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The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is proud to be part of Long Island's Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Education (LI-RTAC). Visit its web page for links to all partner organizations. Many have important COVID-19-related resources to offer: www.nassauboces.org/rtac
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"We need to talk" -- Two early childhood educators explain why it's important to have those difficult conversations
"We are socialized to be quiet on the topic [of race] so we do not make people uncomfortable," say Kelly Matthews and Ijumaa Jordan writing for the Child Care Exchange*. "With this cycle in place, we never learn the skills so that we can talk about race in useful and needed ways." White people may have been taught that talking about race is "not nice." Black educators may fear that talking about race could result in perceptions that they're "difficult." And this silence is harmful for all of us.
They encourage early educators to be not just neutral, but anti-racist, in order to create healthy environments for children in our classrooms and for the adults as well. Their suggestions include "putting in the work ahead of time"--that is, preparing for challenging conversations by participating in facilitated workshops or other guided discussions to help process what's happening in society. Another tip: learn how to apologize, and "understand that if someone took the time to tell you what you did wrong...it means they have hope that you have the capacity for change." Read more.
*The Child Care Exchange is a source for books, videos and other materials about early education and is the publisher of Exchange magazine.
Social justice resources for early educators from the NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute
There are so many articles and blogs and links being sent to us these days that it's helpful to have resources curated for us. And that's just what the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute has done. From a link to the equity statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to the State Education Department's Culturally Responsive-Sustaining framework, these resources are of high quality and from reputable sources. Some may be familiar to you, like the Bank Street Center on Race, Culture and Equity; others may be new, like Woke Kindergarten. Click here for the full list.
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COVID-19
New guidelines for child care and day camp programs just released by New York State
Physical distancing, protective equipment, cleaning, food and even swimming pools--what's mandatory and what's recommended. These topics and more are covered in just released guidelines that apply to all child care and day camp programs in New York State. For example: making sure that "different stable groups of up to 10 children/campers have no or minimal contact with one another" is required. Separate entrances for employees are recommended.
Because these guidelines have just been issued this week, The Long Island Pre-K Initiative has no further information right now. If you have questions about the guidelines, we suggest you contact our partners in the Long Island Regional Technical Assistance Center (LI-RTAC):
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
NEW! A free workshop with Renee Dinnerstein on choice time and play--even when you're teaching virtually
At this time of year, we're usually promoting our annual Summer Institute, scheduled
for the last week of June. For 2020, the keynote speaker was to be Renee Dinnerstein, author of
Choice Time: How to Deepen Learning Through Inquiry and Play. So we're excited to announce that she's agreed to offer a webinar on Wednesday, July 1 instead--and that we're making it available to you at no cost.
Conversations about Choice Time and How to Support Play When Teaching Virtually
Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Registration: Click here to register. There is no charge.
This workshop will explore the meaning of inquiry and inquiry-based Choice Time for early childhood education.Through viewing classroom videos from Pre-K and K, participants will assess the importance of time, space and teaching strategies for creating an exciting environment for exploration and play. What's more, the session will explore the issue of how to support exploration and play through virtual teaching. Participants will see how different teachers have come up with successful solutions, including strategies for helping parents understand how to support children as they play.
Presenter: Renee Dinnerstein has over 50 years of experience as an early childhood educator and consults with schools in New York, across the U.S. and internationally.
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BOOKSHELF
Books are a frequent catalyst for discussing racism with young children. Here's some help finding just the right title
"It's so important for children to see themselves and their experiences represented in
the books they read," say the experts at Read Brightly. "It's also important for children to read about the experiences of people who are different from them."
To that end, they've curated
a list of books for children and teens, beginning with picture books. What's more, they've included a list of Black-owned book stores where you can buy them, as a way to actively support the community.
The nonprofit EmbraceRace* shares
a guide to choosing picture books featuring Black and BIPOC characters (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). (
Hint: you want to choose books where the BIPOC characters are the stars, not the supporting cast.) It has also pulled together links to the "major hubs" for discovering diverse children's books, and a list of 18 children's book sites and blogs to explore.
You may be familiar with the POPSUGAR website for its articles on fitness and
beauty. But now the commercial "lifestyle brand" for women has been leaning hard into its readers' support for racial justice. Among its recent articles: a list of
23 antiracist books it recommends parents read to young children. (Why is it significant that a lifestyle site is sharing a list like this? Because it was shared more than 25,000 times between June 1 and June 8.) POPSUGAR's list includes the alphabet book
A is for Activist, the ever-popular
Ada Twist Scientist, and the more pointed
I Am Enough.
*EmbraceRace was founded by parents in 2016 and has since grown to a national organization whose partners include the American Psychological Association and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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CONNECT WITH EXPERTS
Long Island's Early Childhood Leadership Initiative is bringing Elena Aguilar to you
If you're not familiar with the name of this national expert on educational leadership, perhaps you know the title of of one of her books, which include T
he Art of Coaching Teams and
Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators. The Leadership Initiative is hosting Aguilar as its first "Speaker Series" event, so she can share her 25 years of experience as a teacher and coach with you.
Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Leadership
Date: Monday, June 29, 2020
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
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About Us
The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is a collaborating partner in the state-funded Regional Technical Assistance Center, which supports Pre-K and early childhood education on Long Island. The other collaborating partners are the three Long Island BOCES, the Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc., the Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc. and the Family Leadership Network.
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NASSAU BOCES
71 Clinton Road, Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: (516) 396-2220 Fax: (516)-396-2355
www.nassauboces.org
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