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In Our Communities
Crawford: Community & school partners welcomed students on their first day of school, wearing bright green "Going Places" t-shirt and cheering, clapping, giving high fives & fist bumps to let kids know just how awesome they are as they get in gear for another year.
Erie:
Six Block by Block events organized by Erie Together's Early Childhood Awareness Task Team took place throughout the summer. The purpose of these events is to increase awareness of the importance of early childhood education and success and third grade reading proficiency, and to connect families to local resources. These events were made possible through ECGRA funding and were carried out with the help of volunteers from local agencies, Mercyhurst Prep students and alumni, and other community members. The number of children and families reached far exceeded last year's results. Click here to learn more.
Bucks:
Implementing The Creative Curriculum for Preschoolers was presented by Teaching Strategies instructor Krissie Kimball at the Bucks County Intermediate Unit on August 3, 2016 for 50 early childhood educators. Support was provided by collaborative efforts from the Quality Childcare Coalition, BCIU, Bucks County Pre-K Counts grantees, and the Doylestown Rotary. Bucks early childhood leader and QCCC Coordinator, Pat Miiller, and Instructor, Krissie Kimball, facilitated the training event.
Northwest Regional Key:
The Northwest Regional Key recently promoted Keystone STARS at the Erie Seawolves game. Keystone STARS/Erie Seawolves t-shirts were provided to the first 500 kids who came to the NWRK table. In addition, 15 adult size Keystone STARS/Seawolves shirts were the t-shirt toss to the crowd and nine prize packs were given to those who won.
Share your outreach on PA's Promise for Children website!
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Enter the 2017 Healthy Homes Calendar Art Competition
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH) has an exciting opportunity for you! OLHCHH is developing a 2017 Healthy Homes Calendar, which will observe national holidays pertaining to safe and healthy homes and provide home health and safety tips. The highlight of the calendar will feature children's drawings or artwork, so through the end of October, an art contest is being held to select 12 lucky winners whose art best represents the concept of a "safe and healthy home." The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2016.
Read more.
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The Food Trust Farm to ECE Recognition & Awards Application.
Deadline September 19
The Food Trust is seeking to recognize five early care and education providers (child care centers, licensed family child care, private preschools, Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs, PA Pre-K Counts, preschool or childcare centers through K-12 school districts, and others) in Pennsylvania that are engaged in farm to early care and education (farm to ECE). This refers to early care center programs with established activities representative of the three pillars of farm to ECE: food and agriculture education, hands-on gardening opportunities, and use of local food for meals, snacks or taste tests. As part of this recognition, centers will be awarded $1,000. See the release for additional information (PDF) and share this with your community partners.
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People think Abby will be learning to do the laundry and make soup because she is too dumb to learn to read and write. They don't realize that basic reading, math and writing skills ARE life skills and her academics will be mostly like the regular kindergarten classes.
Amy Q., sharing her daughter's experience in Early Intervention.
Click her to read the rest of her story. |
The Importance of Early Math
Very young children demonstrate a natural interest in exploring everyday mathematical concepts. When playing peek-a-boo with a baby and you count one...two....three...peek-a-boo! The baby learns to anticipate your face as a result of the counting. Toddlers enjoy counting the number of steps they are climbing. Preschoolers can discuss their mathematical thinking when you ask, "How did you decide how many more plates to put out?" And young elementary school students can help add up the total purchases of a short trip to the store.
When talking about early math, many teachers focus on counting and identifying numbers. However, young children are capable of meaningful data analysis, have competency in algebraic thinking, can measure and estimate, as well as understand geometry and special relations. Often math is overlooked or placed on the back burner in favor of more time focused on literacy development.
What does the research say?
The research indicates that math supports the development of language and literacy and that success in early math is an even greater predictor of later academic success than literacy alone. According to The Education Commission of the States, October 2013 report on Math in the Early Years
... preschool mathematics knowledge predicts achievement even into high school. Most surprising is that it also predicts later reading achievement even better than early reading skills. In fact, research shows that doing more mathematics increases oral language abilities, even when measured during the following school year.
Additionally, research suggests that exposure to uncommon vocabulary words predicts vocabulary development, which predicts reading achievement. Rich and meaningful math experiences:
- Introduce new vocabulary such as scale, rhombus, or parallelogram;
- Support the understanding of verbs as predict, estimate, sort, or explain; and
- Develop the ability to describe using adjectives such as round, pointy, or less than.
Lastly, as reported in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, early childhood learning position statement, positive early experiences with math increase children's sense of competence and develop the dispositions of persistence, curiosity, flexibility, and curiosity, which contribute to later success both in and out of school.
What can I do as a teacher or administrator?
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recommend that teachers and other key professionals should
- enhance children's natural interest in mathematics and their disposition to use it to make sense of their physical and social worlds;
- use curriculum and teaching practices that strengthen children's problem-solving and reasoning processes as well as representing, communicating, and connecting mathematical concepts;
- provide for children's deep and sustained interaction with key mathematical ideas;
- integrate mathematics with other activities and other activities with mathematics;
- provide ample time, materials, and teacher support for children to engage in play, a context in which they explore and manipulate mathematical ideas with keen interest; and
- actively introduce mathematical concepts, methods, and language through a range of appropriate experiences and teaching strategies.
To read the full position statement, go to: Early Childhood Mathematics: Promoting Good Beginnings (PDF).
Other resources for teachers and administrators:
How can I support families to introduce math early?
Families are critical to supporting children's mathematics development. They can provide this support directly by using objects for counting, stacking, and recognizing shapes. They can also provide support indirectly by connecting their children to math learning environments outside of the home (e.g., libraries, museums, and early childhood programs).
- Support math rich environments. Encourage families to introduce open-ended questions in their everyday routines. Questions like, "Why do you think...? How did you decide...?" Help children explore and describe their logical and mathematical thinking.
- Help families identify books where math is the main character. Books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Mouse Count, and Inside Outside not only encourage mathematical thinking, but also improve language and literacy.
- Identify reliable and valid math technology. Provide a list of educational websites, apps, and television shows that support early math learning.
Other resources for families:
References
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One day, as I stood in the middle of my classroom and observed the children, I wanted to take a snapshot of all that was occurring in just one moment of time. Children were reading, engaged in writing activities, exploring science and math, role-playing in dramatic play, and building a village in the block center.
Ann Z., PA Pre-K Counts teacher
Click here to read the rest of her story.
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Why am I getting this email?
OCDEL recognizes that many community based groups across the commonwealth are doing similar work and are comprised of similar team members. This newsletter can be used to help promote collaboration and awareness of others across the commonwealth. The goal is that as groups become aware of each other, events can be coordinated, resources shared and leveraged.
Check your email's in-box for future editions!
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PA's Promise for Children | www.papromiseforchildren.com
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