Author: Tana

Volume 32 Issue 2

Overview and Updates

11/9/2017

OVERVIEW BY Tana L. Hill, M.Ed.

In 2015, the following article was disseminated through Child Care International Exchange. My observations of the Pre-Kindergarten program here in our center this week reminded me of it.
I believe Lillian Katz would have stood back and smiled at the student engagement in Ms. Ginger’s classroom had she been here. Many of the students explored the components of text with their teacher as they inquisitively began to “discover” punctuation, phonemic sounds and purpose. This led to questions and connections they would not necessarily have cared about had they been ‘taught’ in a formal, written lesson. Discovering the purpose of literacy and it’s functionality is what we look to achieve:
In the book developed at the Working Forum for Teacher Educators in Auckland, New Zealand, Conversations on Early Childhood Teacher Education, Lilian Katz discussed her concerns about the distinction between academic and intellectual goals for the education of young children….
“During the last few decades in several countries there has been increasing pressure on preschool programs to introduce children to basic literacy and numeracy skills, commonly referred to as academic instruction. Furthermore, increasing emphasis on testing children has intensified the pressure on preschool programs to prepare children for subsequent schooling, pushing down earlier and earlier what probably should not even be done later. In other words, academic goals are those focused on getting children ready for formal school-related skills and exercises.
These are the kinds of things that can be correct or incorrect. The children must attend to the teacher to memorize the correct answers and correct behaviors and skills. These are also activities and skills that must be practiced with exercises, for example, learning the alphabet, capital or lower case letters, handwriting, or the rules of punctuation.
“Nobody argues against such learning — ultimately. But there are many arguments, at least in some countries, about at what ages such instruction should be introduced. There are several important things to consider about when is the best time to learn them, as well as about the best ways to learn them. The evidence that we do have — and we certainly need more — is that earlier mastery of academic skills is not necessarily better, especially for boys....
“On the other hand, intellectual goals refer to children’s inborn dispositions to make sense of their experience, to theorize, analyze, synthesize, predict, hypothesize, and try to understand cause-effect relationships, and other similar activities of the mind. It is for this reason that I suggest that young children should be involved in investigations in which their growing active minds can be fully engaged.
“... I have observed over and over again that young children who are intellectually engaged in worthwhile investigations, begin to ask for help in using academic skills — for example, writing and counting, in the service of their intellectual goals.”

Fall/Winter Newsletter

The Child's Nurturing Center, Inc., Tana L Hill,M.Ed.,Editor

Infants & Toddlers: Ms. Melissa, Ms. Leahann, Ms. Crystal & Ms. Stephanie

Summer sure felt like it went by fast! Fall is officially here and winter not far behind. With a chill now in the air, please make sure your child’s extra clothes are up to date. You may also want to keep a sweatshirt or jacket and socks in their bin.
We have so many young babies coming into the program between January and April. Along with modifications to the rosters, we have brought on new staff to assist us. We hope everyone has been able to meet Ms. Crystal who was recommended by both Ms. Ginger and Ms. Tori in the Upper School. She is a student at Carroll Community College and will be fully certified for working as a teacher in the entire Lower School by late Spring 2018.
We would like to provide a few reminders relative to state regulations. The first has to do with topical creams and ingested medications. There are specific guidelines regarding administering to very young children which Ms. Melissa is able to keep you informed about. Most medications, topical or otherwise, will need to have some sort of paperwork accompanying them whenever they are in the building. This documentation may be required from the physician. Before going to the doctor about a potential problem or concern, please visit our website and download the Medication Consent Form embedded in the Center Contract or pick one up in the Lower School foyer. By going into the doctor’s office prepared there is no downtime for us to administer. Please remember that one dosage must be given at home with time for your child to show any reaction before bringing them in to the center. All prescribed medications must be in the original packaging with a current pharmaceutical label.
The other two items to make you aware of are relative to diet. The purpose in having all foods provided by the parent prior to two years of age is to reduce the probability of allergic reaction. All foods and formulas need to be given at home with, again, enough time to show if there is a potential severe reaction. This does not mean that there will be no allergy that can form after a few days but reduces the possibility of an immediate medical emergency.
Also relative to food and formula is the amount available in the program. Please keep in mind that you could be delayed in your arrival, or worst yet, there could be a weather emergency. We are able to store additional supply, even breastmilk. Just make certain all items are labeled and dated.

Ms. Melissa, Ms. Leahann, Ms. Crystal & Ms. Stephanie

Preschool 1: Ms. Michele

Fall– It’s that time of year again when the weather can vary greatly each day. Please make sure your child has appropriate outdoor wear as we do try to get outside on most days. Also, check your child’s bin for extra clothes. Sweat pants and shirts are the easiest for the teacher and the most comfortable for our vary active and energetic two year olds.
Fall is a great time to establish a daily reading routine. Grab a few books and snuggle up with your child and ENJOY! This positive association will encourage your child to love books, boost their literacy development and help them become joyful learners for life.
Finally, with being an MSDE licensed facility, we always need to make sure that our files are updated. Please inform us of any changes in addresses or phone numbers and send in a new immunization record after each physical. All paperwork needs to have your initials and the date you reviewed them on it. Thank you for helping us to remain in compliance with COMAR regulations. I hope to see you at the Thanksgiving Feast!

DRESSING WARMLY WHEN THE WEATHER CHANGES IS SO
IMPORTANT!
DON’T FORGET YOUR COAT

Ms. Michele

Preschool 2: Ms. Aleshia

We wish to welcome our new friends from PS1 who have transitioned to PS2 for their new school year: Dylan, Kayla, Kaylee and Lea. It is always so joyful to see our friends moving up in the program.
The center Program and Thematic Calendar was sent out previously. If you did not get a copy or misplaced yours, there are additional copies next to the school age classroom Parent Board. We will have several outreach activities available beginning with the Thanksgiving Feast on November 22nd. Look for invitations to the Gingerbread House Cookie Swap, Dr. Seuss Movie Night (Read Across America), Pajama Day and so much more!
Please don’t forget to have your children’s change of clothing updated so all items fit and are seasonally appropriate. Having a pair of gloves, scarf and warm jacket each day will assure that your child will be able to play outdoors with their friends when the weather is appropriate.
I am hoping to be able to speak with each of you at the Thanksgiving Feast. See you there!
Ms. Aleshia

ALL TODDLER AND PRESCHOOL PARENTS:
Please bring in a pillowcase for storing your child’s rest time items.

Preschool 3– Prekindergarten: Ms. Ginger

We are all very excited about our annual Thanksgiving Feast; I hope you will be able to join us as this is a wonderful day when all the families come together. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for Wednesday, November 22nd at 11:00!
We have been working on assessments with your child as well as starting pre-reading skills. In addition, we have already started working with our key words which stem from the Opening the World of Learning (OWL) Pre-Kindergarten curriculum. So many wonderful, fun, adventurous things are happening in our classroom!
We will begin the Violets series in the coming weeks. For those of you who need a reminder, this program is through the Maryland State Department of Education and Ready at Five. The Vocabulary Improvement and Oral Language Enrichment through Stories (VIOLETS) is an early childhood curriculum designed to develop oral language, pre-literacy skills, and background knowledge in young children (ages 3-5). It is designed to be used for a few months during their Pre-Kindergarten year. The curriculum uses 12 Big Book versions of popular books, chosen based on their quality and their appeal to young children. Also with the program are carefully selected vocabulary words and idiomatic expressions that occur in the stories and are taught before and after each story reading. In addition, paraphrasing and questioning techniques are employed during reading to further develop the children’s oral language proficiency and help to build children’s background knowledge.
Ms. Ginger

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Fall/Winter Newsletter

School Age: Ms. Tana & Ms. Tori

We are off to an amazing start!- Ms. Tana
What happened to the Art board?
Beginning with this school year our older students (2nd grade and up) have been given the STEAM challenge. How does this work?
As the students show an interest in the activities, we place a STEAM Project paper on the board. We ask that they work on at least one project per month. Our STEAM cabinet has pencil boxes that have been modified to hold different supplies for construction. One has Velcro tipped tongue depressors, another has only miniature Solo cups and one even has index cards and tape. There are about a dozen different bins. The objective is to use only what is in a single bin to design a project that is on one of the key ring cards.
Cards show bridges, houses, mazes, vehicles, etc. as project ideas. Students map out their ideas, build, problem solve, and challenge themselves. They also will write about the project they have made to explain the usefulness of their ideas. The design is very open ended but creates limitations only by the available resources.
Curriculum Activities in the School Age Classroom– Ms. Tori
Planning for school age activities is not always easy. The classroom design is set up to be open ended for them to explore and be creative. We work with students to get them to try new things when we can so we set a purpose for our areas of interest that surround the program themes. We realize you have expectations for your children that will center around their outside interests, as well. Let us know if you need assistance in getting homework completed or to have them ready for events on specific days of the week.
Preparations for After School Activities– Ms. Tori
Please remember to leave the teachers a note regarding any after school activities you need to have your child prepared for in the afternoons. The teachers will write in the communication book so all staff will be informed and prepared.
Public School Schedule Modifications– Ms. Tana
Each month a sheet is put out for you to sign up for the upcoming school modifications. It is helpful if you look at the school calendar in advance to know what days you will and won’t need for the next month so you can sign up early. Our list titled “Schedule of Billable Days for School Year”, which is available for you by the Parent Board, will assist you with the upcoming dates. There is a cut off date written on the top of each form. The office picks it up on that day and bills your account for those upcoming dates at that time.

Volume 32 Issue 2

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