SCROLL DOWN FOR THIS WEEK'S HELP WANTED IN EARLY EDUCATION;
IT'S NOT OUR TYPICAL LIST OF JOB OPENINGS
Children Kids Happines Multiethnic Group Cheerful Concept
PRE-K UPDATE
APRIL 8, 2020
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

From "brain breaks" to consolidating learning: 7 things educators know that you can pass along to parents teaching at home 

In homes across Long Island, parents have taken on the role of surrogate educators--but even the most willing don't have the understanding of learning that teachers do. Writing for Edutopia*, Laura Lee runs down seven fundamental, research-based principles that you can share. These include:

Flexible learning spaces work better. A child might be at a desk to write, then move to an "art corner" created with pillows. "One comprehensive study shows that
little girl reading a book
'flexibility' accounted for a quarter of the academic benefits attributable to classroom design," says Lee.

Brain breaks are essential. "A back-to-back schedule of activities is overwhelming," says Lee. Students of all ages need to take frequent breaks to give their brains a chance to process information so they can refocus on the next new thing.

Retaining information is just the first step. "Effective learning requires that students retrieve information frequently then make new meaning of it." Children might draw, make up a song or build a model about what they've been studying--or explain it to a parent or sibling.

Click here to read about the other four fundamentals, including the importance of play.

*Edutopia is a foundation created by George Lucas that focuses on K--12 education.

THE AT-HOME CLASSROOM
School assignments are important--but these 16 everyday activities totally count as learning, too

From talking about the weather to baking cookies, there are many "everyday" activities that are learning experiences for young children. Writing for
Parents And Children Baking Cakes In Kitchen Together
WeAreTeachers,  Kimmie Fink encourages parents (and the teachers who advise them) to feel good about things like playing card games, putting puzzles together--and, of course, reading. 

For example, "card games can help children learn everything from arithmetic and shape recognition to strategy and social skills," she writes. "[And] many card games require serious critical thinking."

And how about old fashioned "snail mail"? Writing a letter (or email) to friends or grandparents "is a great way to teach the mechanics of writing. Kids have to be thoughtful about what they want to say, and figure out the best way to communicate that."  Click here  for Fink's complete list of "16 everyday activities that count as learning." 
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Free webinars instead of on-site workshops now offered by Long Island Regional Partnership Center

Part of the Center of Community Inclusion (CCI) at LIU Post, the Long Island Regional Partnership Center has transformed planned workshops for this spring into webinars. These include:

Positive Behavior Supports
Dates: Thursday, April 30 and Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

An Overview of the Special Education Process
Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Click here for the full list of offerings. Or email post-cci@liu.edu

Also under the CCI umbrella: The Early Childhood Family and Community Engagement Center.  If you have questions regarding special education, especially now, you can call the Center at 516-413-8229. 

"We take calls from all stakeholders," says Professional Development Specialist Amy Plica, "parents, professionals, community members."

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OTIS, Educa and other familiar names announce free professional development

Long-Island-based OTIS for Educators is offering webinars on a number of technology-based topics, including several related to use of Google Classroom. Also of note: Administrative Strategies: Managing Staff as They Implement Remote
Close up portrait of a beautiful young woman smiling and looking at laptop screen
Learning.  Click here for the list.

Self-Care for Teachers at Home is a brand new webinar just announced by Educa. Scheduled for Thursday, 
April 16 at 9 a.m., it will cover what teachers can do to be more self-aware, to understand and be attentive during these trying times. Click here more more information and a list of other free offering.

Social Distancing as a Family: Screen Time Strategies and Resources for Parents of Children Under 6 is a new webinar from Defending the Early Years (DEY) and the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. It features a conversation between early childhood expert Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Pediatrician Dr. Mark Bertin.  Click here.


HELP WANTED
Big Chief School is sponsoring blood drive; survey on racial equity concerns

In partnership with Assemblyman John Mikulin and the New York Blood Center, Big Chief School is holding a blood drive because of the severe shortage of blood donations due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  There are two donor centers, one in Massapequa and one in Rockville Center. Donations are by appointment only; to schedule yours 

If you have questions, you can call Big Chief School at 516-781-3900.

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Long Island nonprofit Erase Racism is conducting a survey to identify families' needs and racial equity concerns as they relate to remote instruction for students. You can take the brief survey here.
About Us
The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is a collaborating partner in the state-funded Regional Technical Assistance Center, which supports Pre-K and early childhood education on Long Island. The other collaborating partners are the three Long Island BOCES, the Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc., the Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc. and the Family Leadership Network. 




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