The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is proud to be part of Long Island's Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Education. Visit its web page for links to all partner organizations. Many have important COVID-19-related resources to offer: www.nassauboces.org/rtac
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We're not dandy-lyin'.
You won't want to skip these workshops!
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PLC: Sharing How We Promote Outdoor Learning
A professional learning circle - or PLC - is comprised of a group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise and works collaboratively to learn from one another. With support from experienced moderators, this PLC will offer the opportunity for participants to share with one another some of their favorite practices for promoting outdoor learning in the Pre-K & Kindergarten classrooms.This is our final PLC Zoom session provided during the winter and spring that will serve as a platform to share and exchange ideas. Our PLCs are designed for teachers, teacher assistants, administrators, directors and other early educators.
Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Registration: Free, but registration is required
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Don't miss out on the
Summer Institute!
Inspire Children's Play with Loose Parts
We are thrilled to kickoff our Summer Institiute with Miriam Belogovsky, author of Loose Parts, who will be presenting an exciting new webinar.
Loose parts are natural or synthetic found, bought, or upcycled materials—acorns, hardware, stones, aluminum foil, fabric scraps, for example—that children can move, manipulate, control, and change within their play. Loose parts are alluring and beautiful. Loose Parts capture children's curiosity, give free reign to their imagination, and encourage creativity. Dr. Belogovsky will provide inspiration and information about the ways everyday materials can support open-ended learning, enhance play, and empower children. She will demonstrate the immense educational and developmental benefits afforded by loose parts, and provide a framework that will guide and inspire educators and parents.
The first twenty-five registrants will be entered in a raffle to win a copy of Loose Parts, Inspiring Play in Young Children. Two registrants will win this inspiring book. Register today for a chance to win!
Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Registration: $35
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Loose Parts at the Long Island Children's Museum
Join the staff at the Long Island Children’s Museum and learn to apply the principles of Loose Parts with some hands-on learning! This in-person program will take place at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City. Enrollment is limited. This session is only open to registered participants.
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Time: 9:00am – 11:00pm
Registration: $20
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Pyramid Model Training (Note the Date Changes)
Are you looking for new research-based ways to reduce challenging behaviors and promote social-emotional competence in your early childhood classroom? The Pyramid Model, developed by the Center for Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning at Vanderbilt University, is a framework for developing a positive classroom environment. Enrollment is limited. This in-person workshop will take place at the Child Care Council of Suffolk in two sessions on July 20 and 27 from 9:30am to 1:00pm. Participants must attend both sessions.
Dates: Wednesdays, July 27 and August 3, 2022
Time: 9:30am – 1:00pm
Registration: Free, but registration is required. Please note that registration for both Pyramid sessions will close on July 7, 2022.
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How to ask questions and help children become problem solvers |
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There are so many different types of questions that will encourage children to be open with their thoughts and ideas, ultimately leading them to greater STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) knowledge and questioning skills. According to an article by Sandra M. Linder and Angela Eckhoff in Teaching Young Children, educators should always ask open-ended questions that can have a number of answers, such as “What can you tell me about this leaf?”Asking the color of the leaf is close-ended and would only generate a few answers at best. These questions limit children. Plus, if they don’t know the answers, they’re more likely to give up on the task than to have a conversation about it and learn more.
Linder and Eckhoff highlight two types of open-ended questions that are useful with young children: person-oriented and process-oriented. Person-oriented questions help children make connections with prior knowledge and what they are currently exploring. Some examples of this type of question include, “What do you think is happening to the ice when we put it outside?” and “What do you think will happen next in the story?” These questions “are great when you want to increase the amount of conversation in your classroom or when you want to assess what children know about a topic,” say the authors.
Process-oriented questions require children to complete some sort of action in order to respond. Often times students need redirection, and can be referred to pictures on a page or a screen. “What do you see on this page?” and “What do you think might happen next based on what you see here?” are questions that give children an action and a strategy to give them a better understanding of a STEAM topic.
The authors describe a preschool class run by Mr. Barron in which the children were upset because some of them did not have an opportunity to play on the swings at recess. Through open-ended questions, he helped them recognize the issues and how they felt. “How did it make you feel when you didn’t get a turn on a swing?” He responded to their answers by saying, “We have a problem! What can we do to solve this problem?” “Too often children hear the word problem and see it as a negative situation,” say Linder and Eckhoff. "In STEAM classrooms, problems are celebrated as opportunities to work together and find creative solutions.”
Children came up with three solutions: timed turns, weekly schedules, and a point system to determine the length and frequency with which they could use the swings. Then they had a class vote. Barron encouraged children to think about strategies and talk them through.
“Be sure to use Mr. Barron’s positive approach of celebrating problems so children see a challenge as an opportunity,” say Linder and Eckhoff. Remember to ask questions that promote making connections, sharing ideas, and understanding an issue.”
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Why educators should use co-regulation strategies in the Pre-K classroom |
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Throughout frustrating, tense situations, young children can become accustomed to regulating their emotions when educators simply sit with them...without talking. Megan Tavares, a preschool social worker, uses silence intentionally with children; in fact, it has become one of her most-used strategies. In an article in Edutopia, she discusses the benefits to co-regulation.
“I’m often in my center’s peace corner, sitting cross-legged on a shag carpet, hands folded in my lap, waiting silently as a child thrashes and yells before slowly settling,” she says. “Silence is the intervention during those charged moments.”
According to Tavares, using silence as a co-regulation strategy with preschoolers actually helps educators make connections with children in important ways. Silence allows children to create space for their feelings to be recognized. This even helps the children watching these situations unfold, as they realize that their adult support cares about them and that they will be patient.
Educators know that language is key in a Pre-K setting, and that they want children to develop strong speech and vocabulary through what they model. They actually encourage children to express their wants and needs, especially when they are acting out. Educators depend on language to figure out how they can help. “They unintentionally co-escalate rather than co-regulate with the student, which prolongs upset in the classroom,” says Tavares.
How can educators co-regulate with children? It obviously varies for every child in any number of situations. Tavares says that for some students she can simply put out her hand for them to take and walk them to a quiet area in the classroom. Sometimes she sits with them silently, and other times she de-escalates through distractions, like small timers or calming jars that are visually soothing. Other students react well to quiet, body-based strategies. Tavares gives the example of a colleague who will sit quietly with struggling children and massage their hands with deep pressure. Of course, this method would have required parents’ consent ahead of time. She notes that educators may also use small rocking chairs, body socks and foam rollers, weighted lap pads, blankets and stuffed animals as alternatives to physical contact.
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If children love Encanto, these books are a must-read!
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If you have seen Encanto, you probably fell in love with it…and that guy Bruno that we don’t talk about. If you are overhearing children in your classroom singing the songs from the hit Disney flick, you should check out these books compiled by Kimmie Fink in We Are Teachers. Books and film alike feature colorful imagery, Latin American cultural references, and lovely themes of family, expectations, and compassion. You can’t lose with that combination!
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Zonia’s Rain Forest, by Juana Martinez-Neal. Zonia, the indigenous protagonist, lives in the Amazon rainforest. What will she do when the forest needs her help?
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Biblioburro, by Jeanette Winter. This true story is about a man who brought joy to children in rural Colombia. “Luis wants to share his love of books, so with the help of his two donkeys-Alfa and Beto-he creates a traveling library!” says Fink.
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Abuela’s Weave, by Omar S. Castaneda.
The grandmother/granddaughter relationship is explored in this book
in a similar fashion to Encanto. A story of family pride and resilience,
Abuela and Esperanza create special tapestries.
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Listening with My Heart, by Gabi Garcia. In a story of kindness and self-compassion, Esperanza finds a heart-shaped rock and sees it as a reminder to spread love in the world. When her school play is running amok, she has to decide to be kind to herself.
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Congratulations to
RTAC's
Jacob Dixon!
Long Island's public education community gathered on May 10 to pay tribute to some of its greatest advocates. That's when Nassau BOCES presented fifteen honorees with its Education Partner award before a cheering crowd at the Crest Hollow Country Club. We are proud to announce that one of the recipients was RTAC's very own Jacob Dixon, Center Coordionator and CEO of Choice for All. A strategic education partner with school districts since 1967, Nassau BOCES created the awards program to honor those who share the agency's commitment to providing the best possible education to learners of all ages and abilities.
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They're Not Too Young to Talk About Race!
Young children notice and think about race. Adults often worry that talking about race will encourage racial bias in children, but the opposite is true. Silence about race reinforces racism by letting children draw their own conclusions based on what they see. Teachers and families can play a powerful role in helping children of all ages develop positive attitudes about race and diversity and skills to promote a more just future—but only if we talk about it! Click on the picture below for more information about having conversations with children.
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NY Early Learning Resources
Are you a member of New York Association for the Education of Young Children (NYAEYC)? Did you know that NYAEYC has launched NY Early Learning Resources? New York Early Learning Resources is the knowledge and resource hub for NY’s Early Learning Alliance whose mission is to support the business of high quality early care and learning. This web-based platform provides a wealth of early childhood specific resources designed to help early care and learning programs save time and money while attaining and sustaining high quality programming.
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Supporting the Children's Behavioral Health Workforce Through Trying Times
Webinar
Over the past two years, our nation has seen a dramatic rise in rates of depression, anxiety, and broader mental health needs among children and adolescents. Increased demand for mental health services and supports has burdened a healthcare system that was already struggling to meet the needs of children and families. In this webinar from the National Training & Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC), participants will hear from experts in the children’s mental health field on strategies for supporting the workforce in the current environment and preparing for future crises. Panelists from across the country will share successful examples of policy change, workforce recruitment and retention strategies, and community engagement efforts at the state and local levels.
Date: Monday, May 23, 2022
Time: 2:00pm - 3:30pm
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Supporting Social and Emotional Learning for Children with Disabilities
Webinar
Developing social and emotional skills is important for all young children. Making and keeping friends, solving social problems, and paying attention to emotions are key skills for children to learn during their early years — after all, social and emotional development is the foundation for lifelong learning. Learning these critical skills is especially important for young children with disabilities and suspected delays. Many children with disabilities may struggle with these skills, but we know successful social and emotional development leads to future positive outcomes in many different areas. Join the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning for this Inclusion Series webinar to explore powerful individualized strategies to support social and emotional learning for children with disabilities and suspected delays.
Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
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Supporting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Families:
The Head Start Program Perspective
Webinar
Join this webinar, hosted by the Office of Head Start, in celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month! It features Head Start programs from regions II, V, and IX, and learn how they support their local AANHPI communities in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Asian violence. Listen to how these programs provide community outreach, individualize culturally competent services to families with similar needs, and celebrate cultural differences.
Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Time: 1:00pm - 2:15pm
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71 Clinton Rd. Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: 516-396-2220
www.nassauboces.org/pre-k
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