Hello,

Thank you for your question. First, it’s wonderful that you’ve committed yourself to an authentic method of incorporating letters into your classroom. In my classroom, I would incorporate the letters pertinent to our study at the time. If we were studying “Boxes”, for example, ‘B’ would most certainly be a letter we became familiar with. Activities surrounding letters had meaning and purpose, and it was effective. Keep in mind that although the way you teach letters may be looked at as ‘different’ by some, it is a research-based method that is developmentally appropriate. Keep doing what you’re doing.

I certainly understand your concern with the dynamic you have mentioned. I have been there myself, and it can be challenging. My first piece of advice to you is this – it’s not so much about what you’re saying, but rather the way you’re saying it and how you convey the message. I am sure these other educators have been teaching letters in their way for quite some time, and they do not want to be made to feel as if they’ve been doing it “wrong”. You of course, feel the same way. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable place during these meetings, take a deep breath and respond to any negativity with positive and honest statements. One may sound like this: “I am comfortable incorporating letters into my classroom using these methods, and it has proven to be effective. My students are learning the letters.” Using ‘I’ statements and stating facts in a positive way is a great way to respond!

My second piece of advice to you is to have a positive outlook. Feel good about what you’re doing. I am sure you already do! Some teachers will be intrigued by what you say and what you’re doing. They may want to know more. If you’re comfortable with it, you can always extend an invitation to another teacher, to come and observe how you incorporate the letters in your classroom. This kind of proactive approach says, “I can see you have interests and questions. Come in, explore and observe.”

I found these methods to be helpful, and have used them in the past. I hope you find them just as useful. Good luck, and I wish you a very successful school year!

Hi Cindy,

This is a great question. Bringing different cultures into the classroom exposes the children to different ways of life, and helps them gain a sense of appreciation and tolerance for others. One year, I had 7 different languages represented in my classroom alone! It was fantastic.

At the beginning of the year, you can seek out parent/family volunteers to come in and read to the class in a native language. Ask them if they have a book written in their native language at home they would like to bring in, or provide one that you have written in English. If you do provide them with a book in English, send it home and allow the parent/family member to become familiar with the book. This way, they’ll be comfortable when reading to the class in their native language. Set up a day and a time for the story, and get the children excited about it! If you have access to an audio recording device, you can record the reading of the book. This way, the children can listen to it throughout the year, and it also serves as a great multicultural resource for you. Occasionally, you and the parent can read the book in dual languages simultaneously. For example, the parent/family member can read a page in their native language, and then you can read it in English. Point out key vocabulary words in both languages. How do they sound? What do they look like? What are the similarities? What are the differences?

Of course on most days, it will be you reading the story to the children. During the first weeks of school, simply smiling while making eye contact with English language learners will let them know they are in a safe place. Using visuals and props while reading stories will help all learners stay engaged and interested. I would encourage you to use these as often as possible, especially during the first weeks of school. For example, for the story, “Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash”, by Sarah Weeks, you can create a story re-telling prop that the children can manipulate themselves. First, introduce the props after reading the book, perhaps during a small group activity. Using yarn, clothes pins, and print out copies of the pages in the book, the children can sequence the events of the story by hanging them on a clothes line, just like Mrs. McNosh. You can pair an English language learner with a child more versed in the English language while working on these kinds of activities. The newer learner will build skills in English, while helping the other child celebrate his/her own abilities. This will also get the children excited for future stories during whole group.

I also found it beneficial to learn key words and phrases in other languages, such as “hello”, “thank you” and “bathroom”. When I could, I familiarized myself with these words. It proved helpful to me, and allowed the children who spoke these languages to feel comfortable.

Reginald,
I found this an especially interesting question particularly in light of the fact that the May/June issue of Principal magazine had a focus on preschool in public schools. I wanted to add to Louis thoughtful response from my own experience as a teacher educator in a university who works with many school districts in my state as well as other states.

First a little perspective on where we are today taken mainly from The Status of Preschool 2010 compiled by the National Institute for Early Education Research (www.nieer.org). Nearly all states now have early learning standards. Currently only nine states do not yet have state-funded pre-k. Alaska and Rhode Island began the newest programs in 2009-10. Only 27 states require a BA degree for teachers. Funding for state pre-k decreased in many states, maintained in some states and increased in a few during 2009-10. The quality of pre-k does however vary greatly across the states. Some states and districts like Louis’ are striving to push-up pre-k quality to achieve a pre-k to grade 3 continuum.

So where does that bring us to in the future? A few trends I’ve noted are that some districts have begun converting pre-k special education classrooms to pre-k inclusion classrooms. This makes sense in light of federal and state impetus towards inclusion in the least restrictive environment. It also provides an opportunity for pre-k children without disabilities to receive preschool education within the public school system. Some districts contract with local preschool providers for delivery of preschool education in the community. This may involve making space available in local elementary schools, implementing a unified curriculum, and/or provided joint staff development. These trends I expect will continue.

Across districts, many states are grappling with accountability issues in education and discussing teacher evaluation tools and merit pay as well as child assessments. Indeed, states with Race to the Top grants are moving forward in these directions. Along with funding for pre-k comes accountability. Research tells us that high quality preschool that can make a difference in closing the achievement gap. The key for impact is that the programs be of high quality. Teacher evaluation tools and child assessment instruments need to be grounded in a developmentally appropriate framework. What works for testing a fourth grader isn’t appropriate for a four year old. Likewise, the style of intentional teaching and child facilitated activities are often not found in many elementary schools making the need for different ways to evaluate teachers. I expect that more states will require a BA degree and specialized training in early childhood education as a step toward improving quality.

In 20 years, my hope is that these issues have been resolved and that transitions from pre-k to K and K to 1st grade and throughout the P-3 continuum be thoughtfully planned and effective for all children and families. My hope is that instead of watering down a 1st grade curriculum for Kindergarten and watering down a Kindergarten curriculum for preschool, that districts and policy makers recognize the wide range of development in the early years and plan systems that support the uniqueness of each child and encourage their potential. We need to engage children and support learning by pushing up and expanding on the projects, studies, learning centers found in high quality preschool classrooms into K-3 classrooms to enable teachers to truly differentiate instruction based on the interests, strengths and needs of each child. In 20 years, my hope that preschool is valued and viewed in public schools as the foundation for all schooling.

Hi Reginald,

Thank you for your question. I will share some of the changes I have witnessed in my former school district over the past few years, and what I hope for the next 20.

As we know, P-3 is preschool through third grade, the early learning years. So many wonderful and effective preschool programs (the “P” portion of P-3) have been implemented over time, including the one I have had the pleasure of working in. In this district, P-3 is looked upon as a whole unit, which is exactly what it is. They have worked and planned over time to implement it as such. Over the past three years, the physical Kindergarten environment has evolved into one that exemplifies a developmentally appropriate early childhood classroom, just like the ones at the preschool level. Of course, the materials at this level are adapted for age-appropriate activities, implemented to help children reach Kindergarten goals and objectives.

This change is due to transition committees and teams made up of early childhood supervisors, master teachers and coaches, preschool and elementary classroom teachers, early childhood and elementary administrators. These committees reviewed data and research, attended various workshops and trainings, and continuously planned to begin implementing these changes in the public elementary schools. Assessment tools such as the APEEC (Assessment of Practices in Early Elementary Classrooms) were also conducted. This assessment tool helped the teams recognize which areas of these elementary classrooms needed progress, and which areas were ones of strength. Currently, the district is beginning to move these practices into first grade classrooms, with a goal of implementing them into the second and third grades within two years.

Over the next 20 years, I hope to see the continued practices that take place in public schools reflect the practices in early childhood. What do these practices consist of? Developmentally appropriate activities, environments and assessments – and I’m so happy to say that this, of course, is happening already. Activities and lessons are being tiered to children’s learning abilities, differentiated instruction is being implemented so that a hands-on learner is acquiring the same knowledge of a visual and auditory learner, and portfolio-based assessments are being utilized. Whole group instruction is now being partnered with small group, paired work, and one-on-one instruction, to meet the needs of every learner.

Hi Jackie! You may find the book “Emergent Curriculum in the Primary Classroom: Interpreting the Reggio Emilia Approach in Schools,” edited by Carol Anne Wien, to be helpful. It focuses on ideas for children in kindergarten through third grade. Visit NAEYC’s online store at www.naeyc.org/store/node/371 to learn more and order a copy.

Thank you for your question, Felicia. Overall, NAEYC supports the ongoing and purposeful assessment of children to guide instruction, and as appropriate, evaluate children’s growth. NAEYC has developed a position statement that provides in-depth guidelines about developmentally appropriate assessment of young children. Visit our website at www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/cape to review the statement and related resources.

Also note that NAEYC is hosting the “Focus on Kindergarten” online event with experts Ben Mardell and Melissa Tonachel on August 29th through September 2nd. While the focus is not specifically on assessment, the experts can answer questions about best kindergarten practices. Visit www.naeyc.org/event/focus-on-kindergarten to post a question.

Best of luck!

Hi Lucy,

Budget stretchers are on many teachers' minds, especially this time of year. Equipping a classroom when there are not adequate funds to cover everything you think you need is a challenge for everyone. Basically, in budget-stretching mode, we are in search of free or reduced cost items. There are some basic approaches to follow, no matter what type of items you are looking for. I'll go over these first:

• Ask for donations from local businesses. Often, businesses are happy to give you items as a tax write-off. This is especially true if they have inventory from a previous season that hasn't sold. Introduce yourself to neighborhood business owners so they know who you are and can contact you if they have excess inventory or want to do a good deed for their community. Don't just set your sites on big cost items like computers and printers; items like wallpaper sample books can enhance your art area.

• Ask for donations from children's families. Here, be specific, put together a list of items that would be helpful to have and circulate it to parents. Very frequently, families are happy to donate items like old measuring cups and spoons that can be used both in the cooking area and in the home area of your dramatic play area.

• Frequent yard sales, dollar stores, flea markets, and online auction sites like EBay. Books, dress-up clothes, dolls, manipulatives, gardening supplies and the like can often be picked up for very little money.

• Make your own props and materials. Some items like art supplies, science/discovery supplies, musical instruments, cardboard blocks, and the like can readily be made by you, the children, or the children's families. You might for example, want to work with the children in making the science substance ooblek and then experimenting with this unstable substance. Bigger items like blocks or a terrarium can be made at workshops with parents. Parents who are good at carpentry skills can be enlisted to make water and sand tables or set up woodworking areas.

• Share with a colleague. You can enrich your inventory by exchanging some of your supplies for new and different ones that your fellow teachers have. This is an especially useful way of augmenting the books, music, and puzzles available to your children.

• Hold fundraisers and bake sales with the express objective of buying a high cost item such as a microscope or a digital camera.

• Look for grants. You might be surprised to find out what's available to teachers in your community. For example, pre-kindergarten teachers in 15 states can apply for a mini-grant from Qwest. Grants of $5000.00 are awarded to promote the integration of technology in the classroom (See http://www.ehow.com/list_6672961_computer-grants-preschool-programs.html)

To answer your specific questions, here are some thoughts:
• Children's books: look for used books at yard/garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, and online auction sites. Goodwill is another good source for very inexpensive children's books. Exchange books with a fellow teacher or through an online book exchange. Check books out of your local library. Purchase children's books at sales held by libraries weeding through their inventories. There are also many discount book outlets that offer low-cost children's books. Don't forget to ask families for donations, too. Some book clubs such as Scholastic will offer points towards free purchases of books. Scholastic and other publishers also often hold seasonal warehouse sales where books are offered for half price. Finally, encourage the children to make their own books using the computer, scanned photos, hand drawn illustrations, or dictated text. Covers can be laminated and the bindings sewn, stapled, or fastened with brads. The October 2011 issue of TYC will feature an article on just this topic.

• Field trips-These can indeed be costly...and you want all of the children to be able to participate. To underwrite the costs, consider holding fundraisers or bake sales. Again, look for community or state grants. In Nebraska, for example, School Bus Arts Grants underwrite the costs of field trips and admission fees to attend arts events such as live music, dance, or theatre performances and cultural exhibits at museums or other venues. (http://www.nebraskaartscouncil.org/what_we_do/grantinfo/grantcategories....) Sometimes field trip destination sites will waive admission fees for children. The St. Louis Children's Museum, for example, offers reduced admission fees at certain times of the year and free admission to classes with a high percent of disadvantaged children. You might also broach a local business about sponsoring your field trips. Speak with their public relations department--this is good community relations for the business (and a tax write-off to boot).

• Items for dramatic play--These are fairly easy to have donated. Many families have kitchen-related items and old clothing, shoes, purses, hats, and briefcases they are happy to donate. Doctors and vets are likewise good resources for old medical supplies. Goodwill and Ebay are additional sources to visit for inexpensive purchases. Old clothing and household articles can almost always be purchased for very little money at yard sales, flea markets and even consignment shops. Shop around--you are sure to find enough bargains to stock your dramatic play area with exciting fashions and equipment.

• Items for science center-here's where you can make many supplies and activity materials. If you go online you can find instructions for making classroom volcanoes, tornado bottles, and substances like bubble solution, gak, ooblek, glarch, glerch, goop, glrorax, silly putty, and flubber. NAEYC's The Cooking Book (Colker) has a number of science recipes that children can make with teachers. You may find that a local nursery will donate plants and seeds for gardening--or at least offer these items at a reduced cost. Fortunately, a great many science materials are readily found in nature for free--shells, pinecones, leaves, insects, worms, etc. Recycling and compost bins can often be donated through grants. Coca -Cola, for example, offers schools and other community programs free recycling bins. (See http://www.bingrant.org/overview.aspx)

• Building materials- There is one set of materials that I always recommend teachers have: a full set of hardwood unit blocks. You may be able to purchase a used set at yard sales or on Ebay, which would definitely hold your costs down. Beyond this, you can be creative in your inventory of building supplies and props. As mentioned earlier, you can hold a parent workshop in which everyone makes cardboard blocks for the class out of used milk cartons. You can find directions online at http://www.ehow.com/how_5685653_make-cardboard-blocks.html. People and animal props, small cars and other vehicles, and wooden road signs can often be found at garage sales, thrift stores, dollar stores, and online auction sites. Home supply stores or hardware stores will sometimes donate an oversupply of gears, pulleys, and PVC pipes and fittings. You can ask carpet stores for remnants that the children can build on. Also, keep a box of recyclables with items like fabric and dried flowers handy for decorating constructions.

• Art supplies-like science materials, many art materials can be made together with the children. You can find recipes for a wide variety of paints, clays, doughs, and glues on the Internet and in NAEYC's The Cooking Book (Colker). These homemade materials not only are inexpensive, they are nontoxic, fun to make, and provide learning experiences for children. Storage places for art supplies can likewise be homemade: upside down egg cartons can hold scissors; a six pack beverage carrier can serve as a paint caddy. Children's paintings and drawings can be matted and framed using construction paper. As noted previously, wallpaper samples and other papers can be donated by local businesses. To make collages, you only need assemble a number of inexpensive or recyclable materials: seeds, bottle caps, doilies, feathers, flowers, netting, glitter, ribbons, sequins, toothpicks, and so forth.

I hope that these suggestions will spur your own ideas, Lucy. Be creative and persistent; I'm confident that you will be able to assemble a classroom inventory you're proud of--even on a tight budget.

Hi Lucy,

First, I wish you a productive and successful school year. I’m sure you’re full of emotions! Both Holly and Laura have provided some effective tips and I’ll add 3 more to the mix:

1 – Be yourself. Just as every child has his/her own personality, so do educators. As you become familiar with how each child learns and experiments let each child become familiar with you. Let them know who you are as well. Opportunities to build positive relationships will benefit children socially and emotionally. Serve as a model for the relationships you’d like them to build with each other.

2 – Experiment. Your students explore and experiment, and so should you. Try out new ideas you may have. As you get to know your children, your planning for activities and interest areas will change. Go with it, and always ask yourself, “Developmentally, is this appropriate? What do I want to accomplish by planning/implementing this?” Carefully choose the materials and manipulatives you provide for the children. Always keep in mind that these materials should always: A, be working and useable; B, related to your study and purpose of play; C, purposefully implemented to help children reach goals and objectives.

3 – Reflect. Engaging in self-reflection always leads to improvement. After you try something, ask yourself, “What worked about this? What didn’t? Why? What could I do differently?” Don’t worry if something doesn’t initially work the way you had planned. Learning by doing is very effective, and when you reflect you allow yourself the opportunity to improve.

Your first teaching job is both exciting and scary. You will have some great days and some will be more challenging. Just like children we learn from our experiences. There are so many tips for new teachers. Here are my top 3
1. Be prepared and organized. This means having materials ready for whole group gatherings and small group activities as well as for centers. It also means being prepared for mishaps like spills, accidents, and runny noses. It means keeping sanitation and safety in mind: washing your hands and theirs on arrival and throughout the day; cleaning and sanitizing tables for meals; having tissues and gloves handy; locking up poisons and anything that says keep out of reach of children.
2. Establish a regular routine and schedule. Keep whole group gatherings short. Remember that children have varied attention spans and learn through play and active engagement. Read every day. Limit transitions. Balance active and quiet times as well as child initiated and adult facilitated time. Classroom management is often an issue for new teachers. Many discipline situations can be corrected by examining your schedule and environment to prevent problems before they occur. While it is important to have a consistent routine, it’s also important to be flexible. If children aren’t interested or acting up, change plans. Develop a partnership with your assistant. She or he can make your job easier or more difficult. Discuss your role and theirs as well as expectations for each part of the schedule at the start of the year. Address problems when they are small and don’t save them inside and grumble.
3. Be an explorer. See things as fresh and new. Children will pick up on your enthusiasm. Expand your interests. Ask open-ended questions (I wonder what will happen if…; how did you do/make that?). Respect children’s ideas, feelings and thoughts. Have fun. You chose this profession for a reason. Enjoy each day. Don’t worry if something doesn’t work out as planned. Reflect and learn from your experiences.

If the family can help help child transition slowly it works well. Have an introduction. Have another introduction with an activity. Have child stay an hour or two by himself. Parent should pick up child at the same time everyday to show the childthat they are returning and mom or dad will always be there. Have parent call child in the classroom and let them talk for a minute. As i have always seen it is harder on the parent than the child. Your building parent confidence too.

Hi Bernadette,
What an interesting question! I tend to agree with you that that plan would be difficult for many working parents. It’s important with any separation plan to take into account the needs of children and families. While it does take some children a while to handle the separation, nearly all do make the transition. Sometimes it’s the parents who have the harder time, which of course often transfers to the child. The main focus of these entry plans should be to help children find the familiar and something of comfort in their new room at entry. There are many effective approaches to helping child (and parent) deal with separation. Here are some ideas:
• Prior to the start of school, make brief home visits, phone calls to the child and parent, or send out a welcome letter and a few classroom pictures. These help children and families begin to get to know the teacher and classroom.
• Request a family picture be brought in as part of registration process or the first day of school. Posted these on a classroom wall or space that is eye height for the children.
• Allow the child to bring in a favorite toy the first few days of school.
• Stagger the first day of school so that smaller groups of children (5 or 6 children) come in with a family member for the morning. This allows the teaching staff to more personally welcome each child and family and help them get a better sense of the routine and classroom. It also means that families need to only take off a few hours on their child’s “first” day.
• Use a digital camera to take a photo of the child and family member at drop off, print and post at the child’s cubby. These can also be put together into a slide show that is accessible to children on a computer or smartboard.
• Make sure to have name tags, names for cubbies, job chart names, sign-in sheets for child and parent ready for the first day so the child knows they have a place in this room, and parents know you took time to be ready for their child.
• While you don’t want bare walls or classrooms to start, be careful about putting too much up or out to avoid sensory overload for children.
• Make sure there is something for children to do on arrival so they can be involved and not wandering aimlessly. Having a few choices open such as water play, a play dough table, book area, dublo table and art table set up so children can ease into the classroom with activity until breakfast or morning meeting occurs.
• Invite families to stay for breakfast the first day.
• Make a child friendly schedule of the day with photos or pictures of the various activities. Post this in progression at child eye height so that children can follow along during the day to what happens next. A clothes pin or clip can be added that is moved along through the day with each activity.
• When possible, enlist the help of a volunteer for the first day or two so you have a couple of extra hands so someone can be involved with groups of children while others can be involved with child(ren) who is having a harder time with separation.
• Some schools used mixed age classrooms so children stay with the same teacher for two years. With a mixed age classroom, about half the children already know the teacher and routine, which often makes the transition easier for the new children entering the room.
• Allow the family to stay with the child for a bit upon arrival and then ease out of the room as their child gets engaged in an activity or with others.
• Drop parents an email during the first day or at pick-up give them a photo you took of their child engaged in an activity to see that their child did stop crying, and to open the parent/child dialog about something they did that day.
• Be patient with separation. This too shall pass.

Mona,
There are two types of books that I think are important to have at the beginning of the new school year. The first are books about school and/or being loved always. These books help recongize that children have feelings and sometimes miss their parents, and books that talk about school beginnings. A few of my favorites include The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn; If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff; Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School by Herman Parish; How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills; Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman; First Day Jitters by Julia Danneburg (also available in Spanish); Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney; Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney; Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes; This School Year Will Be the Best by Kay Winters and Renee Andriani; Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon by Pat Lovell and David Catrow; Miss Brooks Loves Books by Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley;

It’s also important to have some books that may be familiar to children already to help them to feel comfortable into your classroom by having books they recognize from home or prior classrooms. Books can provide a gateway to the familiar amid all that is new and different. These include books such as Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems; Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault; Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr; Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor; A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams; Frederick by Leo Lionni; If You Give A Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff; The Napping House by Audrey Wood; Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin; Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak; Olivia by Ian Falconer; Stega Nona by Tomie dePaolo; Cordoroy by Don Freeman; and The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle; and of course a few Dr. Suess books like Green Eggs and Ham or One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.

Of course as Laura pointed out, it’s also important to have books available in varied centers of the room. See her prior response to Linda for Favorite Books for Centers.

Your excited about the new year and all of your new materials! For a child this can be very overwhelming. Introduce only a couple of items at large group time. Show children how to play with or use item. Also, show how you must care for item and where it should be stored. This will make clean up time in the future much smoother.

Hi Brenda,

Thank you for your question. Having many emails to respond to is no stranger to me! It’s so great how you’ve recognized that something isn’t working out the way you planned, and you’re taking a proactive approach to change it and make it more effective for both you and the families of your students. You obviously understand the importance of communication between teachers and families - Bravo! Having time for yourself, your family, and your planning is of great importance as well.

You mentioned “respect for time” and “multiple emails”. Sometimes, a convenient time to send an email for a parent may not be a convenient time for you as the teacher to respond to one, and that’s okay. That is the beauty of email. It allows for an exchange of information that does not have to be immediate. Some perceive email as a paused conversation, which is why you may receive multiple emails with new thoughts and/or questions that occur during the exchanges. Remember that you are in control of your responses, and you decide whether one is necessary now or can wait until a later time. You are in charge of your time.

September is just around the corner, and the beginning of the school year is when families begin to learn how both their child’s classroom and the teacher operate. Most teachers create Welcome Letters and/or Welcome Packets for families to review. Perhaps you can create a schedule and/or indicate days and times you will be available to respond to emails. This way, you’re letting families know when you are available to respond, as opposed to when you are not. Simply through your emails at consistent times during the year, they will learn when you are available, and when to expect a response.

Be sure and take some of the pressure off yourself during your time on the weekends and enjoy. Also keep in mind that if you plan something for the class earlier in the week, such as a field trip or class party on a Monday or Tuesday, a parent or family member may send an email with a question or concern over the weekend. Being flexible on these occasions may help these events run smoothly.

Hopefully, you’ll feel less pressure with emails this year!

Hi Cait,

I'm sure that many teachers have the same question, experienced or not. The first weeks of school set the tone for the year, so it's very important --as you point out--that children feel safe and valued. Children pick up messages from their environment, so the first thing you'll want to do--even before the children arrive --is to set up your classroom with this in mind.

• You can give children the message that this is a good place to be by having a neat and clean center, displaying art and posters at their eye level, and placing plants and natural collections of pinecones, leaves, and shells in the centers to warm up the environment.

• You can convey the message that they are valued by giving each child a cubby that has his photo and name, by having materials and equipment that meet children's differing abilities, by having books, signage, and music representing the children's backgrounds.

• You can make children feel safe by displaying materials and equipment on shelves with labels (using pictures, English, and home languages), displaying a picture-based daily schedule, and having materials that are in good condition and storing them in consistent spaces.

I would also suggest that, if possible, children and family members tour the classroom ahead of time. This way children will know what to expect when they arrive on the first day. Show children the centers, where they will put their belongings, and what goes on in each center.

During the crucial first weeks, try the following guidelines, which are based on suggestions from the Creative Curriculum for Preschool, 4th edition, (Dodge, Colker, & Heroman, p. 101) but are equally applicable to kindergarten:

• Keep groups small. Introduce children to procedures and routines in groups of 3 or 4.
• Allow ample time for hellos and goodbyes. Even children who have been to preschool may have difficulty with separation. Encourage parents to stay a while in the beginning and have a picture of family members available for children to look at if they feel sad. It's also helpful to have parents record stories and songs that children can play during the day.
• Select activities children can do independently. In the beginning keep the activities simple and successful. Put out simple puzzles, self-correcting toys, crayons and paper, and familiar home objects for dramatic play.
• Teach children your signal for getting their attention. Whether it's raising your arm or flicking the lights, teach children the signal and practice it often.
• Hold a group meeting. Bring the children together at the start and close of the day. Explain the classroom rules, the daily schedule, and the job chart. That is probably enough for the children to absorb in the beginning. But don't forget to teach the children some songs and fingerplays. With all that's going on, you want children to remember that school also means having fun.

As far as the learning centers go, I would begin with limiting the number of centers that children play in initially. Three seems to be a good number for the first week. Try, perhaps, the math & manipulatives center, the art center, and the dramatic play center. Make sure that you have materials in these centers that the children can relate to. The dramatic play area, for example, is easy to stock with foods and clothing representative of the children's cultures. In all centers, though, you can include--at a minimum-- signs and books in the children's home languages. This will make them feel welcomed and valued.

Introduce the centers to children in small groups. Make sure they know what the materials and props do, where they are stored, and when and where they should be returned. Demonstrate how things work and let children try them out. Give children plenty of time to become acquainted with the center. As noted before , you want children to have lots of positive experiences in the beginning. There are ample opportunities for challenges once children are confident about playing in a center.

After the first week, you may want to open the other centers one at a time to the children every other day. Take your cues from the children. If they seem to need more time to adjust, slow the center openings down. It won't take long before all centers are up and running.

By taking things gradually and making children feel confident and competent you can set a positive tone for the year.

I hope that you have a great year, Cait.

Hi Bobbie,

You are very welcome. I am happy you found the ideas useful and were able to utilize them in your own classroom. If you’re interested, here’s a link to NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child suggested activities page, which offers additional reading and writing activities.

http://www.naeyc.org/woyc/activities#read

I’m sure one of these “kick-off” events would prove to be successful for the start of a new school year!

Hi Loretta,

Change is always hard. When any of us has been doing things a certain way for a long period of time-- and feel that we've been successful-- it's only natural for us to be resistant to trying a different approach. It's not a surprise that some of your older teachers feel this way. What might turn the tide for you is to show them how the approach you are suggesting is actually going to be more effective AND easier for them in the long run. They need to understand that center-based learning is not a whim or another fad, but has long been accepted by the field as best practice.

One thing you might start out doing is educating your teachers in a respectful way. It's important that teachers feel that their opinions and practices are valued. So without putting down what they have been doing, share with them the research on center-based learning and discuss with them why your program has opted to teach children this way. It will be easier for teachers to accept change if they can buy-in to the reason behind the changed approach. Share with them research reports and literature that you feel explains the benefits of center-based learning in a way that they can relate to.

Next, try showing teachers how a center-based approach might work for them. Begin by asking the teachers what their goals are for the children they teach. Together, select a cognitive, socioemotional, and a fine motor objective to focus on (either state standards , curriculum objectives, or lesson plans will work fine). Then ask the teachers to walk you through the activities they would do to ensure that children were learning these objectives. Afterwards, reflect on what they would do if children weren't interested in the chosen activity, didn't have time to complete it, found it too difficult, or didn't learn in the style the activity used?

Contrast this with learning through centers. Learning centers are set up in a classroom to encourage children to make choices. As they play in the centers children learn to work independently as well as cooperatively. This gives the child more control over what they do. Learning centers offer an easy route to addressing children's individual learning styles and approaches to learning. Instead of a "one size fits all" approach, learning centers enable children to learn in ways that are of interest to them and that fit their personalities, developmental levels, and their learning needs. Suppose your teacher was working with children on counting. They might count the number of blocks in a tower, the number of graham crackers they should have for snack, the number of pieces that fit into a puzzle, or the number of blue beads and yellow beads to string into a necklace. In center play, children learn to count naturally, in contexts that are motivating to them.

Hopefully, you will make inroads with the teachers as they start seeing how effective centers are. Invite reluctant users to watch teachers who are experienced in using centers. Perhaps you can even team them so that the reluctant teacher can watch the teacher who is comfortable with centers in action. This will give her an opportunity to see how things are done without having to feel at a disadvantage.

Finally, try a role playing activity with your teachers. Have your reluctant teachers pretend to be the children and two of your pro-center teachers take on the roles of a teacher and an aide. As they role play, the reluctant teachers will see how the "teachers" interact with them, observe them, and extend their learning. This first-hand experience done in a light-hearted setting can be very powerful.

As the reluctant teachers start absorbing the techniques of the teachers who use centers well, they should become comfortable enough to use the centers with a positive attitude. Seeing their effectiveness with children should generate further enthusiasm for the approach. In general, all teachers want what's best for children. Sometimes, though, they need guidance in understanding what that "best" is.

Good luck, Loretta, and keep a positive attitude.

Hi Linda,

Your idea of having related books in each of the learning centers is certainly one that I'd encourage. We want to promote language and literacy in every learning center--not just the library area. You can get some ideas for book titles in English and Spanish by looking at the illustrations on pages 16-17 of the last two years' issues of TYC which focus on Revisiting Learning Centers. In picking books for centers, apply the same criteria that you would for selecting any book...that it reflects the children's interests, that illustrations show a variety of characters with varying ethnicities, abilities, and featuring both genders doing everything. Look for books that avoid stereotypes and be sure to select titles in the languages spoken by the children in your program.

Here are a few suggested titles (in English) to get you started. Please take these as ideas to inspire you...there are so many wonderful books to choose from:

For Science/discovery: Volcano: Jump into Science (Ellen Prager); Planting a Rainbow (Lois Ehlert); Leo the Lightening Bug (James Musarello)

For Writing: Books published by the children themselves(see the upcoming October 2011 issue of TYC); I Like Writing (Stephanie Weeks); Corduroy Writes a Letter (Alison Inches)

For Music and movement: Zin! Zin! Zin A Violin (By Lloyd Moss); The Jazz Fly (Matthew Gollub); My Friend Maya Loves to Dance (Cheryl Willis Hudson)

For Water play: Mrs. Wishy-Washy (Joy Cowley); Mud (Mary Lyn Ray); Splash (Ann Jonas)

For Sand play: Sand Castle (Brenda S. Yee); What Lives in a Shell? (Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld); The Sand Horse (Ann Turnbull)

For Art: A Color of his Own (Leo Lionni); Oooh! Picasso (Mil Niepold); 123 I Can Collage (Irene Luxbacher)

For Blocks: The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale (Steven Guarnacia); Building with Dad (Carol Nevius); What is a Pulley? (Lloyd G. Douglas)

Math & Manipulatives: Work This Farm! (Lego City) (Michael Anthony Steele); Measuring Penny (Loreen Leedy); Earle Carle's Animals: Book and Block Puzzle (Earle Carle)

For Dramatic Play : Alexander's Pretending Day (Bunny Crumpacker); Going to the Doctor (First Experiences) (Anne Civardi); When Mommy Goes to Work (Dina Templeton)

Happy reading!

Hi Ashley,
Thank you for being our first post. I'm sure nearly all teachers can relate to having limited time and supplies. If you are feeling that transitions are unduly long, you're very right to take a look at them and see what you might do to improve them. They shouldn't be controlling your day.

The first thing I'd suggest is to take a look at what transitions there are during your day. In most programs these would include putting belongings away in the morning, going to the bathroom when needed, cleaning up after center time, snacks and lunch, putting on and taking off coats after going outside, cleaning up after lunch, getting ready for and getting up after naps, and preparing to go home. Next, think about how you can approach transitions so that as much as possible everyone does not have to be involved in the transition as a whole group. In the mornings, for example, many teachers find it helpful to have children put their things in their cubbies and then enter a quiet center such as the math and manipulatives center where they can work on a puzzle or go to the writing center where they can "write" in a journal. This allows children to get involved in learning right away. Once all the children arrive, you can then call the whole group together for circle time.

Two of the big transition times can all but be eliminated. Snack time can become a self-serve activity in the cooking center. If you have a family style lunch, then there's no need to have family style snacks in the morning and afternoon. (You may have to check with health regulations first, but this is not typically a problem.) Children can follow a menu and recipe cards to make and eat their own snacks when they're hungry. A sign-in sheet allows you to know who's eaten and who should be encouraged to have a snack. You can consult past issues of TYC for articles with more detailed information on how to do this. The Revisiting Learning Centers on cooking illustrates what this would look like.

One of the most effective ways of cutting down on clean-up time is to build it into the rules of using centers. Children need to know that that when they are finished playing with something, it should be returned to its storage place. If your shelves are neat and items are well labeled with both pictures and written identifiers in the children's home languages, this should become a natural process for children. Also, at the end of center time, give children a five minute warning so they will know to start putting things away. On your job chart, you might consider having a center "inspector" who goes around to the centers and ensures that everything has been put away. If you build clean-up into center play time, there's no need to have 5-10 minutes in your daily schedule allotted to clean-up as a transition activity.

Also, you can make use of your job chart to aid in transitions. For example, if you appoint 2-3 children to be the weekly lunch helpers, you can call these children out of center or story time to help set the table for lunch and put out the food. This way, lunch gets set up while the rest of the children remain engaged in center play or hearing a group story.

Most teachers find that the more they can make transitions an individual rather than a group activity, the smoother they go. This is what happens when children are allowed to use the bathroom on their own, rather than go as a group. The same applies in transitioning from lunch to nap/rest time. If children clean up their plates as they are finished eating (rather than waiting and fidgeting until everyone is done)the transition moves effortlessly. Children can then use the toilet, brush their teeth, and get out their mats independently, eliminating time-consuming, frustrating waits.

You asked about how you can use transitions to aid in learning. This is something you want to do when you have a whole group transitioning, say from indoor to outdoor time. You can invite all children who have velcro straps on their shoes to get their coats and put them on. Alternatively, ask that those children whose names begins with the same sound as radio, rabbit, and rug to go get their things out of their cubbies to go home.

A couple of other strategies are important to keep in mind: Be clear and consistent in your expectations and allow children sufficient time so that they don't have to rush. There are some children who find transitions difficult; you'll want to work with them to ease them through these times.

I hope that these ideas will be of help to you, Ashley. Hopefully, you'll be able to focus more on centers and less on transitioning in the future.