Next
Meeting of the Early Childhood Directors Group
April
11th – 10:00 am – noon
2021
Hennepin Ave. E., Minneapolis 55413
Discussion
Topic:
Teaching in the Digital Age
Join us
for a FREE networking meeting including a presentation and discussion on
intentional and appropriate uses of technology in early childhood classrooms.
·
Does
using technology in classrooms take you out of your comfort zone?
·
How
can teachers use technology in appropriate, meaningful ways?
·
Do
you use your digital camera to enhance communication with parents and expand
children’s learning?
·
Worried
that using technology will cost “an-arm-and-a-leg?”
·
Wonder
where to start?
If you’ve
considered any of the above questions, join other directors and Kyra Ostendorf,
Redleaf Press Acquisitions and Development Editor and MNAEYC board member, for
a discussion on the rationale and practical strategies for integrating
technology in your program.
Kyra will
present the framework and scenarios for effective uses of technology for
high-quality learning based on Teaching in the Digital Age by Brian
Puerling.
Following Kyra’s presentation, author Brian
Puerling will join the meeting for an online Q & A with directors.
Bring your smart
phone, ipad, digital camera, etc.
Participants receive 30% discount off
the price of Teaching in the Digital Age.
Resources
Directors Can Use
FREE Webinars on Technology and ECE
TEC Center at the Erikson
Institute (Chicago)
The TEC Center at Erikson
Institute empowers early childhood educators to
thoughtfully and appropriately use technology in the classroom and other early
childhood settings. TEC sponsors events, conferences and free
webinars.
The TEC Center empowers early childhood
educators to make informed decisions about the appropriate use of technology
with children from birth to age 8. Through carefully selected resources and
real-world examples, the Center strengthens educators’ digital literacy and
their ability to intentionally select, use, integrate, and evaluate technology
in the classroom and other early childhood settings.
FREE Webinars for Early Childhood Programs
Early Childhood Investigations
Early
Childhood Investigations offers free webinars to early childhood educators. The
series is produced by Engagement Strategies, LLC., and presented by leading
authors, experts, and leaders. Our goal is to help allow you to participate in
conference-quality training without leaving your home, classroom, or office.
Handout on Selected
Examples of Effective Classroom Practice Involving Technology Tools and
Interactive Media from NAEYC and the Fred Rogers Center for early learning
and Children’s Media discusses developmental issues for infants and toddlers,
preschoolers and kindergarteners, and schoolage children and examples and
suggestions of appropriate tools and uses.
Capitol Update
There has never been a
more crucial time then now to let your State Representative and State Senator
know what you think about investments in Early
Learning Scholarships for quality programs.
There’s a lot of
support amongst legislators for investing in access to quality programs and
just a few short weeks left to make a difference this legislative session!
To find the phone and email for your State Representative
and State Senator and let them know what you think about investing in quality programs
and Early Learning Scholarships, go
to:
GREAT NEWS! The House Education Omnibus bill was
released on Tuesday (April 9th) and includes significant increases
in funding for early learning scholarships. The bill appropriates over $15.7
billion in the upcoming biennium (FY 2014 -2015) and over $16.7 billion in the
following biennium (FY 2016-2017) for pre-k and k-12 programs, including $56
million ($25 million in 2014, $31 million in 2015) for early learning
scholarships.
To put this in context, these recommendations are $6
million higher than the Governor’s recommendation for the next biennium, and
$50 million higher than current Education spending on early learning
scholarships.
While these targets are lower than what is recommended in
the MinneMinds policy agenda, we should all recognize this as a truly
significant step forward, due in large part to our efforts over the past
several months.
Our work is not finished, as we await the Senate’s budget
and the final weeks of the budget process.
Please note that we expect the Senate to hear the Education omnibus
bill, which includes funding for early learning scholarships, this Thursday,
April 11, at 8:30 am. We’d love to see you there.
Information from Drew Henry,
Minneminds Campaign Manager
Trend Lines from Child Trends, Inc.
A recent New York Times article highlighted
research by the prominent economist James
Heckman and others about the need to invest in children’s
education before they arrive at school. Heckman cited studies
that found ratings of children’s academic skills to be consistent from age 3 to
18 years. Julia
Isaacs, a researcher at the Urban
Institute, reported that less
than half of children living in poverty enter kindergarten with the skills
needed to succeed in school. Child Trends’ researchers have documented
disparities in children’s development starting in infancy. As early as nine
months of age, infants from low-income families were rated lower on their
overall health, cognitive and social development, and positive behaviors than
infants in higher-income families. Between infancy and toddlerhood, these
disparities just about doubled.
If we are going to
invest more into early education for children, where to do we start? One place
to start is with our early childhood workforce. Little is known about the
individuals who care for our infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Only 32 states maintain
a child care registry, where child care providers can upload their credentials,
according to the National Registry Alliance.
What we do know about
child care providers serving young children is that they are an instable
workforce that is not paid well and have (on average) less education than
primary or secondary teachers. Child care workers make, on average, less than
half that of elementary teachers.
Additionally, there is
little regulation of early care and education providers serving outside of
pre-kindergarten and Head Start. Only 10 states require the comprehensive
background check of child care providers recommended by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral
Agencies [NACCRRA], which includes federal and state criminal
background checks and checks of the sex offender and child sexual abuse
registries. Additionally, state education and training requirements for early
care and education providers vary by program and state, with the majority of
states (62 percent) requiring a high school degree or less of lead
teachers in child care centers, according to NACCRRA.
Research has shown
repeatedly that the physical, social, emotional and educational development
that occurs in a child’s first five years of life is a strong predictor of
success in school, work and later in life. One way to support our young
children is to ensure they are spending time with well-trained, and
appropriately compensated, professionals to provide the highest quality of care
and education.
Nicole Forry, Senior
Research Scientist, Child Trends, Inc.
Home Safety
Checklist for Parents Updated
The Home Safety Checklist (available
in English and Spanish) and accompanying Reference Guide have been updated
-http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/mch/fhv/safety.html.
The Home Safety Checklist Reference
guide contains useful information about communicating with families and
background information on each checklist item.
Specifically, the items below were
added to the Reference Guide:
* Safe Sleep: new crib standards
regarding drop down sides, pages 7 - 8
* Safe Storage: adding energy drinks and
alcoholic beverages as potentially
dangerous items, pages 11 - 12
* Around the house: adding toys and objects that contain button
batteries and
magnets, page 13
* Around the house: using stationary activity centers instead of
walkers, page 16
Marty Smith - Region 11 Help Me Grow
IEIC Project Coordinator Metro ECSU
Phone: 651.247.3429
Information
on the EPA Child Care Web site:
EPA has launched a new web-based resource
directory of environmental health information for child care. This Web site was
developed with three target audiences in mind: child care providers, parents,
and state and local agencies; the information it contains is arranged to be
easily accessible for these three distinct audiences.
On the web site you will find links to a
wealth of information (fact sheets, PPTs, trainings, assessment tools, reports,
prevention and intervention guidance, etc.) on asthma, chemical hazards,
environmental tobacco smoke, green cleaning, indoor air quality, lead, mercury,
mold, pesticides and plastics. We hope you find this website useful and welcome
your suggestions on how it can be improved.
