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Meet the New UAEYC Governing Board!

July marks the beginning of the new term for the UAEYC governing board. As we start the new board term, we heartily thank Rhonda Dossett (Vice President), Mills Snowden (Treasurer), Rebecca Mikkelsen (Student Liaison Co-Chair), Mary Matthews (Student Liaison Co-Chair), Trevor Hicks (Northern Utah Member Rep), and Sally Schramm (T.E.A.C.H. Advisory Chair) for their service to UAEYC and to the early childhood education community over the past year. We welcome Ilse Wilson (Treasurer), Debi Evans (Secretary), Kim Rice (Accreditation Co-chair), Leah Stanton (Northern Utah Member Rep), and Connie Wang (Public Policy Chair) to the board as they begin their terms of service. Here are the UAEYC Governing Board members for the 2018-2019 year: UAEYC Executive Board Jared Lisonbee, President Jared is the Research Analyst at Utah Community Action Head Start in Salt Lake. Kathie MacKay, Vice President Kathie is a faculty member in the College of Educa
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Connecting with High School Programs - Mary Matthews

In the state of Utah, high school students can complete a learning pathway called Early Childhood Education. Within this pathway, students take Child Development, Early Childhood Education I, and a Foods and Nutrition class to prepare them for a career in Early Childhood Education. In addition to training, students work on their CDA portfolio. This provides our profession with an influx of qualified teachers. High school programs are training programs and we don’t seek to take profit away from you centers. We want to help prepare individuals for success. Your support of the programs will go a long way to build your community and support early learners. The best way to get involved in this program is to reach out to your local high school and determine if they offer the above courses and if they have an on-site child care lab. Reach out to the instructor and determine if there are any ways you can both support each other’s programs. I truly believe that once a partnership is form
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Let's Get Writing

Shirlene Law   What do you think of when you hear the phrase “writing in preschool?”  For some, the word “writing” conjures up visions of dotted worksheets with repetitive alphabet letters.  Others may think of the squiggles and lines and circles drawn on notepads and chalkboards throughout their classrooms.  For many teachers, the bigger question becomes, “Is teaching writing developmentally appropriate in preschool and, if so, how?”  Just like reading great books, engaging in rich conversations, understanding the concepts of the alphabet, and strong foundational language skills matter, writing is a critical component of the early childhood Language Arts curriculum.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has described appropriate writing practices in early childhood in the book, D evelopmentally Appropriate Practice, 3rd Edition . 1  The following focus areas provide guidelines and suggestions from NAEYC for supporting writing development in th
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Balancing Risk

By Will Bollwerk Imagine a group of three to five year olds running around a playground while teachers sit idly by, monitoring yet engaging each other in conversation or taking the time to check their text messages. The playground is a reasonably safe place. It is clean and sterile. The equipment composed of hard plastic and brightly colored metal pieces. The children running around on the black rubber matting. Nearby, a field as large as a football stadium, lays unused. The grass is soft and inviting. The trees sway in the autumn breeze. Countless insects are waiting to be found by curious eyes. Why is the field going unused? Are the teachers unaware that is exists? Perhaps they aren’t allowed by the agency to take children anywhere but the playground. Maybe they have no idea what treasures a field of grass and trees might hold. More likely than not, the teachers are afraid. This situation is all too common in the early childhood field. Early childhood educators are over
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Helping Children Stay Curious

By Jared Lisonbee “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing 1 .” –Albert Einstein Children are born curious. They begin engaging with and discovering their world from the day they are born. As young children gain the ability to wonder, ask questions and make connections, they discover the joy of learning which pushes them to discover even more. Unfortunately, as many children progress across childhood, the spark of curiosity that leads to a love of learning diminishes. The “how” and “why” questions common in early childhood may be replaced by “What do I need to know for the test?” or “Just tell me the right answer.” In our world where technological advances are happening at a rapid pace, curiosity and creativity will be increasingly essential characteristics to have. Parents and teachers working with young children have a big influence on supporting children’s continued curiosity. Unfortunately, adults may also c
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