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PRE-K UPDATE
NOVEMBER 13, 2019
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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
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Study shows the impact of screen use on young children's brains--and the news isn't good
You probably saw it on the news: last week a study was released that showed how screen use negatively impacts children's brains and delays language development. Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital conducted MRI's of 47 healthy children, ages 3 to 5, all from middle- to upper-middle-class English-speaking
households. And they also scored their screen use, from zero (adhering to the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines) to 26 (started watching TV under a year old, screens in the bedroom, more total screen time, etc.).
The result, according to a report in the New York Times: children with higher screen use had lower measures of structural integrity and myelination in their brains. The impact: "the children with higher screen exposure had poorer expressive language and did worse on tests of language processing speed, like rapidly naming objects."
What children need, says the lead researcher, is experiences: reading, playing, talking. The article's author, pediatrician Dr. Perri Klass, sums it up this way: "In the early years...good parenting involves being there, interacting, talking, playing, singing asking and answering questions, and of course, reading."
Read the New York Times article.
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Today is World Kindness Day: Is it time to stop talking so much about achievement and emphasize caring instead?
It's time to share a compliment with a co-worker or make someone smile, says the
Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. These are among seven suggestions for celebrating by "making the kindness the norm." Plus the organization offers kindness ideas, quotes and lesson plans.
What's more, an article in the December issue of The Atlantic Magazine suggests it's time to "Stop Trying to Raise Successful Kids and Start Raising Kind Ones."
According to authors (and parents) Adam and Alison Grant, more than 81% of children say their parents value achievement and happiness more than caring. Yet there's also "quite a bit of evidence that children who help others end up achieving more than those who don't." One study even found that boys who were rated as helpful by their kindergarten teachers earned more money 30 years later!
The conclusions: "concern for other people promotes supportive relationships and helps prevent depression" and "students who care about others also tend to see thier education as preparation for contributing to society--an outlook that inspires them to persist even when studying is dull."
Read more.
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It's holiday season and here's a reminder from NAEYC that it's important to be thoughtful when you celebrate
It's fun to celebrate holidays in early childhood programs, says the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), in a blog post published last week. But
it's
important to recognize cultural diversity when you think about how you approach them in your classroom.
One principle to remember: "Secularized or commercialized versions of holidays are not culturally or religiously neutral." In other words, Christmas trees and Easter bunnies aren't separable from the underlying religious meaning.
Ultimately what's important, write experts Louise Derman-Sparks* and Julie Olsen Edwards. "In almost all settings, the beliefs and traditions of one group or family may conflict with, or they may complement, those of others. Knowing the purpose and world view underlying a holiday will help you make decisions about what role, if any, you want that holiday to play in your program." Read more.
*Derman-Sparks is the senior author of
Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves
and
Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change.
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For the first time: a New York conference focused on engaging parents of young children--and they can attend free of charge
The first NYSB5 Statewide Parent Leadership Conference is taking place in Rochester next month, and there's no registration fee for parents. (There are even a limited number of free hotel rooms for those who need to stay overnight.)
This interactive, one-day event is designed to strengthen partnerships with parents and to increase their knowledge of the state's early childhood system. What's more, the conference will provide a platform for parents to connect with administrators, policy makers and service providers to help them understand the needs of families.
Statewide Parent Leadership Conference:
Capacity, Connections & Collective Action
Date: Friday, December 13, 2019
Place: Hyatt Regency Rochester
Note: Educators and staff from related organizations are asked to pay a nominal registration fee.
Organizers of this event include New York State Council on Children & Families (CCF) and The Family Leadership Network at Choice for All, a Long Island-based statewide network that is one of the partner organizations in the new Regional Pre-K Technical Assistance Center.
Are you interested in making a presentation at the conference? There are opportunities to lead both 50-minute and 30-minute workshops. Deadline to apply is Thursday, November 21. Visit
www.nysb5conference.com for details, including a list of preferred topic areas.
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Working with children with disabilities? Take advantage of workshops from LIU's Center for Community Inclusion
The 16th annual conference on Best Practices in the Education of Students With Down Syndrome
Date: Thursday, November 21, 2019
Place: LIU Post, Tilles Center, Brookville
Registration fee: $80 for professionals; $40 for parents of students with disabilities
Click here for more information about this all-day conference.
Functional Behavior Assessment and Positive Behavior Supports
Dates: Tuesday, December 3 and Thursday, December 12, 2019
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Place: LIU, Brookville
Click here for more information about these free Nassau County workshops.
Inclusion: How to Make It Happen
Date: Friday, November 30 2019
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Place: DSAF Office, Medford
Best Practices for the Paraprofessional
Date: Friday, December 14, 2019
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Place: DSAF Office, Medford
Click here for more information about these free Suffolk County workshops
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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.
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NASSAU BOCES
71 Clinton Road, Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: (516) 396-2220 Fax: (516)-396-2355
www.nassauboces.org
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