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 resources to offer: www.nassauboces.org/rtac
|
|
Good news: State budget includes funding for Pre-K expansion and for the RTAC! |
|
The just-announced New York State budget provides funding for as many as 5,500 new Pre-K slots on Long Island, according to Newsday. And, thanks to the efforts of local legislators, it also includes support for continuation of the Long Island Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Childhood Education--the RTAC.
"This is exciting news for early childhood educators on Long Island," says Carla Theodorou, Executive Director of the Nassau BOCES Department of Regional Schools and Instructional Programs. "The RTAC will be playing a key role in supporting school districts in Nassau and Suffolk Counties as they launch or expand Pre-K programs. However, the details of the funding are still unclear, and right now there are more questions than answers."
The RTAC expects to hold an informational roundtable in early May, and to offer individualized technical assistance in the next few months. If you have questions now, please email prek@nasboces.org
|
|
Announcing our Summer Institute for 2021 |
|
A "Summer Institute" has been on the calendar in late June since the early years of The Long Island Pre-K Initiative. It started as a two-day in-person event, but last year was transformed into a series of sold-out weekly webinars on teaching remotely. This year we're keeping it virtual, but are swinging back to workshops that will help when you open your classroom in September--whether you're new to Pre-K or Kindergarten or are an experienced teacher. Topics will include working with Emergent Multilingual Learners (EMLs) and using the Revised Early Learning Guidelines--watch for announcements soon.
You can register now for our keynote!
Beyond Butterflies and Books: Supporting Young Children's Science Inquiry and STEM Thinking
Although the phrase “children are natural born scientists” is widely used in early childhood, we too often underestimate children’s capacity to do and learn science as well as our own capacity to teach it. This session will introduce participants to organizing frameworks and strategies for planning and facilitating engaging and cognitively challenging science experiences and conversations that build on children’s current ideas and thinking. The focus will be on physical science—the study of the non-living world, including properties of matter, forces and motion—and the topics of structures and ramps. Using authentic videos and work samples from early childhood settings, we will explore questions such as “What is the primary focus of science teaching and learning in the early years?” and “What kinds of teacher prompts best promote inquiry and elicit children’s science thinking?”
Presenter: Cindy Hoisington is a nationally known speaker from the Education Development Center in Waltham, MA
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
|
|
Learning to write can challenge some children; here's how to help |
|
New York City occupational therapist Lauren Brukner* reports that referrals for a particular issue have tripled during the pandemic--and that problem is students' difficulty with handwriting. "Kids are on the computer more," she writes for education news site Edutopia, "and have less exposure to handwriting practice, pencil-to-paper tasks and other related activities that build the complex underlying skills that lead to functional handwriting output."
Getting letters on paper involves all of the systems of the body, she points out--and they all need to work together for the deceptively simple task of writing. That's why the activities she recommends cover everything from an "I Spy Bean Bag" (directions for a "no sew" bag included) to "Toe Touch Cross" (to help connect both sides of a child's brain).
|
|
International study links "growth mindset" to higher academic performance |
|
Students who believe that they can improve their own intelligence scored higher on an international exam than those who think their intelligence is fixed. That's the conclusion of a a study of 600.000 15-year-olds who participated in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018. According to an April 9 report in Education Week, students with a "growth mindset" scored higher in reading, science and math.
Some aspects of the findings are particularly interesting. For example, "across 39 countries and economies, more girls showed a growth mindset than boys, and girls got a larger boost in academic performance from having a growth mindset."
And the factor most closely connected to students' mindset and their performance? Teacher support. "In the United States students with growth mindset outperformed those with fixed mindset by 48 points in reading when they had low teacher support but by 72 points when they had supportive teachers." Read more.
|
|
A Year With COVID: Looking Back at Lessons Learned While Looking Forward
This workshop will explore the impact of COVID on the Pre-K setting, and will offer ideas on how to wrap up the school year. Participants will also explore the needs of students this summer--and in the coming school year.
Presenter: David Hymowitz is a social worker with 30 years of experience.
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Registration: There is no fee, but pre-registration is required.
|
|
|
"Advancing Equity in Early Childhood"--a timely panel from the Leadership Initiative |
|
Equity is a word that has become more widely used in society and in the education field in particular. Conversations about implicit bias, racism, and culturally responsive education are important in all settings, and particularly in early childhood.
At this Leadership Panel Discussion, you will hear from a moderated panel of early childhood professionals and leaders about their work to create equitable environments for children in early childhood settings. In particular, participants will be invited to reflect on ways in which they can advance equity in early childhood education.
Panelists include Emily Torres from the Child Care Council of Suffolk and Jacob Dixon from Choice for All.
Date: Thursday, April 29, 2021
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
This event is co-hosted by the Long Island and Western New York Leadership Initiatives.
|
|
The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is a collaborating partner in the state-funded Long Island Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Childhood Education. |
|
71 Clinton Rd. Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: 516-396-2220
www.nassauboces.org/pre-k
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
