July 22, 2013
Great Start to Quality Resource Center Newsletter
In This Issue
Using assessment to guide children's learning
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Dear Great Start to Quality Providers,

This is your weekly touchpoint with the Great Start to Quality Consultants!  The focus each week will be a shared topic that will provide support to each of you in your daily work with young children and families.  Enjoy!

Dawn and Heather
Quality Improvement Consultants - Eastern Region

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

Using assessment to guide children's learning

Often times teachers are so caught up in gathering the necessary documentation and completing the assessment forms on the individual child that they forget what the real purpose of all that paperwork is.  The assessments aren't to just be gathered, reported, and put away until the next time they need to be completed.  Ongoing assessment helps you to develop specific goals and target areas for each child. The specific directions and strategies gleaned from assessment help each child to have a safe, enjoyable and successful journey in development.  They also can be used to identify those children who may need more specialized services.  
 
When you look at the content collected to accurately assess a child and use it to plan for future learning opportunities, you are giving children the best chance to be successful in their development and growth.  As I've visited programs this summer, I have been welcomed to join in small group times.  One that stands out in my mind is when the provider had supplied the children with their own set of scissors and a magazine.  Because of previous assessments that had been completed, the provider had noticed that three of the children were not successfully cutting yet and that another child was unable to identify specific letters in the alphabet.  The provider had planned a small group activity that with scaffolding resulted in the children cutting letters from the magazines that could be found in their name or any other words they knew.  The children were helping each other in the learning and new skills had been established.  Success!
 
These same assessments can be used to develop program improvement goals and guiding the future professional development needs of the staff.  By seeing that certain areas of development and skills are lacking, the provider may reflect on the assessments and realize that additional training to support these children is necessary.  Setting program and individual provider goals can result in future successes.

This month's issue of Young Children from NAEYC focuses on this topic.  Take some time and read the articles included about assessment and documentation.  Some great stuff!


Interested in learning more about Great Start to Quality?
Take advantage of monthly webinars hosted by Great Start to Quality!  The webinars will help keep you informed about Michigan's tiered quality rating and improvement system. The webinars are scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month from 1:00 - 2:00 and will include a variety of topics and updates.

The first webinar to learn more on the "Document Upload" feature in STARS occurred on July 17th.  You can find the recorded webinar at the Great Start to Quality website:  http://www.greatstarttoquality.org/

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Trainings to improve your PQA scores...

"PQA Training" is coming to Saginaw County!!!
Training will be held on July 26th at Good Shepherd Early Childhood Center, 5335 Brockway Rd., Saginaw.

"How to Support Children in Resolving Conflicts" is coming to Saginaw County!!!
Training will be held on September 20th at Saginaw ISD Transition Center, 3860 Fashion Square Blvd., Saginaw. 
"Scaffolding Children's Learning at Small Group Time" is coming to Lapeer County!!!
Training will be held on August 17th at Lapeer ISD, 1996 W Oregon St., Lapeer.
 
These trainings are being offered by High Scope at a cost of only $25 for 6 hours of training.  Spots are filling fast so don't delay in enrolling at: www.greatstartCONNECT.org


Using Assessment to Guide Children's Learning Opportunities and the PQA...
 
Infant Toddler PQA:
IV.  Curriculum Planning and Child Observation
IV-D.  Caregivers plan ways to support individual children.
-Level 5 Indicators:  Caregivers make plans based on their observations and discussions of each child's strengths, abilities, and interests, using their anecdotal notes as they plan.

  

Preschool PQA:
IV.  Curriculum Planning and Assessment
IV-D.  Staff record and discuss anecdotal notes as the basis for planning for individual children.
-Level 5 Indicators:  Staff record and discuss anecdotal notes about children daily, use the anecdotal notes to plan for individual children, and share the anecdotal information with parents.
 

Pinterest Find of the Week...

 

 

IA great small group activity that could be used to assess many areas of skills and development including number recognition, one to one correspondence, fine motor skills, and patterning.

 

 

 
Looking for Training? 


Below is a list of trainings offered this summer for each county.  Trainings are being added often so for more detailed information and to register, go to:



 

Arenac/Bay Counties:

 

Promoting Social Emotional Comepetence
Working with Infants and Toddlers

Huron County:

***Shooting for the STARS:  Self Assessment Survey Computer Lab Open House (No training hours, no cost but Resource Center Staff will be present to support providers in uploading their documents in STARS 2.0)

Lapeer County:

 

Scaffolding Children's Learning at Small Group Time
Boys and Girls Learn Differently

Saginaw County:

 

***Shooting for the STARS:  Self Assessment Survey Computer Lab Open House (No training hours, no cost but Resource Center Staff will be present to support providers in uploading their documents in STARS 2.0)

 

Program Quality Assessment
Child Initiated Learning
Building Positive Relationships
AHEAD:  At Home & At Daycare:  Working with Children with Special Needs
How to Support Children in Resolving Conflicts (High Scope)

Saint Clair County:

 

***Shooting for the STARS:  Self Assessment Survey Computer Lab Open House (No training hours, no cost but Resource Center Staff will be present to support providers in uploading their documents in STARS 2.0)

 

Transforming Aggression
Creative Curriculum (2 day training with Teaching Strategies)
Adults as Partners in Children's Development

 

Sanilac County:
 
***Shooting for the STARS:  Self Assessment Survey Computer Lab Open House (No training hours, no cost but Resource Center Staff will be present to support providers in uploading their documents in STARS 2.0)
 
Tuscola County:

  

***Shooting for the STARS:  Self Assessment Survey Computer Lab Open House (No training hours, no cost but Resource Center Staff will be present to support providers in uploading their documents in STARS 2.0) 
 
Addressing Challenging Behavior with Positive Behavior Support
Creative Curriculum (2 day training)
The Colorful World of Literacy

Mail Correspondence and Online:

 

Using and Extending Lending Library Materials
Safe Sleep & Shaken Baby Syndrome
Behavior Expectations & Classroom Rules
 
Have you visited your Lending Library lately?
 
The Eastern Resource Center's Lending Library is a FREE educational resource available to parents and early childhood professionals. We offer themed bins and CARES bags full of learning materials to enhance your classroom or childcare environment for children birth to age 5! Stop by your local Lending Library to check out something new today!  

  

Not sure where your local Lending Library is located?  

  • Click on "Great Start to Quality Resource Centers". 
  • Click "Eastern Resource Center" on the map to find the Lending Library near you!
 
Featured Lending Library experience bin:
 
 
 
The above picture features all the items included in the preschool aged "Stores and Restaurant" experience bin that can be checked out at your local lending library.  These items are FREE for you to borrow and use with the children in your care.  What a fun and exciting way to temporarily add new items to the classroom without breaking your budget! For a list of all the available items that can be borrowed, contact the Resource Center.
How to contact your Consultant:

  Dawn Kalkman
  (Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac, St. Clair, Tuscola)
  Email:  [email protected]
  Cell:  989-280-1103

  Heather Rousseau 
  (Arenac, Bay, Saginaw)
  Email:  [email protected]
  Cell:  989-284-2250