moms and moms-to-be, including information on food safety, nutritional needs, and weight loss.
Seasonal Flu Help: Center for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/flu Educators will find guidance, fact sheets, posters (cover-your-cough and hand washing) as well as other materials on the Web site of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention regarding seasonal flu. Help slow the spread of colds and flu; find more information on preventing the flu, as well as materials and tools for schools and child care providers.
Kindergarten, Here I Come! - The PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is pleased to announce the availability of the newly-printed Parent Activity Resource Guide, Kindergarten, Here I Come!, free of charge, to kindergarten and pre-kindergarten practitioners for distribution to families with young children. To obtain copies, e-mail contact and shipping information to: fulfill@wavelinedirect.com or contact Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Child Development and Early Learning, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126, 717-787-7489. Copies are also available to download below:
"Kindergarten, Here I Come!" (Microsoft Word)
"
Kindergarten, Here I Come!" Calendar (PDF).
PA Department of Education - Attention Early Learning Program Directors: Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts pre-kindergarten program could bring quality pre-kindergarten to more than 11,000 three- and four-year-olds next year. Learn more at the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts web page.
American Star of Teaching - The U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative is accepting nominations for 2008 American Stars of Teaching until March 31. To nominate a teacher, go to: http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/index.html.
Common Visions, Different Paths - Examines five states’ efforts to build cohesive, comprehensive early childhood systems; suggests a set of cross-cutting components necessary for success, profiles the five states’ experiences (California, Illinois, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania), and makes recommendations for state policymakers. Download PDF
Preview notebook contents: Tip Sheets, Activities Pages and 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.
Home-Based Caregiver Orientation - Meets the Keystone STARS Core Series Training Requirements. Order at no cost by calling 800-452-9108.
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.
New subscribers can join by sending an email to:
BetterKidCareNews-subscribe-request@lists.psu.edu.
View archived Better Kid Care E-Newsletters
Upcoming Feature Article in
April E-Newsletter: Look for information on
Early Intervention
Reflections…
We would love to hear from you! E-mail 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.
Endnotes for Feature Article: What Research Tells Us: Why Early Educators are Important:
1 - Zero to Three and Pre(K) Now, Common Visions/Different Paths; Five States’ Journeys toward Comprehensive Prenatal-to-Five Systems, Retrieved from Zero to Three (Feb.2008) http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/CommonVision DifferentPath.
2 - Linda M. Espinao (2002), High Quality Preschool: Why we need it and what it looks like, Preschool Policy Matters, Issue 1 / Nov. 2002, Retrieved from National Institute for Early Education Research http://nieer.org.
3 - The National Institute of Child Health and Development, The NICHD Study of Early Care and Youth Development: Findings for children up to age 41/2 years (NIH Publication No. 05-4318) Department of Health and Human Services).
4 - Carollee Howes (1999),"“Attachment Relationships in the Context of Multiple Caregivers," in Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications.
5, 6 - The science of early childhood development: Closing the Gap Between what we know and what we do, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Retrieved from the Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, http://www.developingchild.net/pubs/persp/pdf/Science_Early_Childhood_Development.pdf .
7 - National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships (Summer 2004/Working Paper#1), 3rd printing, Dec. 2006, Retrieved from http://www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/Young_Children_Environment_Relationships.pdf.
8 - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2007). A Science Based
Framework for Early Childhood Policy: Using Evidence to Improve Outcomes in Learning, Behavior, and Health for Vulnerable Children (Summary of Essential Findings). Retrieved from
http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu .
9 - Zero to Three and Pre-K Now (Feb. 2008), Common Visions: Different Paths; Five States’ Journeys toward Comprehensive Prenatal-to-Five Systems, Retrieved from Zero to Three (Feb. 2008) http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Common_Vision__Different_Paths_Final.pdf?docID=452110 - W. Steven Barnett (2004), Better Teachers, Better Preschools: Student Achievement Linked to Teacher Qualification. Retrieved from the National Institute for Early Education Research, Issue 2 / Revised December 2004, http://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/2.pdf.
