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
|
|
These workshops are
iris-istible!
|
|
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
|
|
Registration is Now Open
for the Summer Institute!
Inspire Children's Play with Loose Parts
Join Miriam Belogovsky, author of Loose Parts, for 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.
Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Registration: $35
|
|
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
|
|
Pyramid Model Training
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 27th from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Participants must attend both sessions.
Dates: Wednesdays, July 20 and July 27, 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.
|
|
Why it is important to use sophisticated language in Pre-K |
|
Conversations about creepy crawly worms or silly animals lead to interactions mixed with language-supporting activities that promote vocabulary-one of the building blocks of reading comprehension. According to an article by Tracy Weippert in Teaching Young Children, most children growing up in language-rich social environments will absorb a lot of words. However, children also need opportunities to learn sophisticated vocabulary that will “enable them to think, talk and write about academic topics.”
Studies have shown that preschoolers’ vocabularies, especially the words that they understand and use appropriately, foreshadow their reading comprehension skills in early elementary grades. “Some studies suggest that at kindergarten entry, children who had smaller and less sophisticated vocabularies struggled more with listening and reading comprehension,” says Weippert. “They also had less vocabulary growth in kindergarten and beyond.” This has important consequences in the long run.
Sophisticated vocabulary also allows children a greater understanding of texts and gives them more of an opportunity to grow their vocabularies. The best part? A large, academic vocabulary is something that preschool teachers can help all children develop. Weippert offers a number of strategies that can be used to help enhance children’s knowledge of vocabulary:
-
Read with children daily. “Find different texts that reflect the ‘Goldilocks Principle’: just the right amount of new words mixed with familiar ones.” She also suggests using texts that have similar themes or ideas in common. It’s important that children make connections between the books they are reading and their own lives.
-
Reread and talk about favorite books. Exposing children to the same books more than once helps their comprehension and confidence.
-
Offer a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. Try using interactive media that will engage children and motivate them to connect it to a common idea.
-
Teach new and sophisticated words during read alouds. Before utilizing a book in a classroom, look for words in it that might be new for children and integral in understanding a theme or topic. These words can be used in fun games or small activities in preparation for reading the text.
Weippert also recommends encouraging sophisticated and academic language by intentionally saying words that are less common in everyday situations. Child-friendly definitions can be more accessible. Educators can foster word consciousness throughout the day by pointing out words that they themselves don’t know. They should also invite children to enjoy dramatic play because they will use significant language skills and rehearse vocabulary that they may use in other social situations.
Preschoolers can engage in very thoughtful, fascinating conversations. The more they are engaged in “meaningful talk using sophisticated vocabulary,” the more benefits they will see.
|
|
Play is important. Why is it endangered in today’s schools? |
|
For many years the importance of play in children’s development has been studied and documented with great detail. However, according to an article by Joan Almon in The Wisdom of Play, this evidence has been largely ignored by policy makers and school administrators pushing academic instruction. Many educators believe that the earlier students are taught literacy and math skills, the more they will achieve academically. These arguments are not supported by the research and are fundamentally flawed.
Test-driven programs and curriculums may generate short-term rises in scores, but long-term research shows that these gains are only temporary. Studies show that “play-based early education produces better long-term results in reading and math, social and emotional adjustment, creativity, and oral expression,” says Almon.
The good news is that today, after many years of there being a decline in play, it is once again gaining recognition in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a position statement in favor of play and recess. Additionally, there has been an abundance of articles published about the importance of play (see The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly and Scientific American, for example).
Researcher Olga Jarrett wrote of “children’s heightened attention to classroom work following a time of play and activity.” She noticed that they were less fidgety and more focused. This is why many parents are now insisting on more recess time for their children. According to Almon, some states have even outlawed the elimination of recess.
There is certainly a growing awareness of the benefits of play for children of all ages. The research is definitive: “Young children need play in order for genuine learning to occur.” Almon posits that it will take work and advocacy to change current policies and create appropriate practices based on the research.
|
|
Math is everywhere! Celebrate it in April. |
|
Young children are surrounded by math. The opportunities to practice it are endless! According to Highscope, Math learning is taking place whenever children are following the Preschool Scientific Method. Check out some of it here:
- Observing — discovering and creating knowledge about the world using all of the senses (e.g., seeing colors ranging from light to dark, hearing sounds that vary in pitch and loudness)
- Exploring materials — discovering the properties of objects and how things work, seeing how things change when they are acted upon by people or events (e.g., seeing what happens when paint colors are mixed together, watching the monitor after hitting different computer keys)
|
|
Using the 5Rs of Early Learning Leaders to Support the Development of Children's Initiative and Curiosity
Webinar
Children are born curious and are naturally drawn to investigating the world around them. Their eagerness to learn is linked to higher academic achievement and can be strengthened by effective adult-child interactions and responsive learning environments. Join this webinar, presented by Head Start, to discuss the role of the early learning leader in providing education staff with resources and guidance to meaningfully follow the interests of children and encourage their natural inclination to ask questions, experiment, and explore. This webinar is offered with English and Spanish captioning.
Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
|
|
Upstream Transition Partnerships:
Strengthening the Continuum of Care from Early Childhood Through
Graduation and Beyond
Virtual
The transition from early childhood programs to K-12 education is stressful for caregivers and educators alike. Join National Training & Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) to connect, create partnerships, and strengthen the continuum of care from early childhood settings to K-12 classrooms and beyond. They are supported in learning by leading early childhood and mental health professionals from around the nation. Their conversation-rich sessions are dynamic and interactive as they center lived experience and examine evidence-informed practices.
Date: Thursday, April 21, 2022
Time: 7:00pm - 8:00pm
|
|
Apply for the Enhanced NYS B5
CUNY‐SUNY Workforce Scholarship Today!
Do you work in an Early Childhood Center or in a
Family/Group Family Day Care Center?
Would you like to earn a Credit-bearing
Credential, Certificate, two-year, four-year or graduate degree?
This scholarship is needs-based and designed to support individuals working 20 hours or more in a licensed early childhood center or Family/Group Family Day Care Center. New, returning, and current students are eligible to apply for an initial screening for the scholarship, which is managed and administrated by The New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute’s Career Development Center in partnership with PDP, and funded by the federal Birth to 5 grant.
*The program will cover up to 9 credits or three courses.
Eligibility Requirements:
- You work in a licensed Early Childhood Center or Family/Group Family Day Care 20 hours or more.
- You intend to apply or already attend one of the CUNY or SUNY Schools on a part-time basis.
- Commit to meeting with Institute advisors to create and update a study plan three times per semester.
Sign up to attend an informational session HERE.
|
|
71 Clinton Rd. Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: 516-396-2220
www.nassauboces.org/pre-k
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
