Be An Opener of Doors....

Teaching Strategies is a company with an online assessment called GOLD that our Early Childhood Program has recently been using to assess Early Learning.  When accessing the site, I came upon some quotable quotes that truly speak volumes about what Early Childhood Educators do each day.  I have these quotes hanging in my office and they serve as a reminder of what and who we are here for.

"Be an opener of doors..."~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Education is no the filling of a pail, but the lighting of  a fire."~ William Butler Yates

"Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I remember.  Involve me and I learn." ~Benjamin Franklin

"A mind once stretched by a new idea never gains its original dimensions." ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."~ Pericles

Ready to Read: Early Literacy

It is never too soon to read with your child.  Children of all ages will benefit from reading!  Reading as a family is a great way to encourage reading at home and will also demonstrate the value of information and imagination.   Some great tips to promote preschool literacy as you read and when you are at home are:

• Spend time having conversations.  Oral language can help your child develop vocabulary and knowledge about the world around them.  Talk about things they see at home or in their community. Visit your public library or attend story hour.
• Play with language.  Read books that have rhymes or listen for sounds that are the same. Ex:  Johnny jumped and jogged his way to Joey's house. 
• Teach your child about letters.  Point out letters and words in their own enviornment.  Talk about the letters in their name, letters on signs, or other objects around the house.
• Read aloud every day.  Talk about the stories you read from begining to end.  Who were the characters, how did they feel, and what they think will happen next.
• Encourage your child to draw and write.  Have markers, crayons, pencils, and a variety of resources to write with.  This will help your child connec their reading to their own writing.
• Use your native language.  Use your native language when you talk, read, play, and sing to create a strong sense of self and to build a strong foundation.  You are and will always be the most important educator to your child. 
•  Remember, children learn best when they see adults using these same skills and the number one way to get young children interested in reading is to read together EVERY day!

( These tips and information can be found along with a variety of other great resources from the  U.S. Department of Education's Early Reading First Program 2005)

Welcome Back: East Early Childhood

Summer is coming quickly to a close and the school year is just around the corner.  I hope that each of you were able to relax and enjoy your summer break. We look forward to meeting each of you as we start another adventure in learning  Our preschool teachers will soon be contacting you and setting up times to meet with each family individually.  Welcome Conferences will be held for the district classrooms on August 18th, 2011 from 10:00AM to 6:00PM and on August 19th, 2011 from 8:00 AM to 12:00PM.  We hope that you are able to attend your scheduled conference as these meetings are a great opportunity for you and your child to meet their teacher and to get to know one another.  If you should have any questions about your child's preschool placement, teacher, or our NAYEC Accredited Programs, please feel free to call East Early Childhood Center.  Our contact information can be found at www.SLCSD.org.