Twenty school districts in Nassau County and nine in Suffolk filed a mandatory Notice of Intent, indicating they will put their hats in the ring for $15 million in new expanded Pre-K grants.

"It's important to note that this is the first time in a number of years that all school districts have been eligible to apply," says Lucinda Hurley of The Long Island Pre-K Initiative. "And our Long Island numbers underscore the high degree of interest in Pre-K programs here."

When grant applications--due on October 29--are considered, preference will be given to high-needs school districts. There were no Long Island districts among the 13  "Category 1" applicants that will be looked at first. "Category 2" school districts on the state's list include five from Nassau and four from Suffolk (Deer Park, Elmont, Freeport, Glen Cove, Longwood, Riverhead, Roosevelt, Westbury and Wyandanch). After they file the full grant applications, these nine districts will have a chance "if funds are not exhausted after a score of 70 for the high need districts without a current state funded prekindergarten program is reached."

"Category 3" school districts have the least chance of being funded--but nevertheless 20 Long Island districts filed Notices of Intent. "This shows that there is interest in Pre-K on Long Island and that our region needs funding," says Hurley.   

Click here to view the list of all New York State school districts that filed Notices of Intent.

Editors at The Hechinger Report, an education news site, decided to take a look at what defines preschool quality--no matter what philosophy or model the classroom uses. They determined there were five essential elements, and that these could be observed by a parent or educator visiting the school.

	Five elements of a good preschool

For example, classroom design. "A classroom that's conducive to learning should feel joyful and friendly and be designed around clear focus areas, called centers, that offer a variety of activities." Visitors should be able to see books, building toys, low shelves with accessible toys and clearly delineated areas, such as a dress-up area. Questions for the teacher could include: "How much time is spent in group activities?" and "Do kids decide which centers they will use, or do they cycle through all of them?"

The other four elements are teachers, discipline and social-emotional development, academics and safety. Click here to learn more. Or click on the image to watch a five-minute video.

DREME stands for Development and Research in Early Math Education, and it's an arm of Stanford University that offers resources for parents and teachers. For example, it offers a list of five picture books that help children learn about numbers--and includes an easy-to-use reading guide for each to support parents as they discuss the book with their child.Teachers can use these guides as hand outs--or as helpful tips to use in the classroom.

For example, one of the books is 10 Minutes Till Bedtime, which follows a boy with limited time until lights out. A team of hamsters arrives to help him put away his toys, put on his pajamas, etc. In particular, this book encourages counting backwards, and children can practice counting down from 10 and guessing what number comes next. But the reading guide also prompts parents to ask about time ("How long is a minute?") or bedtime routines ("How is his routine different than yours?")

Click here for the list of five books and to download each of the associated reading guides.

Click here to learn more about the other free resources available from DREME.

Have you heard about #nErDCampLI? It's the fourth annual literacy "unconference," a free, participant-driven learning and networking experience.  During the first 30 minutes the morning of the event, a session board is filled with different topics by the #nErD Camp attendees.The day ends with an author and illustrator book signing featuring more than five dozen of teachers' favorites, including Lester Laminack, Todd Strasser and Kathryn Otoshi.

Date: Saturday, November 3, 2018

Place: Boyd Intermediate School, Huntington

Time: "Unconference" from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Book signing at 2:00 p.m. 

Click here for more information. 

Full-Time Teachers/Infants & Toddlers

Full-Time and Part-Time  (Afternoon) Assistant Teachers

Habitots Preschool and Child Care Center, Medford & Middle Island

Email resume to careers@habitotschildcare.com or stop by a Habitots site

Full-Time Teacher Assistants and Teacher Aides

Part-Time Teacher Assistant and Teacher Aides

HASC (Hebrew Academy for Special Children), Woodmere

Email resume to pam.langdon@hasc.net or fax to 516-295-1180

• Your name
• Your position
• Your e-mail and phone number

• The name of your school and the town it's located in. You can include your web address, if you have one.
• A very brief description of the position or positions you want to fill. (For example: "Part-time Teacher Assistant" or "Full-time Pre-K Teacher."
• Information about how potential applicants should contact your for details or to apply. (For example: "Call Jane Smith at 631-xxx-xxxx" or "Send e-mail to jane.smith@schoolname.org")