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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: Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves ~James M. Barrie (creator of Peter Pan)
Winter Resources
The season of winter brings many new things to think about for early educators and families. Winter is often the season of reflection and planning ahead. Ideas reflected may be: spirit of community, kindness, generosity, health, celebrations (seasons, holidays), diversity and culture, recharging our energy, getting a handle on stress, music, and overall reflections and observations of children and programs. On the Winter Resource page, you'll find lists and links with great information to support your work while entering the winter season.
Do you have a great tip or good thing? Send us your best tips! Email Christine at crb16@psu.edu or contact the Better Kid Care Program at 814-865-7894 or 800-452-9108 (within PA).
Explorations in Lightby Christine Belinda
Explorations in light may not be the first thing an early educator thinks about, but after exploring light and its important properties, the significance might surprise you. Light is known to be one of the most intriguing elements of exploration and discovery with young children; a way to tap into emotion, beauty, vivid imagination, and concrete learning.
Just think of how it feels to see twinkling stars in the sky or how it feels to walk into a room with table-lamps on, casting a warm, cozy glow. Think also how it feels to have the light turned on abruptly upon waking or how it feels to read the medicine bottle by a dim night-light. All of these can bring about feelings ranging from happiness to frustration.
Light sources not only evoke feelings, they assist our work, living, and play. Early educators can learn about light from other educators, engineers, designers, and even museums or businesses. Many of these programs use light intentionally to create places that highlight specific exhibits or materials and to make us feel comfortable so we will spend time there. This doesn’t mean we need architects, engineers, and electricians (although they could help!), but rather we need to explore what light sources would work best in our child care space.
References found at the end of the article
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Research-Based Early Childhood Information |
Ten Key Findings from Responsible Fatherhood Initiatives - When it comes to improving fathers' involvement with children and families, what works? This fact sheet from the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse and the Urban Institute reviews experimental evaluations of fatherhood and parenting programs.
New Report on the Impacts of Early Childhood Programs - The Brookings Institution and First Focus have published a new report entitled Impacts of Early Childhood Programs, which provides up-to-date evidence on the effectiveness of several early childhood programs and their impact on children and families. It includes a series of concise summary briefs for policy-makers on State Pre-K, Early Head Start, Head Start, Model Early Childhood Programs, and the Nurse Family Partnership. The report is available online.
PA OCDEL Reach and Risk Report 2007-2008 – The Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s second annual County Risk and Program Reach Assessment Report 2007-2008 provides county- as well as city-specific information on the level of risk for school failure for children (based on seven risk factors) and the availability, or reach, of most OCDEL programs to children in each county and in the 27 largest cities in Pennsylvania. The narrative report and data spreadsheets can be accessed on the PA Key Web site.
Distance Education Highlights
Do lessons in your home — when it's convenient and you have time!
Are you aware that the Better Kid Care Distance Education lessons are grouped by Courses? Better Kid Care Courses offer a comprehensive overview of early childhood professional development. The course titles are organized by early childhood and child development topics. You can sign up for one lesson or the entire Course.
Try the Approaches to Learning course, which is titled after an important Key Learning Area within Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for Early Childhood. This course supports teachers as they implement the Standards in their early learning programs.
The lesson, Approaches to Learning: Part 1, explores four learning styles important for practitioners to be aware of as they help children learn new skills. The second unit, Approaches to Learning: Part 2, explores six additional learning styles. To fully understand all the Standards within the Key Learning Area – Approaches to Learning, complete both Part 1 and Part 2. If you are not from Pennsylvania, this lesson is still valuable for you, since these learning styles are common to all children.
Approaches to Learning:
View a complete listing of all distance education lessons and information about how to register by visiting the Better Kid Care Distance Education page.
Many families are struggling with paying their bills. Adding to the challenge is the rising price of many consumer items. When family life is threatened by economic insecurity, the parenting skills of good communication, age-appropriate explanations, and structure in children’s lives are vital. The University of Minnesota’s Cooperative Extension Program offers many parenting education resources families can use which will help them look at their circumstances. View these resources here.
Turn the Page:The Pennsylvania Center for the Book (http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/ ) and University Libraries shares The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy: A Baker’s Dozen:
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.
Click on graphic to read the entire article 
Celebrations
by Nancy Wilson
Early Childhood Program Specialist
Many families celebrate a special holiday this time of year. It’s easy to get caught up in all the “hype” found in the media and lose track of the important reasons we are celebrating. It’s a busy time of year for many people. Here are some ways to make this time of year more meaningful for you and your family:
From the Council: In their newest Councilink newsletter, The Council for Professional Recognition shares information on a promising social experiment, tips from the Essentials curriculum, and an advocacy link to Zero to Three. Read it here: http://www.cdacouncil.org/ab_new.htm
| Need more CDA help? Visit Better Kid Care's "What is the CDA?" link and get answers to your CDA questions! Get CDA support! Call Christine at 800-452-9108. E-mail your CDA questions to Christine at crb16@psu.edu. |  |
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Professional Development Highlights |
The following information highlights upcoming professional development opportunities available for early childhood practitioners:
In Pennsylvania:
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Announcements of Interest |
EARLY EDUCATION
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Better Kid Care Resources |
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, 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.
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:
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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.
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Upcoming Feature Article in
January E-Newsletter:
Embracing Professionalism, Part 1
Where to Begin?
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.
