Skip the navigation and go directly to the content.
Subscribe to receive Newsletter
In this issue:
Please Note:
Unfortunately, future issues of the Better Kid Care E-Newsletter will be suspended because the state has not passed the budget for next year. Comments may be shared at: betterkidcare@psu.edu.
Tips for Early Educators and Practitioners:
Summer's Here!
Plan Now!
Hot Topics for you - Distance Education
Cool Ideas for Kids!
Visit Summer Resources
While cleaning up at the end of the day, an early learning professional shared the comment, "That was a beautiful day!" You could see on his face the expression of happiness. And considering that it was raining for the fifth day in a row, it wasn’t the weather he was talking about. In the professional field of early education, "beautiful day" can be a mysterious phrase. Even with well-researched curricula in place, fantastic environments, terrific materials, and really great co-workers, many early educators are still eagerly searching for the "beautiful day." What makes a beautiful day? ...
Research-Based
Early Childhood
Information
A new Child Trends brief, Exploring The Links Between Family Strengths and Adolescent Outcomes, finds that family strengths are associated with significantly better outcomes for adolescents in both lower-income and higher-income families. Family strengths include emotional/subjective strengths (such as close and caring parents); behavioral/concrete strengths (for example, parental monitoring and parent involvement); and passive parenting strengths (for instance, positive parental rolemodeling).
State of the World's Mothers 2009: Investing in the Early Years
Are you aware that Better Kid Care provides comprehensive curricula in early childhood development? The Better Kid Care curriculum follows the PA Core Body of Knowledge and offers multiple course titles to choose from. Each course offers numerous Distance Education lessons, providing a well-rounded approach to obtaining your professional development. View the entire Better Kid Care Distance Education curriculum on line at www.betterkidcare.psu.edu and choose your course of study today! Register for a lesson or try an entire course!
Backyard Discoveries - You can teach kids how to stop, look, and listen to the world around them. You will be teaching the children how to act like scientists, how to observe, and how to ask questions. This is far more valuable than always having the right answers. Exploring the natural world just outside your door is fun and a great way to turn children ages three through five on to science.
Gardening with Young Children: Dig In! - Gardening with young children doesn't have to be overwhelming. Start by inviting the children to become curious about gardening. Through simple gardening activities we can encourage curiosity and discovery. Young children learn by experiencing "hands-on" and by having opportunities to think about, re-visit, and question their experiences.
Kitchen Science - You don't have to be a scientist to explore science with preschool-age children. It’s far more important that you make it fun and show the children your curiosity. More important than having the answers is having the questions. You can explore kitchen science with children even if you don’t know much about science.Think about Science - Give children real things to investigate. Investigations give children a chance to use their senses: watching carefully for changes, touching, tasting, and smelling. They also give you a chance to ask open-ended questions that get children to share their ideas. Learn about hands-on active science learning and discover how you can support children's natural curiosity and build scientific thinking skills.
For more information please call 1-800-452-9108
Health and Safety Tips
Playground Protective Surface Covering Update - The Class II Bulletin, Playground Protective Surface Covering, was published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and is effective immediately. The bulletin includes the references to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) documents that provide information regarding the depth and type of surfacing under equipment as required by the amendment to 55 Pa. Code §§3270.102(c), 3280.102(c) and 3290.102(c), relating to condition of play equipment, which states:
Outdoor equipment that requires embedded mounting must be mounted over a loose-fill or unitary playground protective surface covering that meets the recommendations of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. The equipment must be anchored firmly and be in good repair.
The intent of the bulletin is to provide direction to child care providers so that they can directly access the CPSC recommendations and have information regarding how the Department will apply the regulation. Please note the following:
For additional information, please contact your Regional Office of Child Development and Early Learning:
Central: 1-800-222-2117, Northeast: 1-800-222-2108, Southeast: 1-800-346-2929, Western: 1-800-222-2149
The Little Fish that Got Away, by Bernadine Cook, published by HarperCollins, ISBN 0060557133. A little boy goes fishing every day, but he never catches anything–no, not a single fish. So he waits and waits and waits, until one special day when a fish comes swimming by....find out what happens!
Wishing I Was Fishing, by Eva Wells, published by Beaver’s Pond Press, ISBN 1592981682. Take a trip across the lake on a young boy's first spring fishing trip with his dad. As the winter melts into spring, the two prepare the boat, gather their gear, and reel in their first fish. This beautifully illustrated story captures a child's joyous anticipation and the thrill of the first catch.
Trout of the World, by James Prosek, published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang, ISBN 1584791527. From the Oxus trout of eastern Afghanistan to the small golden brown trout of British chalk streams, James Prosek has dedicated his unique painting talent to bringing to life trout from around the world, several of which are the few remaining of their type. A collection of nearly 100 gorgeous watercolors.
More fish stories:
Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count on, by Lois Ehlert, published by Voyager Books, ISBN 0152280510
Fish Is Fish, by Leo Leonni, published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, ISBN 0394804406
Swimmy, by Leo Leonni, published by Dragonfly, ISBN 0394826205
Are you looking for articles to share with your families? Do you need information for your parent/family bulletin board? Family Time / Work Time shares easy-to-read articles for busy parents and caretakers with a focus on Building Strong Families.
You are welcome to print and share these publications with your friends, family, and other child care providers.
Summer Safety Safety experts consider summer to be “trauma season” because many of children’s serious injuries increase at this time of year. Most injuries can be prevented when parents realize their child’s stage of development and take the right steps to help prevent injuries. When parents understand their child’s cognitive, behavioral, physical abilities, and limitations at various stages of development they know what to look for to prevent serious injuries. Read more in this month's issue of Family Time Work Time. |
 |
|
Thank You!
Better Kid Care would like to thank all those who participated in the 2008-2009 satellite season! The satellite season brought exciting information on time, consumer issues, art appreciation, and building curiosity with young children.
Missed a show? Visit the Past Satellite Workshop page to view video online.
CDA News!
Need CDA help? Visit Better Kid Care’s CDA Information link and get answers to your CDA questions! Call Christine at 800-452-9108 or email your CDA questions to Christine at crb16@psu.edu.
Family Child Care CDAs Develop Support Network - Isolation is a problem for many family child care professionals. MaryBeth Bush, a CDA from Trumbell County, Ohio, relates her personal experience about a network of family child providers who were able to study together, receive their CDAs together, and then unite together for emotional and professional support. Check out the news from the Council at their Council Link newsletter at http://www.cdacouncil.org/ab_new.htm.
The following information highlights upcoming professional development opportunities available for early childhood practitioners:
In Pennsylvania:
Other:
 |
Announcements of Interest |
EARLY EDUCATION
New from NAEYC! http://www.naeyc.org/dap/videocast/default.asp – Listen to six video casts, conversations between Carol Copple, Sue Bredekamp, and Peter Pizzolongo on five questions about DAP submitted by viewers. Go to www.naeyc.org/dap.
Building Blocks for Literacy – This successful (and free) 12-hour program uses play to develop sound awareness, shared book reading, and speech-to-print understanding. After a decade in Vermont, the program is going nationwide.
The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee created a wonderful literacy resource kit designed for teachers to share with parents. The kit has sections on reading development, activities for building reading skills, information on ways to improve home-school communication, and a section for parents of children with special needs. |
Visit the Better Kid Care Web Site for Additional Resources
|
Subscribe to the BKC E-Newsletter!
New subscribers can join by sending an email to:
BetterKidCareNews-subscribe-request@lists.psu.edu.
View archived Better Kid Care E-Newsletters
Reflections...
We would love to hear from you! E-mail your ideas to crb16@psu.edu or call 814-865-7894.
Disclaimer: Where trade names appear, no discrimination is intended, and no endorsement by Penn State Cooperative Extension is implied.
