ECERS  is a preferred tool for assessing best practices in Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms. The Scale covers areas such as space and furnishings; program structure; language reasoning; and parent-staff relationships. In addition, the revised edition contains inclusive and culturally sensitive indicators for many items.

Parenting expert and author Katherine Reynolds Lewis says "Yes". And she's not talking about summer jobs for teens. Rather, she is thinking about the kind of household jobs that can help even toddlers build confidence. As reported by NPR, Lewis believes that today's children are losing out on helping parents make dinner and other simple tasks. "And that really erode their sense of self-worth--just as it would with an adult being unemployed."

But, of course, there's more. Lewis also recalls when children played outside in their neighborhoods in mixed-age groups. "They were able to resolve disputes, which they had a strong motivation to do, because they wanted to keep playing."  Now kids are in the care of an adult pretty much from breakfast until bedtime, she says, and they're not taking the small risks that help build social-emotional skills.

Such risks--e.g., to have "falls and scrapes and tumbles"--also help children develop tolerance against anxiety, and build the skills to handle their emotions. In other words, her bottom line: "We can let our kids struggle a little bit. We can let them fail." Read more.

The trick: microgreens--the tiny, edible seedlings of peas, kale, arugula and other garden vegetables.Teacher Jean Barresi writes about the "sprouting" of a Pre-K class project when children wanted to "grow a salad" in the middle of winter. After doing research on microgreens, her young students chose to grow carrots, peas and clover. You can find out how they did it--and whether the children enjoyed the taste of their quick-growing salad on the website of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Read more.

Blogger, author and speaker Rae Pica has been an active participant in the ongoing debate about the use of technology in early childhood classrooms. Some say if devices are going to be part of children's lives, they should begin using them from the start. Firmly on the other side of the debate: educators, like Pica, who are on the "no-tech" side of the fence.

Recently, Pica wrote: "...few people are familiar enough with developmentally appropriate practice in general, let alone where technology is concerned...[and] as the research catches up with the times, what it's finding is quite frightening. Vision problems, language delays, lack of fine-motor control, depression and aggression are just some of what's being reported as resulting from too much screen time!" Read more.

We're excited to welcome Rae Pica as our keynote speaker at this year's full-day conference, our third "Best Practices for Teaching Pre-K & K."  Her topic: "What if Everybody Understood Child Development." Click on the link below for more information about Pica and her presentation.

Full-Time Nursery Teacher

Full-Time Toddler Teacher

Greentrees Country Day School, Syosset

E-mail resume to info@greentreesli.com

Bilingual (Spanish) Parent Counselor

Child Care Council of Suffolk, Commack

E-mail jdoig@childcaresuffolk.org

• 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")