Creating Inclusive Early Learning Environments

Pride

As we near the end of Pride month I want to talk about making early childhood programs inclusive of all families. Early childhood programs can partner with parents and families to create safe and nurturing environments for children. Safe environments ensure equality, respect, and dignity for parents, families, and staff members, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or gender expression. 

Here are some suggestions from Early Head Start on how programs can create inclusive early learning environments: 

• Intervene when hurtful or biased comments are made about a child's family, skin color, age, gender, or another personal characteristic whether the comment is made by another child, family or staff member. 
• Make sure children know they can come to you if they feel hurt or confused about another child's comments.
  
• Teach children the social-emotional skills they need to process their hurt feelings.
•  Lean into restorative practices that facilitate open discussions so that children learn to speak up for themselves and for others. 
• Support children to feel proud of themselves and their families. 
• Use inclusive phrases such as "Dear parents and guardians," or "Dear families" in your written communications.
  
• Make diverse images including all kinds of families more visible in your program.
  
•  Have books featuring LGBTQ themes and families available and read them to the class. 

Here is a great list of 30 LGBTQ+ books you can share with the children in your program.

In this article, NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children states "that by working to create inclusive classroom environments and thus modeling acceptance of gender exploration in the early childhood classroom, we allow children the freedom to be their most authentic selves, regardless of how they come to identify themselves as adults." It also includes a great selections of books centered around LGBTQ themes. 

The Zero to Three organization has also chimed in on the importance of creating  welcoming environments for LGBTQ+ families and providers. 

The Office of Children and Family Services created this LGBTQ Tool Kit in 2020, it features the history of Pride, LGBTQ Heroes, and other resources for staff when celebrating Pride month.

Giveaway!!!!! In celebration of Pride Month I have 2 LGBTQ children's books to giveaway, My Shadow is Pink and Who Are You? Due to the international shipping costs this giveaway will be for U.S. residents, but I promise to do another giveaway in the future for international readers. 

 

 
 I will choose 2 winners from anyone that leaves me a comment letting me know which one of these books you would like to include in your library? 

Happy Pride!

As always thanks for reading!

The Importance of Play!

 

This week I want to talk about Play. 

Sometimes adults think of play as something children can do after they get their learning done but actually children learn through play. Play might look like it's all fun and games (and it definitely is when done correctly) but it's also how children of all ages learn to problem solve, communicate, negotiate, gain confidence in their abilities, learn language, explore their environments, develop cognitive skills, learn about their feelings and emotions and so much more. Don't believe me check out what the Center of the Developing Child at Harvard University has to say about Brain-Building Through Play

With all the research behind the significance of play in children of all ages I'm not surprised that the United Nations declared an International Day of Play!

 Playing with Loose Parts

Some of my favorite materials to use as an early childhood educator are loose part. They really allow the child's creativity to come alive and they're Free! Here are two great resources to get you started on curating your loose parts materials and implementing them into your daily activities Loose Parts Play: A Guide for Early Childhood Educators and The Five Phases of Loose Parts Play

DIY your Summer Fun

Now that summer is here and boy is it going to be a hot one (at least here in upstate NY) what better way to stay cool than cranking up the AC and making some fun Homemade Play-dough, you can add all different colors and scents! And if the weather breaks and you can get the littles outside try making homemade bubble solution and using an expandable ball to make lots of bubbles. I used 10 cups of water, an entire 15.5 oz bottle of Dawn dish soap and 12 teaspoons of granulated sugar to make enough solution to submerge the expandable ball. Make sure your child is dressed in clothes that can get messy and a great way to keep soap out of their eyes is to have them wear swimming goggles. What's your favorite way to play in the summer, leave a comment below!

As always thanks for reading!

 

This blog and a little about me

 

This Blog

In this weekly blog I'll discuss all areas of child development and give you strategies you can take away and implement in your homes or classrooms. Each week will feature a different topic related to children, parenting or early childhood education. I'll also being doing interviews with professionals in the ECE field. Feel free to comment on the posts and reach out! 

My Ethos

Growing up in Puerto Rico gave me a strong sense of culture. As a first-generation college student, I know the importance of education, but I also understand that a child's home environment is their first teacher. By using Social-Emotional Learning, protective factors, and strength-based approaches I help parents, educators and children build resilience skills to address challenging behaviors. Combining my years of experience and my degree in this field has led me to have a deep understanding of child development. 

My Interests

I'm very passionate about DEIA work which is why I'm a part of an end early childhood education suspensions and expulsions work group. The focus of this group is to create awareness and end the preschool to prison pipeline. 

I'm also a proponent of Mental Health education and as such I'm a certified Adult Mental Health First Aider and a Level 1 Breath-Body-Mind Instructor.

On the weekends you'll catch me either reading, watching a murder mystery, cleaning while listening to music or doing mixed-media art.

Work Experience

I've been in the early childhood education field for over 18 years. I began as an assistant in a Montessori Preschool and Daycare and worked my way up to Assistant Director. Then I decided to open my own Montessori based program. 

Three years ago, I decided to pivot my career from teaching children to educating adults in the ECE field. I transitioned to working at a Child Care Resource & Referral agency. I am currently a registrar working closely with The Office of Children and Family Services to help providers become regulated. As a CACFP Child Nutrition Professional I offer training in program requirements, nutrition, and accommodating allergies. As a grant specialist I help childcare providers apply for various state grants, and I offer training in business maintenance, best practices, program development, and marketing. As an Aspire trainer I'm certified to train on the topics of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resilience. 

Education

I'm currently a student at Empire State University and I am expecting to graduate with a BA in Educational Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education this December! I was recently inducted to the Alpha Sigma Lambda (Omega Tau Chapter) Honor Society in recognition of the hard work and perseverance required of adult students to achieve a high academic standard.  

I also hold a BA in Criminal Justice from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico where I graduated with the Latin honor of Magna Cum Laude. 

If you read this far you are so cool! 👏 Let me know what you like to do on the weekends. Leave a comment😊

 

As always thanks for reading!