There are a Million Excuses
There are a million excuses out there—and not one that a parent is going to accept—when it comes to their child’s safety. The latest bad child care teacher story to hit the news includes video of a toddler teacher at a Plano child care facility throwing a child down on a nap mat, and then covering him up with a blanket.Unacceptable. There are so many things we need to do better, and differently regarding early childhood education in Texas. However, we cannot wait for bills to be passed, and for policies to change or for systems to be implemented to make[...]
Fostering Creativity with Loose Parts
I’ve been intrigued with children’s creative use of natural and man-made materials since my first years as an early childhood educator. Children count, sort and classify rocks, shells, seeds, buttons and other objects. They build intricate structures with blocks, boxes, twigs and tubes. Scraps of cloth become doll clothes, capes, flags and headdresses. The Theory of Loose Parts is a term coined by Simon Nicholson, an architect who is often quoted, ‘In any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it.’ This idea[...]
Study Shows: High-quality early childcare and preschools make better employees
Camp Fire has been stressing the importance of social-emotional learning in the zero to five age range for years – and others are beginning to see just how valuable that is. ReadyNation has released a new report, Social-Emotional Skills in Early Childhood Support Workforce Success: Why business executives want employees who play well with others, that details how high-quality early childcare and preschools make better employees. Since 2005, Camp Fire First Texas has implemented a comprehensive, research-based program designed to improve the quality of early education and care facilities located in targeted Fort Worth neighborhoods within the Fort Worth[...]
Tour Guide to the World; What Infants & Toddlers Need
I’ve dreamed of going to Italy for ages. I’ve looked at pictures of famous attractions and locations, thought about how the food would taste, imagined the smells and pictured myself walking up and down cobbled roads. Needless to say, it’s on the top of my “must go places” list. I don’t speak Italian, so I like to think about how much richer a trip to Italy would be if I took a tour guide that could interpret for me. They could describe and label everything that I’m seeing and experiencing and help me communicate with locals for a[...]
Why Watered-Down Pre-K Won’t Work
Last July, I wrote a blog about House Bill 4 (HB4) – a well-intentioned grant program aimed at improving Texas’ pre-K education. To give a re-cap: Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB4 into law this past May, and intended for $130 million to be awarded over the next two years to school districts who meet certain criteria such as utilizing a state approved pre-K curriculum and using teachers who meet certification requirements. Districts who meet the bill's requirement were eligible to receive up to $1,500 per child. Fast forward to today. Because so many schools sought and were awarded funding, districts[...]
Summer Safety Tips for Child Care Providers
Child Care providers have the responsibility of keeping children safe while in their care, and there are extra precautions that need to be taken during the summer months. As summer temperatures continue to rise, so do the number of preventable summer tragedies. It’s the conversation no one wants to have, but is so very necessary. Day camps and child care programs tend to frequent pools, off-site field trips and splash days during the summer months.Water SafetyOutings where a child care takes a group of children to a body of water calls for heightened diligence – including splash days. Even[...]
How Do We Train Early Educators?
What does it take for a child to succeed in life? Every parent and educator asks this question and tries their best to make sure their child or student has the best start early on. Despite efforts from parents, some children seem to succeed against all odds and others don’t. It warrants the question - why?Is there something or someone in their environment that is giving something extra or special helping them to succeed? There has been significant research done on the topic and secret lies in the social and emotional foundation that children receive when they are ages[...]
Camp Fire Recognizes North Texas Top Child Care Professional’s, Names 2016 Excellence in Child Care Winners
March 21, 2016 (Fort Worth, Texas) – Camp Fire First Texas honored child care professionals at a dinner and awards ceremony on March 10 at Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth. More than 250 attended the event including 37 finalists for the 2016 Excellence in Child Care awards. An annual highlight of the early childhood professional’s calendar, Celebration of Child Care Champions awards dinner recognizes early childhood professionals who play a vital role in the development of thousands of area children age birth to five while providing an opportunity to focus public attention on the importance of child care[...]
Early Education: What to expect in 2016
January might be over, but conversations about early education are reaching their peak. Now more than ever, early childhood program administrators, community leaders and politicians are reevaluating our education system when it matters most – the early years. Last year laid the stepping stones for discussion starters, 2016 will be the beginning of a lasting effort to reassess, strengthen and improve the early education playing field. Now that both our national and local community has moved from asking questions to seeking answers, there are a few key trends to keep an eye on in 2016. 1. Expanding the focus.[...]
Day Care vs Child Care; Why Words Matter
A recent study published in Science magazine detailed just how important quality child care affects adult health later in life. The study showed what we already know – children who receive stimulating and appropriate care from 0-3 years are proven to have stronger cognitive, social and reasoning abilities once they reach adulthood. As a bonus, the study also proved adults who received quality child care were also physically healthier than those who didn’t. We want the best for our children; parents, educators, and the community at large. But what exactly does “the best” mean? To start, we must do what we can[...]
Child Care Aware: Only 7% of Child Care Centers Accredited; 7% of Tarrant County Programs Considered “Qualityâ€
Child Care Aware recently published a shocking statistic – only 7% of Child Care programs are accredited nationally. According to the Miles Foundation, of the 1,365 licensed child care programs in Tarrant County, only 92 are considered "quality" using NAEYC, NAC, TRS and TSR! as indicators of such. This means only 7% of all licensed child care programs in Tarrant County are considered "quality programs." Now more than ever it is important to research and know which Child Care programs are of quality – in your area. Last week, Cook Children's "Checkup Daily" posted a great blog on the top-ten questions to ask a[...]
TEXAS PRE-K LAW We already know what works
Gov. Gregg Abbott signed House Bill 4 (HB4) into law this spring, targeted at improving Texas' pre-K education. The $130 million grant program, HB4, is intended to be awarded over the next two years to school districts who meet certain criteria such as utilizing a state approved pre-K curriculum and using teachers who meet certification requirements. Districts who meet the bill's requirement could receive up to $1,500 per child. Gov. Abbott stated this will give an opportunity to see what works; however, we already know what works in early education. Not only are there many studies that detail what works, the National[...]
