KWLs serve many purposes in the early childhood classroom. They are a great way for children to think about what they know (or think they know) and for them to voice their opinions and ideas about what they want to know. It provides direction and meaning for an emergent curriculum and stimulates creative teachers as […]

While researching the available tools out there for managing the financial part of the business of child care, I found this great site that seems to have everything you could ever want. It also has links to resources you didn’t even know you wanted! This organization “First Children’s Finance” out of Minneapolis, Minnesota has organized […]

Did you know that this is the coldest snap Chicago has seen in 2 years? Last year, I never even broke out my real winter coat, the one that goes down to the ground and looks like a giant sleeping bag. I originally bought that coat over 14 years ago when I was a kindergarten […]

I was reviewing a textbook the other day and I came across this quote, “Child care represents the fourth largest expense for the working family after housing, food, and taxes.” I suppose on some level I knew that, but when you see it in black and white it really is shocking. Two children in child […]

I had never seen these manipulatives until I was at a center last November and a teacher was using the ones pictured above as a tool to assess a child in her classroom. The kit comes with three clear plastic jars, several colored balls and blocks, colored lids, and cards for matching. The teacher was […]

A million years ago when I was a preschool teacher, my co-teachers and I decided to move away from the traditional, weekly newsletter and toward something that we hoped would be more meaningful. We began to WEB! Lots of teachers use WEBS to plan (like the one above). I am talking about using WEBS to […]

On Monday, I wrote about pentominoes as a great manipulative for young children. The shapes that make up a pentominoes set are always created by combining 5 squares (pent=5). These can then be manipulated to create larger shapes as well as. There is a fun website connected to Blue Balliett’s book Chasing Vermeer. Children can […]

The first time I read anything by Marian Wright Edelman, I was a student at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and I remember feeling so moved by her words. Our professor had assigned “The Measure of Our Success” and I felt that every page was inspirational, truthful, enlightening and thought-provoking. Yesterday, the Children’s Defense Fund publicized […]

I started doing some research on developing a budget for a home-based or center-based child care center. I found dozens and dozens of resources available online, but when I went to actually complete a budget myself, I found that many of the terms/line items were unfamiliar to me. So, before we look at creating a […]

When my oldest son was in 4th grade, we started a mom and child book group with a great group of kids who all went to different schools. This was a great way for us to get together on a regular basis so we could talk about books and reconnect with one another. One of […]