Dear Families,
Some months I struggle with writing a meaningful and insightful letter to the wonderful families of UCDC. I often think āwhat wisdom or knowledge can I possibly impart to the families?ā Yes, Iāve been a teacher and director for many years, and I am a parent, but I still donāt feel like an authority on anything in particular. Iāve certainly picked up bits of wisdom and knowledge over the years, but to share my own thoughts about my experiences can be a bit daunting.
Iām happy to report that this month I was done writing my article before the month even started! I donāt think thatās ever happened before. I was at home perusing an on-line home goods website and I came across a wooden sign that said, THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK YOU WILL EVER DO WILL BE WITHIN THE WALLS OF YOUR OWN HOME. It pretty much stopped me immediately and I read it and re-read it about four times. The implicit message of what it means to be a parent is clear in less than 20 words. I donāt think that any story I could tell or experience I could share would adequately sum up the IMMENSE responsibility we each have to our children and to our families and how important it is to remember that one statement every day.
Careers and jobs and school are a necessary and fundamental part of our life and there is an immense amount of responsibility that comes with those jobs as well. Having a fulfilling career and the opportunity to contribute to things that have an impact on students, colleagues, oneās own self-worth and in many cases the world is indeed very important.
I guess that the challenge presents itself when the professional world and parent world donāt always fit together as tidily as we might like it to. I know that when my daughter was small I struggled with the balancing act of work responsibility and home/parent responsibility. If I stayed home with her, I felt guilty because I wasnāt at work and if I sent her to school or took her to my sister's house, I felt guilty because I wasnāt with her when she didnāt feel good or when she needed me. Most times either choice felt like the wrong choice.
Even now that she is older Iām realizing that being there for your child never stops. And the things that you do at home, the choices you make and the time that you spend doing the work of being a parent truly does matter the most. It is the most important work that you will ever do and you only get one chance. Make each moment matter, teach your children to be kind, and grateful and generous. Listen to them, hug them, love them and most of all help them to reach their full potential at all times. Build the foundation of your home on love and remember that everything that you do and say within your walls matters deeply.
Warmly,
Mary Beth
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Curriculum in the Classroom: Toddler One
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Outdoor time and exploration are very important parts of the Toddler One classroom each day. As we in Toddler One take time to think about what we have been exploring and learning outdoors during the transition from summer into fall we have learned about the world in which we live. We have enjoyed exploring around the community, looking at the fall leaves as they change from green to beautiful yellow, orange and red, collecting items from the outdoors to explore, watching the squirrels look for acorns and greeting community helpers along the way. During our community walks the children develop large motor skills, as we walk holding hands and interact with friends children develop hand-holding and social skills, enhanced sensory experiences seeing, smelling and touching objects in the outdoors, hearing and recognizing sounds in the outdoor environment, language skills communicating with peers and teachers to name a few important skills.
The teachers intentionally connect outdoor play experiences to childrenās learning and follow their lead. Over the last month or so, the children have been collecting items from the outdoors. For several days, the children collected items from the outdoors and brought the items into the classroom sensory table to ātake a closer look." As the teachers and children explored, they found both living and non-living items. The children used magnifying glasses to observe a caterpillar, they enhanced their learning through hands-on exploration and they learned how to make a rain stick/shaker using the fall items collected. During most activities in the classroom the children have opportunities to choose and decide what materials they will use and this may be one of their first opportunities to make independent choices and decisions on their own.
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Curriculum in the Classroom: Infant Four
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Infants love to make noise, and they love to make art, especially messy art! We had such a wonderful time combining their two loves into some process oriented art-making! This activity was so much fun, you might want to try it at home. Just donāt tell the kids that the mess is all contained!
We used clear containers with tight fitting lids. These are light enough for little hands to grasp, but sturdy enough not to break open when shaken and banged on things. Each child chose two colors of paint and helped squeeze the paint into the box. We made sure to point out to the kids that something interesting might happen when the two colors mixed. The babies then helped place two jingle bells into the box and snap the lid into place. Then the real fun began!
ļ»æEveryone got a turn shaking their boxes. The children who were shaking the box got to watch the painting develop as the bells moved through the paint, and everyone else danced to the āmusicā the bells made as they jumped around inside the box. Once everyone had a turn making music, we took the paper out and revealed the masterpiece we made with music and movement!
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Welcome to UCDC
This month, we are happy to welcome two new teachers into our UCDC family. TaJa McCray is the new Associate Teacher in Infant One and Marcela Luna is the new Assistant Teacher in Infant Two. Please read on to learn more about our newest teachers at UCDC.
Hello my name is TaJa McCray, and I am the new Associate Teacher in the Infant One classroom. I am a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh in the School of Education. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Applied Developmental Psychology. I also obtained my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from CCAC in the spring of 2014. I always had a passion to work with children every since I was old enough to babysit. From then, I knew I wanted to work with children with the hope to make a change in their lives. My passion has always been to work with infants and toddlers. So, I am excited to begin my new journey at UCDC and to continue my passion working with children. A saying that I created and believe is
āChildren are like seeds waiting to be planted and watered with knowledge to grow and develop into young leaders."
My name is Marcela Luna. I'm originally from Colombia and my native language is Spanish. I moved to Pittsburgh in 2012. I have worked with infants and children for over seven years. I have my Masters of Education as well as my B.A in Languages. I am happily married since 2016. In my spare time, I love reading, traveling, exploring new places, exercising and doing yoga. I'm so happy to be part of the UCDC and to be part of the development of your child.
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Preschool Wisdoms
We try to model gratitude every day with our children. We were curious to hear what the preschoolers in Preschool Two were thankful for. Here are a few of their responses.
- I am thankful for playing with everyone I love.
- I like wrestling with my new brother and I love him.
- Mommy
- Iām going to Nona and Zaydeās.
- Be with my family.
- Mommy gives me a hug.
- Having Opa in my heart. I love him so much. And yesterday we gived him food and they eated the food and they left to go back to my heart.
- Babies in my belly make me happy.
- Daddy
- I make art for my Mom. I also love Ottoās art.
- Dylan and Riley
- A present
- My Mommy and my Daddy
- We go to after school. We go to eat at Chinese School.
- Playing with my sister.
- Mommy helping me put on my clothes.
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UCDC Philosophy Explained: Holidays
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It's the time of year where everywhere you look, there are holiday happenings! It's a very exciting and happy time, but can also be difficult for young children because all of the excitement disturbs their routine (and we all know how important naps and consistent meals are for our little ones!). Every weekend and evening could conceivably be filled with religious obligations, holiday parties, sibling's school events, cookie decorating... The list goes on and on!
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It's all so much fun, so why don't we celebrate with the children here at UCDC? This is a great question with much support behind our conscience decision to omit holiday celebrations with the children here at UCDC. While we choose not to celebrate in the traditional way that is often associated with early childhood, we will talk about anything that children want to talk about and we will listen to all of the exciting information that they want to share with us about the things they do with their family and friends.
Some of the reasons we choose to not celebrate here at UCDC include:
- Holidays can drive a curriculum. At UCDC, our curriculum is child-centered and driven by the children's interests, milestone development and needs. If we followed the calendar of holidays to drive our curriculum (making sure to celebrate all of the holidays important to every represented culture here at UCDC), there would be no room for allowing the child to lead.
- Holidays are typically rooted in something deeper than young children can understand.
- Holidays may have a religious component to them and we refrain from teaching religion here at UCDC.
- A lot of holidays celebrate with junk food. As you all know, a big part of our curriculum is healthy eating.
- Some of the holidays are confusing! It's hard to explain Groundhog's Day to children (and adults that may not be familiar).
- In order to touch on every holiday, we would be celebrating at least once a week! And in order to cut down on that, how would we decide which ones are most important to celebrate?
- Some of the holidays feature beliefs that some families choose not to introduce to their children (the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, etc.).
While there are reasons not to celebrate in a childcare center with very young children, there are many reasons to celebrate at home with your family. This is a joyous time of year where families engage in traditions, enjoy time spent together and make lots and lots of wonderful memories. We hope your holiday season is full of joy as you spend this time with the ones you love.
Happy Holidays!
Reminder: UCDC will be closed Monday, December 24th through Tuesday, January 1st. We will reopen on Wednesday, January 2nd.
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UCDC utilizes a child centered, extended family approach that is fostered by supporting the developmental needs of all children. We foster children's self esteem, creative abilities, sense of belonging and success by implementing a developmentally appropriate curriculum based on NAEYC and Keystone STARS standards, through a play-based approach to learning. We support families and partner with them to provide an environment that welcomes their collaboration and supports both cultural and family preferences.
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