Newsletter Blog

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...

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...

This is a great article called: Building Character Through Block Play by Jean Schreiber and CommunityPlayThings.com CLICK HERE to read the article!

One of our awesome members posted a GREAT article titled Learning through Play: STEM! Check it out at the link: http://www.littleblossomspreschool.com/blog/learning-through-play-stem

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 su...

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...

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...

By John Funk             Current research indicates that the two top factors in curtailing negative behavior in the classroom are nurturing positive relationships with the children and providing high quality supportive environments (classrooms). (1)             After years of supervising pre-service teachers, I understand fully how critical supportive environments are in our early childhood classrooms.  In the current collaboration between the University of Utah and Granite School District, we use the ‘Big 8’ format for classroom management. (2) Those eight strategies include:   Expectations:   Teaching and stating clearing the expected behavior.   Attention Prompts: Having signals or prompts to get the children’s attention.  (“When you hear the train whistle, stop and look at the teacher.”)   Proximity: Being close to the children (not calling across the roo...

Hello Utah Educators! UAEYC recently received a request for more information and more examples of how to use dialogic questions in the classroom.  Our President Elect, Sheila Anderson, was able to provide some great resources. Click HERE for a free online module. Click HERE to visit the main website developed by the key researchers on this particular issue. If you have a question or concern that you would like to see addressed here on our blog email us at: assist.uaeyc@gmail.com. Likewise, if you have information that would be useful to the Utah Early Childhood Community, write or video a small blog entry and email it to us at: assist.uaeyc@gmail.com.

We have received permission to share the article from NAEYC featuring our very own Ilse Wilson. Check it out:  http://www.naeyc.org/ tyc/article/Ilse_Wilson .

The Wall Street Journal just published important father-child research done by our very own Sheila Anderson.  As UAEYC Vice President, she is leading by example as she becomes involved in making a difference for her community and nation!  Congratulations Sheila Anderson on your most recent publication! http://www.wsj.com/articles/what-dads-play-does-for-kids-1434476561?mod=e2fb

We are proud to announce that our very own Ilse Wilson was featured in the recent edition of the national Teaching Young Children Magazine!  We are grateful for our involved, contributing members and for all they do in the pursuit of supporting our youngest learners!  Way to go Ilse Wilson!!! June/July 2015 - Vol. 8, No. 5 | National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC TYC | Teaching Young Children Magazine

By Susan Okroy, Early Childhood Specialist Utah State Office of Education Parents as First Teachers: Children’s first and most influential teachers are their parents/family. They play an important, fundamental role in the child’s learning and achievement. When parents, educators, and caregivers work together in the education and well-being of a child, a partnership is formed that will influence the best possible learning outcomes for the learner. Meaningful family-school partnerships focus on: Increasing regular two-way communication between parents and their child’s teacher and/or child care provider that is meaningful and ongoing. Welcoming and preparing family members to be involved in fun learning activities at home. Inviting parents and families to on-site programs, activities, and professional development when possible. Sharing decision making that involves the child’s learning, achievement and well-being. When and where appropriate, sharing in school and...