HAVE YOU REGISTERED YET FOR "BEST PRACTICES FOR TEACHING PRE-K & K?"
DON'T MISS OUT--

Large group of happy kids, boys and girls playing with blocks in kindergarten class constructing simple houses
PRE-K UPDATE
OCTOBER 24, 2018
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

Does avoiding behavior challenges come down to "common sense"? Tips from our conference keynoter, Rae Pica
"Common sense should tell us that children aren't small adults and can't be expected to act like anything other than what they are," writes Rae Pica in a recent blog post. Yet, she says, in many early childhood programs children are often asked to do things they're not developmentally ready to do. 

For example, she points out, we know that young children need to move, but teachers ma y be reluctant to encourage children to be active indoors, in the classroom. "They immediately form a mental image of children 'bouncing off the walls.' The concept of movement as an approach to avoiding behavior challenges feels like an oxymoron."

In Pica's post, she outlines typical classroom situations and offers a positive way to
address them. For example, the teacher hands out equipment or props and expects the children to stand silently waiting for instructions. "But how realistic is that? Young children are playful and inquisitive. If you simply allow them some time to experiment with the props and get it out of their system, they're much more likely to be ready and willing to listen to you and follow your instructions."

Want to learn more from Rae Pica? Register for our full-day conference on Tuesday, November 6. The day kicks off with her keynote: "What if Everybody Understood Child Development?"

How rocking, swaying and drumming can help young children learn to self-regulate 
Rocking, swaying, drumming--these are all strategies using rhythm that may help children with adverse childhood experiences (ACES) learn impulse control and emotional regulation. 

Writing for the education news site Edutopia, Butler University professor Lori Desuatels describes how this can work: "Our hearts beat in rhythms, we sleep and live in rhythms, and our breath has cadence that can regulate our nervous system...At the center where I work, we model rocking movements before rest or nap time or during transitions. Children follow the teachers as we sway back and forth to soft music or to the sound of a quiet voice. These rocking exercises help the children quiet down and refocus or prepare for quiet time."

Or children can take "a sensory bath," pretending to step into a tub and patting loofahs on their arms and legs. Or they can try to "walk the lines," following a lines and patterns on the floor and mimicking different types of movement such as walking, hopping, crawling or skipping. Click here to learn more about these strategies and to find links to other articles about brain-based learning.

"Attention Restoration Theory"--offering children relief from technology in natural environments
Psychologists have found that people concentrate better after spending time in nature, or even after looking at photographs of outdoor scenes. Now they're turning their attention to how this understanding can benefit children--in particular, youngsters who are overstimulated and drained from extended time engaged with screens.

Children - twin girls are hiking in the mountains. Active family parents and children mountaineering in the nature. Kids are walking in woods with walking sticks.
"Balancing screen time with green time" may help children relax and regain focus, according to an article on the Children & Nature website. The authors--three Danish researchers--point out that "concentrating in the classroom requires the brain to work in a way that cannot be maintained forever. The longer the brain must hold focus and ignore distraction, the more it loses the ability to concentrate."

They suggest deliberate pairing of periods of intense focus and/or smart technology use with free time spent in a green space--even during a school recess. "Allowing students to rest in green areas during breaks can rejuvenate and improve their readiness to learn." Read more.

Kids need "rough and tumble play" to learn read social situations says this neuroscientist
Play fighting has taken place in most cultures throughout history, according to Canadian neuroscientist Sergio Pellis. And it has important benefits--better impulse
Children playing fighting on sunny summer day
control, better short-term memory and a greater repertoire of strategies to negotiate with peers.

What's interesting, according to on online article from The Western Producer newspaper, "The level of roughness in play is less a factor than allowing kids to freely choose partners who like doing the same kinds of things, and then letting them work out the rules and the  interactions for themselves." This is why Pellis says that organized sports don't fit the bill--the rules are determined in advance and enforced by others.  Read more.

Only 10 days left to register for our full-day conference--don't miss out on speakers and exhibitors

Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Registration at 8:00 a.m.; breakfast and lunch included)
Place: Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury
Registration: $125 per person. No online registration
after 4 p.m. on Friday, November 2, 2018. On-site registration: $150 per person (cash or check only). Group discount: 10% for groups of 25 or more.

Click here for workshop details and to register.

This is your opportunity to check out new products and learn about services and programs from our exhibitors:

Adelphi University
Bari Koral
Baum & Beaulieu Associates
Becker's School Supplies
Book Revue
Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc.
Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc.
Discount School Suppy
Hofstra University
Kaplan Early Learning Company
LIU Post		 Molloy College
NEFCU
PM Pediatrics
St. Joseph's College
Scholastic, Inc.
SCOPE Education Services
Soccer Shots
Teaching Strategies
TFCU



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

Full-Time Special Education Teacher
Full-Time and Part-Time Teacher Assistant
Developmental Disabilities Institute, Smithtown
Apply online at jobs.ddiny.org  or email jobs@ddiny.org or call 631-366-2955

Infant/Toddler Teachers
Stony Brook Child Care, SUNY Stony Brook
Apply online www.stonybrook.edu/jobs  (Req. #1802812)

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

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

Full-Time Teacher
Long Island Head Start, Huntington

Temporary Teacher
Long Island Head Start, Riverhead

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

Full-Time Family Educator/Home Visitor--Bilingual
Long Island Early Head Start, Islip, Patchogue

Full-Time Teacher Aide
Long Island Head Start, various, Islip Early Head Start

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

Full-Time EHS-CCP Family Service Worker--Bilingual
Full-Time Early Childhood Mentor Coach
Full-Time Health & Nutrition Services Manager
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