by Angel Avery-Wright Dramatic play areas are often very popular with children. Children can dress up, cook dinner, take care of a baby, serve food at a restaurant, or take the cat to the vet. Materials that enhance dramatic play are plentiful. Dolls, plastic food and dishes, appliances such as a refrigerator and stove, tables...Read More

The Pennsylvania Key PQA Team is supporting researchers at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to examine the widely used program observation instrument, the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Third Edition (ECERS-3). The ECERS-3 is a global quality assessment used in classrooms serving children ages 3-5...Read More

Kelli Harris What does it mean to have diversity in your classroom? High quality early childhood education provides experiences to nurture acceptance of diversity by encouraging children to view others as individuals without preconceived notions. By having diverse materials in the classroom, it gives children the chance to see themselves represented and encourages learning about...Read More

Angel Avery-Wright When an assessor walks into the room, one of the first things that catches our eye is the display: artwork, family photos, calendar, posters, and other photos. Do those other photos depict diversity?Read More

Natalie Grebe Pasta has been satisfying hungry stomachs all over the world for thousands of years. Athletes use it for carb loading. Restaurants feature it on menus. Parents use it as their go-to when they need a quick and easy meal that the whole family will enjoy. Luckily, pasta is usually a favorite of most...Read More