July 15, 2013
Great Start to Quality Resource Center Newsletter
In This Issue
Explore Outdoors!
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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

 

                                         

Explore Outdoors!

Chances are, you are spending a lot of time outside with your children during the summer months of care.  Outside time should be an extension of the classroom learning as it is critical to a child's educational experience.  The outdoors provides valuable learning and encourages children to think more deeply about their play.  Children are natural explorers of their surroundings!  They use all of their senses to explore. Children look and listen to observe what is happening around them, touch what they can reach, smell the fresh scents of nature, and even taste when they can.  Children run, jump, dig and climb as they discover new places.  Everything is new, interesting and exciting!
 
Due to television, video games, handheld devices and formally structured activities, children are not playing outside as much as previous generations.  The unstructured play that comes from playing outdoors stimulates and strengthens a child's physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. 
 
Some of the benefits of going outside and experiencing nature include:
 
*reduction in behavioral disorders, anxiety and depression in children, as well as reduction in symptoms of ADHD

*reduction in illnesses

*stimulate creativity and wonder

*learn about nature

*clean air

*stimulate the senses

*increase problem solving abilities

*make more friends!

Some staff from the Saginaw ISD Head Start and Early Head Start program attended the Chippewa Nature Center Preschool training recently and brought back many great ideas to implement in their outdoor learning environment.  The picture below is one element they added to their Brucker site.  The Infant Staff collected old pots and pans that are not used anymore and attached them to their fence.  Add some sticks or wooden spoons and listen for musical fun!

2013-07-01_14-05-30_258.jpg


There is a lot of research out there to support the benefits of outdoor play on young children.  The following two article links are from www.naeyc.org.  



Also, check out this website:





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.

Join us July 17th for the first webinar to learn more on the "Document Upload" feature in STARS!

Click this link to register for the webinar:

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Trainings to improve your PQA scores...
 

"Supportive Adult-Child Interactions with Infants and Toddlers in Child Care" is coming to Bay County!!!
Training will be held on July 20th at Kinder Kare, 1504 W. Thomas St., Bay City.

"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


Outdoor Time and the PQA...
 
Infant Toddler PQA:
II.  Schedules and Routines
II-H.  Outside times provide nature-based sensory-motor learning opportunities.
-Level 5 Indicators:  Outside time is a part of each day for all children.  
-Children have many choices during outside time.
-When outdoors, children explore natural and play materials with all their senses.
-When outdoors, children interact and play with caregivers.

  

  

Preschool PQA:
II.  Daily Routine
II-L.  The program has an outside time each day during which children engage in a variety of physical activities.
-Level 5 Indicators:  There is a daily time set aside for outside activities.
-During outside time, children have many choices about how they play.
-Adults supervise children for safety and also join in their outdoor play.

  

  

Family Child Care PQA:
I.  Daily Schedule
I-F. The program has an outside time each day during which children engage in a variety of physical activities.
-Level 5 Indicators:  There is time set aside every day for outside activities.
-Most children have an opportunity to participate in outside activities.
-During outside time, children have many choices about how they play.
 
 

Book Sharing...
 
Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
 

Gerald the elephant and his friend Piggie are outdoors and ready to play when a drop of rain falls "PLINK!" on Piggie's head. Watching her high-spirited mood dive precipitously through annoyance toward despair, Gerald extends an ear to shelter her. Soon, though, two ecstatic worms cavorting in the rain inspire them to find happiness in wet-weather play. 

 


Pinterest Find of the Week...
 Ideas to play outside year around with young children from taking indoor play outside to seasonal activities this has ideas what ever the weather is outside the door


                                       

 

 

Ideas to play outside year around with young children from taking indoor play outside to seasonal activities this has ideas what ever the weather is outside the door!

 

 

 

Visit http://natureandplay.com/get-out-and-play/

 

 

 
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:

 

Supportive Adult-Child Interactions with Infants and Toddlers in Child Care
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:

 

***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) 
 
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!
  • NEW LOCATION for SANILAC COUNTY LENDING LIBRARY: Sanilac ISD, 49 N. Jackson St., Sandusky.  Call Nina Barnett to schedule your appointment today to check out materials.  Nina can be reached at 810-684-2200, ext. 4109
 
 
 
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