The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has joined an alliance with Strong Start for Children - Building America's Future. It "supports a significant expansion of high-quality early learning opportunities for children ages birth to five in order to achieve better education, health, social and economic outcomes for all" (www.naeyc.org/).
This is relevant to my current professional development because as a Kindergarten teacher, I struggled with trying to prepare my students for first grade. They did not enter my classroom with a strong educational foundation as far as early learning skills. Strong Start for Children's initiative is to start this process from birth, so by the time they get to Kindergarten they will be prepared.
I thought about the impact that Science has on early childhood experiences. A lot of effort is put into Reading and Math readiness and Science is not really on the mainly discussed. NAEYC highlights why we as educators should support science learning from infancy through age 8. "Children's early science experiences are the foundation for future science learning and comprehension" (www.naeyc.org/).
In order for children to be successful in life, they need a strong foundation. This includes a strong support system. "Effective early learning standards require a foundation of support for early childhood programs, professionals, and families" (www.naeyc.org/). Economists, neuroscientists and politicians support the early childhood field because they know that investing in early childhood development programs will benefit society in the future.
I always knew that NAEYC was dedicated to supporting young children and their families. After exploring the website further, I found out that they also have professional development to educate people on how to work with children and their families. Their professional development learning opportunities include online learning, intensive training sessions, training DVD's, workshops and networking.
Reference
www.naeyc.org/
First of all, props to you for teaching kindergarten! I think that this is a challenging grade not only because of the age, but because of all of the levels of education that the children have. I am also a teacher but the youngest grade I have taught is second grade. By this age, there is a foundation from first and kinder, so I have not the experiences that you have. Do you plan on using this sight to further your teaching knowledge to prepare your children?
ReplyDelete