I actually didn’t want to write anything about this because I keep hoping that the funding for the Child Care Assistance Program is going to magically appear from somewhere and all of this will have been a bad dream. But alas, it has not. As of today, this program has completely run out money… and […]

While visiting a student a couple of weeks ago, I watched a whole lot of cool snow-themed activities designed for toddlers. The teachers created a winter wonderland of sorts, with giant ice cubes frozen with small items inside, a hot cocoa station, a dress-up and dancing area with the music from “Frozen” playing so the […]

Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune reported that the state of Illinois would postpone the launch of the new kindergarten assessment (KIDS). This came about after several districts asked for waivers to either opt out of the assessment or to postpone their district’s participation. Most school districts who participated in the pilot phase, complained that the assessment […]

How do children’s beliefs about their own learning connect to last week’s discussion of metacognition and success? As adults, most of us have experienced the phenomenon of mind over matter – the simple exercise of believing in our own ability to be successful, or productive, or committed, and then simply making it happen. This is […]

I love them all. Beware of choking hazards, but otherwise these look pretty awesome. Here Are The 12 Most Fun Activities You Can Do With Children  

This article reminds us all that the way we pay our child care workforce is shameful. Read the first paragraph and pay attention to the way the author describes the teacher’s interactions with a young child in her care. Her specialized training, experience, and dedication deserve a real living wage. All parents want what is […]

In adult education, students are often reminded that their metacognitive skills are important in the learning process. Teaching students to be aware of how they think, study, and learn is an instrumental in getting them to become aware of their educational needs and advocate for them. Metacognition is broadly defined as “thinking about one’s thinking.” […]

I’m out visiting students at their practicum sites again. At the beginning of the semester, I visit each student and spend an hour or so observing them work in their classrooms with the children and the other staff. I never know what I am going to see; sometimes I am on the playground, and other […]

On Thursday, my friend Nicole Gage and I spoke about “Bringing the Practice of Yoga into your Program” at the Opening Minds conference in Chicago. We had a great turn-out (by my estimation, about 80 people attended our session) and they were all willing, able and energetic participants. A large part of our presentation focused […]

Numeracy means different things to different people. For some, numeracy is the foundation of mathematics; the basic skills required to do more advanced mathematics. For others, numeracy is a term used to describe the mathematical skills required to complete job requirements or to be a mathematically “literate” person. In the field of early childhood education, […]