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PRE-K UPDATE
AUGUST 14, 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

Just published and downloadable: New York State Prekindergarten Learning Standards
This 81-page document is "intended to be used as a reference tool by teachers, specialists, and administrators working with students who are in a four-year-old prekindergarten program," according to the New York State Education Department's
(NYSED) website. It's an update of 2012's Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core Learning Standards, and highlights the importance of addressing young children's development and learning across all domains.

The "guiding principles" behind the standards include the statement that children are active learners, that "a primary approach to learning is through purposeful play," and that all children are capable of learning and achieving regardless of economic, linguistic or cultural differences.

Click here to download the new learning standards.

We're pleased to report we've just arranged for a representative of NSYED's Office of Early Learning to offer a workshop on the new standards at our Tuesday, November 5 full-day conference. (Details to come.)  Click here for more information on how to register.


We often share articles and other resources via our Twitter account (@LongIslandPreK) that we don't include in our 
e-newsletters. And some of these tweets get a big reaction. So we thought we'd share some of the most liked and retweeted postings from the last school year. 

A surprising hit: a book about burying your first pet
We tweeted about School Library Journal's review of
The End of Something Wonderful: A Practical Guide to a Backyard Funeral. And our followers were intrigued. 

"One assignment I encountered quite often as a children's librarian," writes Elizabeth Bird, "was when teachers would ask the kids in their classes to go to the library to find a 'how-to' book. Interestingly, though, Lucianovic's book is the very first how-to funeral book I've seen. Why is that? After all, backyard funerals often serve as a child's rite of passage. Don't they deserve a guide for that hard time?" Read more.


Clickbait for early educators: process-focused art vs. product-focused art and using vintage "stuff" for creative play
When it comes to "process" or "product-focused" art, there's no contest for veteran early childhood professor Dr. Diane Kashin. Children, she says, "learn through play rather than following the directions needed in product-driven art." She's been teaching for 30 years and is "dismayed and saddened" that some are still defending "art" projects in which there's a right and a wrong way to proceed and all the children's finished art looks the same.

For anyone who is unclear about the difference between "process-focused" and "product-focused" art, Kashin's March 9, 2019 online article offers a side-by-side comparison. One example: in process-focused art, the work is entirely the child's own. In a product-focused project, the teacher provides a sample and often fixes mistakes. The link to this article was clicked by a record number of our Twitter followers.
Read more

Old vintage typewriter and a blank sheet of paper inserted_ isolated on white
Kashin seems to strike a chord with our audience. Last week, we tweeted about another of her articles and it's still getting likes and replies. This topic: "Ditch the plastic and value the vintage." In other words--collect old-fashioned typewriters, dusty dial phones from grandma's attic and other unique vintage materials. The reason: they spark children's curiosity and creative play more than single-use plastic toys like the ubiquitous red barn for plastic farm animals.

Our followers have added some caveats--reminding us, for example, to beware of anything that might contain lead and to be mindful of using items from different cultures.

Another Twitter fave: this two-minute video on the value of drawing 
Proving that educators are never really "off duty," our tweet about a short video on using drawing to enhance learning was one of this year's most popular. "The science is clear," says the introduction to the animated short, "drawing beats out reading and writing to help students remember concepts."

The reason drawing works so well: it engages visual, kinesthetic and linguistic parts of the brain simultaneously, so students remember twice as much.

Click here to watch the video.
This week's job listings for early ed on Long Island

Part-Time Nursery School Teacher
My First School, Floral Park
Email myfirstschoolfloralpark@gmail.com or call Jen Morrisey 516-354-0138

Co-Teachers and Certified Teacher Assistants
SJC Universal Prekindergarten, Freeport, Lawrence, Westbury and Wyandanch
Email resume and letter to prenneisen@sjcny.edu


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 Teacher Aide
Full-Time Teacher/Certified Teacher
Full-Time Teacher I (Infant/Toddler)
Full-Time Family Educator/Home Visitor--Bilingual
Full-Time Family Advocate
Food Transporter
Full-Time Cook Assistant
Long Island Head Start, various locations

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

Full-Time EHS-CCP Secretary
Full-Time Program Services Secretary
Mental Health Consultant
Speech Consultant
Registered Dietitian Consultant
RN/Health Consultant
EHS-CCP Disabilities Services Consultant
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 
71 Clinton Road, Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: (516) 396-2220  Fax: (516)-396-2355
www.nassauboces.org