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PRE-K UPDATE
JUNE 5, 2019
 
Here's the latest news from The Long Island Pre-K Initiative, your source for  expert training and useful resources:  www.nassauboces.org/pre-k

Scheduling: what teachers need to know to make the best decisions for kids
Were you ever given a set schedule by administrators that really didn't work for your students? Or felt like you were wasting time because you hadn't learned to balance boundaries and choice? 

Kindergarten teacher and author* Kristi Mraz has experience with both of these situations. Plus, she's been bombarded with questions by teachers in her workshops or who follow her on Twitter (@MrazKristine). She believes that experienced teachers are best positioned to provide professional input on planning their schooldays--and, in fact, that others may not have the expertise to do the job.

In a May 30 blog post she provides an overview of scheduling considerations, then zeroes in on the activities teachers have told her they most need help to defend. For each of them, Mraz provides links to research that they can use to back up their arguments--now, while there's plenty of time before the next school year arrives. For example, morning meetings. (Yes, some teachers have schedules imposed on them without time for this critical relationship and community-building activity.) Other topics on this list: play (all kinds), time for SEL, recess/movement time, and unstructured time. 

Obviously, not everything is on this list. Mraz only briefly touches on "curriculum minutes," transition times and book/library browsing. Click here to read the full post and find out why.

*Her most recent book is Kids First From Day One, co-authored with Christine Hertz, but she is probably best known for Purposeful Play: A Teacher's Guide to Igniting Deep and Joyful Learning.

Photo: Mraz listening to teachers at our Two-Day Summer Institute last June.

Diversity forum: Schools need to recruit and keep more minority staff members
At an education forum last Friday, minority teachers and administrators shared experiences working in mostly white districts, underscoring the fact that there's a mismatch between demographics of staff and students here on Long Island. According to Newsday's report of the event, Hofstra University analysts found that nonwhite children account
for nearly 45 percent of our region's public school enrollment--but nonwhite teachers are found in only 8 percent of our classrooms.

One of the event's sponsors, The Education Trust-New York, is distributing a booklet titled
which provides tips on how to recruit--and retain--minority teachers and administrators.

Other sponsors included ERASE Racism, Hofstra's National Center for Suburban Studies, and the New York State Council of School Superintendents. 

Only 2 weeks left to register for our One-Day Summer Institute!

Date: Thursday, June 27, 2019
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (coffee only in a.m./lunch included)
Place: Western Suffolk BOCES, Wyandanch

Keynote: High-Quality Early Learning in a Changing World
Presenter: Beverly Falk, Director of Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education at CCNY's School of Education

Workshop topics include read-alouds, challenging behaviors, playful math, early literacy and more.

REGISTER NOW!   (Online registration closes at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 21.)
Media made easy: A "food pyramid" for kids and screens
For its June issue, Wired magazine has tackled the topic of children's media consumption, reviewed the research and summarized experts'  recommendations in an easy-to-understand graphic--an image just like the familiar food pyramid with "use
sparingly" at the top and "use freely" at the base.

As you might expect, screens before bed and screens during mealtime are at the top of the pyramid. This is the same place you find cupcakes and fats on the food version. Similarly, video chats--for example, FaceTime with Grandma--are at the bottom, where such use of screens is okay once children reach 18 months. In the middle are "use moderately" categories, which include age-appropriate TV and e-books.

Says Wired's Caitlin Harrington: "In this hyper-personalized, auto playing, all-you-can-eat-mediascape, it helps to distinguish the healthy stuff from the junk." Read more.
Take this survey: What's your take on early learning in New York State?
The New York State Council on Children and Families* is undertaking a comprehensive study of "needs and gaps" in the early care and education systems--and they need your help to do it.

This link will take you to a 20-minute survey--and when you complete it you can enter a drawing for a $100 gift card. (Note: the survey is offered in English, Spanish, Bengali, traditional Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Korean and Russian.) Last day to respond? This Friday, June 7, 2019.

*The Council on Children and Families coordinates the state health, education and human services systems.

This week's job listings for early ed on Long Island

For the Long Island Head Start positions listed below
Email resume to humanresources@liheadstart.org or fax 631-758-2953

Full-Time Teacher
Full-Time Teacher Assistant
Full-Time Teacher Aide
Substitute Teacher Aide
Long Island Head Start, various

Full-Time Teacher II (Infant/Toddler)
Long Island Early Head Start, Huntington, Islip

Full-Time Teacher 1 (Infant/Toddler)
Full-Time Family Educator/Home Visitor--Bilingual
Long Island Early Head Start, Patchogue

Full-Time Family Advocate--Bilingual
Long Island Head Start, North Fork

Full-Time Certified Teacher
Long Island Head Start, Bay Area

Full-Time EHS-CCP Secretary
Long Island Head Start, Central Administration, Patchogue

Here's how to add your school's staffing needs to this list:
 
Send an e-mail to prek@nasboces.org with the subject line "List our position."
 
In the body of the e-mail, include the following information:
 
For our records:  
  • Your name
  • Your position
  • Your e-mail and phone number
For the listing in our e-newsletter  
  • 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") 
It's important to understand that:
 
We will not include information about salary. We will not include any descriptions of your school or program, although we can include a link to your school's web site.
 
We will publish your information a single time. If you still have openings, you can e-mail us again with the details and we will run the information again.
 
Our e-newsletter is typically sent out on Wednesday mornings. However, it may be mailed on a different day, depending on content or technical considerations. 
 
The Long Island Pre-K Initiative reserves the right to edit information; space in the e-newsletter is very limited.
 

About Us
The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is a grant-funded project that seeks to strengthen partnerships between school districts and community-based organizations and to share information about research, policy and best practices for early learning. Administered by Nassau BOCES, it is supported with expertise from The Early Years Institute and funds from the Rauch and Hagedorn Foundations. Our partners: Eastern Suffolk BOCES, Western Suffolk BOCES, and the Child Care Councils of Nassau and Suffolk.







NASSAU BOCES DEPARTMENT OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
71 Clinton Road, Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: (516) 396-2220  Fax: (516)-396-2355
www.nassauboces.org