A tenet of developmentally appropriate practice is establishing and nurturing a sense of community in your classroom or setting. This sense of community should encompass your relationships with the children, their families and caregivers, and with your colleagues.
Cultural Diversity
Differentiating in a Preschool Setting
by Debbie Keiser
It’s Sunday night and you have just finished creating the perfect set of lesson plans, filled with exciting activities to evoke interest and engagement in all of your little ones. Your children arrive the next day and within the first hour you realize that everything you had planned is not going to happen. What do you do?
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Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World on Earth Day
As early childhood educators, we know that supporting children’s social-emotional development is crucial to their success in the primary grades, their relationships, their choice-making, and in essence, life. Every child has his own unique challenges in developing a sense of responsibility, self-regulation, and self-care. As we support children’s personal growth, we also need to consider how to encourage them to care for one another and for the world at large.
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15 Activities to Celebrate NAEYC’S Week of the Young Child
The National Association for the Education of Young Children is hosting its annual Week of the Young Child™ (WOYC) from April 8 to 12, 2019. WOYC spotlights the importance of childhood, early learning, and family and community engagement in supporting children’s development. New this year, NAEYC is asking participants to Step It Up by expanding upon activities in unique ways. Follow the WOYC and Step It Up links to learn more about these initiatives. Below are 15 activities to help you celebrate in your child care setting. Continue reading
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A Purim Celebration
The holiday of Purim is arguably the most joyous day of the Jewish year. Purim marks the time that Queen Esther helped save the Jewish people from being harmed by Haman, a confidant to King Achashverosh, who did not agree with the customs of Jewish people. (You can read a detailed account of the story here.) If you are approaching Purim from a Christian lens, it is helpful to know that King Achashverosh is referred to as King Xerxes in the book of Esther in the New International Version of the Bible (it will also explain variations in the spellings of certain names).
The Purim story involves violence and death, but Jewish families and preschools often modify this story to help children understand how one person can make a difference. When Queen Esther, a Jewish woman, learned of Haman’s plan, she spoke up and saved her people. Her courage is commemorated each year in Jewish communities, where people host parties, wear costumes, give gifts to family and friends, read the megillah (the story of Queen Esther), and offer tzedakah, or charity, to those in need.
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