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
|
|
Come in from the cold...
Winter Seminars are heating up!
|
|
Professional Learning Circle: Sharing Our Favorite Read Alouds for Social Emotional Learning, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the
Pre-K & Kindergarten Setting
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 first PLC will offer the opportunity to share favorite read alouds and exchange related activities that address the relevant topics of social emotional learning, diversity, equity and inclusion in the Pre-K and Kindergarten setting. This is the first of four PLC Zoom sessions provided during the winter and spring that will serve as a platform to exchange ideas. Our PLCs are designed for teachers, teacher assistants, administrators, directors and other early educators. You can register for one or more of our collaborative sessions.
Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Registration: Free, but registration is required
|
|
Using GOLD to Improve Outcomes for Children
Are you new to GOLD and interested in learning more? In this Curriculum Showcase session, provided by Teaching Strategies, LLC, you will get a guided tour of the MyTeachingStrategies platform; its features, functionality and how to navigate within it. Join Donna Fowler, subject matter specialist, who will demonstrate how curriculum and assessment work together to strengthen classroom practice and promote positive outcomes for all children, and support development and learning.
Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Time: 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Registration: Free, but registration is required
|
|
Connect4Learning a Pre-K Curriculum for Our 21st Century Learners
Provided by Kaplan Early Learning Company, this presentation covers the scope and sequence of the Connect4Learning Pre-K Curriculum.
Connie Gorius, a former teacher, supervisor and early childhood specialist, will present the features and benefits of using an interdisciplinary curriculum with 21st Century Pre-K learners.
Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Time: 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Registration: Free, but registration is required
|
|
Five ways you can help preschoolers persist in mathematics |
|
Why does one child give up on math problems while another tries different approaches until they get answers? According to an article by Jess Young in Education Development Center, the latter is demonstrating “mastery motivation,” or the willingness to struggle through difficult problems. Preschool teachers are well aware that not all children decide to persist when they face challenges. According to Young, that is alright! She and her EDC teammate, Paul Goldenberg, present five things that all teachers can do to encourage mastery motivation.
1. Play math games with children. Fun, simple games like Jumping on the Lily Pads and Two Numbers help children “build basic ideas about number and order along with mathematical habits of mind, such as problem solving, puzzling and perseverance.” These games help children problem-solve and allow them to try different methods without the fear of failure.
2. Ask open-ended questions. Young suggests asking questions such as, “What can you do next?” and “Where do you think that piece goes?” You might even ask children how they did something. These questions help children problem-solve and give them a sense of competence and confidence.
3. Support their independence. Children who demonstrate mastery motivation are able to be persistent and stick with a task, even when it is difficult. This persistence can be supported by letting them work independently on activities that interest them. Young and Goldenberg encourage educators to resist the urge to intervene too quickly if they seem to be struggling.
4. Recognize the value of repetition. When children are provided activities that have more than one solution, such as puzzles or math games, they play them repeatedly. Imagine a child who does the same puzzle over and over again, or children who use the same blocks to build towers. “When children repeat something spontaneously, it is generally because they are still gaining something from that experience,” says Goldenberg. “And when they are no longer learning from it, that repetition is no longer interesting to them and they move on.”
5. Show appreciation for their efforts. Instead of offering praise to a child when he does well with a challenge, comment on his effort. For example, say, “Wow! You worked really hard on this puzzle. You stuck with it and you solved it!” instead of “You are great at puzzles!” In this way, children learn that working hard and persisting are positive attributes.
|
|
Why children should live outside of time |
|
What does it mean to exist without time? Ask a two-year-old sitting on the beach with a pail and shovel, simply experiencing joy at the task at hand. This child will play with or without your company, as long as you will let him. In an article in The Wisdom of Play, Sydney Gurewitz Clemens also offers an image of a seven-year-old city child at the same beach, hanging out and observing people-an integral act for children. Suddenly, without an external trigger, this child might sprint across the beach into the water, or stop, consider and rest. “To children, time is measured in units of joy,” says Gurewitz Clemens.
According to the article, when educators greet children in the morning, they convey their attitude about how time is going to be used. Relaxed, polite interactions will make for a good day. When time is rigid and children are made to feel like they are on a tight schedule, adults and children will butt heads. For example, children will want to keep building with blocks until they feel that they are finished. They will resent having to tear down their structures because it is time to clean up. Because of this, some teachers will allow clean-up to continue the next day.
When children have to wait, they often get angry or impatient. Obviously, these are not emotions that educators are trying to develop. “Wise teachers thus arrange a fluid, responsive day with minimal waiting,” says Gurewitz Clemens, who speaks of Reggio Emilia, Italy, where children and educators work on projects from eight to ten weeks, “as if they had all the time in the world.” By working on this type of extended timeline, children obtain a better understanding of how the world works. “Mindful time was invested in important exploration.”
Well-structured, positive classrooms flow, as teachers have a general idea of a schedule, but respond to the “hummy rhythm of the children’s attention to their work.” Good educators can read the children in their classes and promote a peaceful use of time.
|
|
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with picture books |
|
This Lunar New Year, which includes Chinese New Year, begins on February 1st. To help celebrate the Year of the Tiger, an article by
Liz Lesnick in Brightly offers a variety of books to share with young children. Here are just a few of them:
-
Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book, by Joan Holub. This book is filled with rhyming descriptions of what makes the Chinese New Year so much fun for children. They’ll see illustrations featuring a celebratory dinner, receiving gifts from family, and watching the Chinese New Year’s Parade.
-
Bringing in the New Year, by Grace Lin. This is a simple tale of a Chinese American family preparing for the Lunar New Year.
-
Chinese New Year Colors, by Richard Lo. Lo’s color concept book is a “thing of beauty, as festive and striking as the holiday itself,” says Lesnick. Monochromatic watercolor paintings depict items used to celebrate the holiday, from lucky coins to fireworks. Plus, each color is translated in both English and Mandarin!
|
|
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Basics Course |
|
Child Care Council of Nassau:
Upcoming Trainings
|
|
Professional Development includes:
Family and Group Family Child Care Informational
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Foundation in Health Sexual Development: Infants and Toddlers
Saturday, Feburary 12, 2022
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
How to Navigate the NYS Regulations for Child Care Centers
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
