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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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Parents aren't only worrying about finances these days--they're deeply concerned about their children's mental health and development
Three weeks ago, Raising NY* surveyed several hundred parents of children under four years old. The results provide a snapshot of how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted their lives--and in ways that will reverberate for a long time to come. For example:
Loss of income. They're experiencing intense financial insecurity. Many have lost jobs or had hours reduced, and those who are still working are concerned
about staying employed. (One standout data point: 34% have skipped or reduced the size of their own meals.)
Higher levels of stress.Three-quarters of the parents worry about their own or their family's mental health. Almost as many (68%) are concerned that their child's social, emotional and/or cognitive development will suffer. Half expect their offspring will need "extra support" when transitioning back to child care or Pre-K.
Child care is an issue. Many parents of infants and toddlers are uncertain about child care arrangements when the pandemic ends; only about half expect to be able to return to their previous arrangement. (Only 5% say their child care/day care program is still open.)
In sum, according to Raising NY, "The coronavirus crisis has significantly changed parents' child care arrangements and other parenting supports. The crisis has introduced a lot of uncertainty about child care for many parents of young children in New York, including among essential workers.
Click here to read a press release about the survey results, which includes a list of policy recommendations.
Click here to download a pdf of the survey results, displayed as an infographic.
*Raising NY is a statewide coalition of parent, early childhood, education, civil rights, business and health organizations.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Navigating COVID-19: Free conversations with experts
We've rounded up some of the most knowledgable people in our region to help guide you through the challenges of the current pandemic--and of what may be coming in the next few months. These sessions are all free, but require pre-registration and have limited enrollment to facilitate interactions. Some are offered in daytime or evening sesisons, for your convenience. They're filling up fast, so if you're interested, sign up now. Topics include:
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Managing the Stressors and Unknowns of the New Working/School Environment
- Coping With Uncertainty
- Engaging Families During and Post COVID-19
- Engaging Families through Technology: Planning for the "Next Normal"
For the full list, with descriptions and registration links, please
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LEARNING OUTDOORS
As communities and schools consider re-opening, experts say outdoor play needs to be part of the conversation
Do we need to just let kids play with sticks, stones and mud?
Yes, says education writer Stephen Merrill. "Where and how we play matters--and structure, direction and planning might be its natural enemies." He cites an analysis of
16 studies that compared play in natural environments--i.e., "plants, rocks, sand, gardens, forests and ponds"--to play in traditional paved playgrounds. The findings: kids played about the same amount of time in each and improved flexibility and balance at about the same rates, but children were happier in unstructured natural environments and there was more constructive, dramatic and imaginative play.
Merrill quotes author Erika Christakis: "We tend to think as adults that no one could possibly learn anything from an hour digging in a container of mud." But, says Merrill, "the research points us back to mud." (Note: While the article was posted on April 24, it doesn't mention the pandemic. Nonetheless, it's easy to see that now is a particularly good time to let young children dig holes in the backyard, make mud pies or build something with sticks.)
Read more.
Is outdoor learning the answer for schools?
In Scotland, education authorities are considering outdoor learning as a way to make physical distancing easier for early learners, according to an article in The Guardian. It quotes the country's children's minister: "While specialist outdoor nurseries are well attuned to the needs of children spending all day outdoors, other establishments are considering how to adapt their practice to enable more time to be spent in gardens and playgrounds."
One reason is that outdoor spaces allow social distancing to happen more naturally. Another is that they may be more germ-free. For example, the manager of one "forest school" that has been a child care hub for essential workers says, "When you've got the natural world at your fingertips, you don't need so many toys, which means fewer surfaces where the virus can be passed on."
Read more.
Do playgrounds need to be re-imagined?
The closing of playgrounds because of COVID-19 has only underscored how important they are, according to Architectural Digest. But when the pandemic is over,
they may look and feel quite different. For one thing, "touch-free" games like permanent hopscotches will likely be more popular. And play is likely to move outside the fenced-in playground: "play everywhere design encourages integrating play spaces into the everyday environment--near grocery stores and banks, say---not just specific destinations. If there's one thing the coronavirus has showed us, it's that kids can create play anywhere."
At the same time, it's underscoring inequities in access to parks, playgrounds and open spaces. "Parks and playgrounds need to be accessible to all populations," says a planner from Seattle. "I think people are starting to get that now."
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YOUR (VIRTUAL) CLASSROOM
Recommended remote learning resources from the NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute
These days there are lots of "free trials" and new "educational" apps being offered to educators and parents. So it's helpful when an early childhood expert like Helen Frazier rounds up a few that feature "the importance of play-based, emotionally responsive, screen-free activities for young children." Her list includes New York Public Library, Bank Street's Center for Emotionally Responsive Practices and the Children's Museum of Manhattan.
Read more.
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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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