By Natalie Grebe As a program quality assessor, I have the opportunity to observe some stellar vignettes in classrooms that highlight developmentally appropriate practices. During one of my visits, I was busy circulating among the busy activities of a pre-kindergarten classroom. When I approached the block center I became enthralled by my findings. Three, four-year-old...Read More

Regina Wright Ingredients: A popsicle stick for each child 2 two-inch celery stalks per child 2 tablespoons of peanut butter per child (substitutions for food allergies can include hummus and cheese spreads) A small child size handful of raisinsRead More

Angel L. Avery-Wright Pets in child care can be a very rewarding and educational endeavor. Shy, younger children often respond to class pets Children can learn how to care for a pet and how to handle them. Pets needs vary depending on what kind of pet, so children can learn the different ways to care...Read More

By Stefanie Camoni What if there was a way to lower the number of challenging behaviors in your classroom? Would you believe it? The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) and the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (TACSEI) have created the pyramid model a conceptual framework of evidence...Read More

Books in Motion: Connecting Preschoolers with Books through Art, Games, Movement, Music, Playacting and Props Angel L. Avery-Wright I had the pleasure of attending the “Books in Motion” and “Non-Fiction in Motion” sessions with Julie Dietzel-Glair at the 2016 ECE Summit. I spent three hours having a blast with books. Julie was a very hands-on...Read More

Amy Hoffman The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) created a Code of Ethical Conduct to help early childhood educators understand their ethical responsibilities to children, families, coworkers, and the community. The Code can be used to help teachers and directors make decisions concerning ethical dilemmas. Maybe you’re asking, “What is an...Read More

Erin DelRegno Circle time in many classrooms still looks like this: calendar (month, year, counting the days) and days of the week. Time concepts, however, are abstract to children. They can’t see them, so they are hard for them to understand. To them, tomorrow can mean two weeks from now. They cannot grasp days of...Read More

Missy Littell, Customer Experience Manager, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Library (formerly a children’s librarian for 12 years) I will never forget the first time I read Eric Veillé’s My Pictures After the Storm to my children. Those laugh-out-loud moments, especially when shared with children, can be tough to beat. Just as play is recognized to be...Read More

Angel Avery-Wright Math in a preschool classroom can be found everywhere, from a math interest center to other play areas. Materials for supporting math can include games, dramatic play props, blocks, musical materials, and more. Incorporating math materials and activities into the classroom are as essential as having blocks and dramatic play and can be...Read More

Beth Simon The term Program Observation Instrument or POI for short is a new term that you will see in the revised Keystone STARS Standards. In case you haven’t heard, the new Keystone STARS Standards went into effect last month. The new standards refer to various “Program Observation Instruments (POI)” that can be used for...Read More