The Early Years Count!
An education initiative
of the Community Foundation
of St. Joseph County
Early Years Count!, coordinated by The Family Connection since 2001, focuses like a laser on raising quality in Head Start, early childhood centers, preschools, registered ministries, family home providers, and, most recently, SBCSC elementary schools.
FREE BOOKS
in the mail every month for children birth to five
in St. Joseph County!!!
Thanks to the Community Foundation and a host of dedicated funders. Information and registration here.
Back to Basics: Planning Effective Group Times for Older Infants and Toddlers Workshop
Group times provide opportunities for children to learn through exploration. Your role as a caregiver is to initiate an idea for an activity that supports infants’ and toddlers’ interests and development. How do we do that? What does it look like?
In this training we will go back to the basics. We will take a closer look at what happens during group times, how caregivers support children during group times and how to build an effective group time for older infants and toddlers. Participants will take away a list of open-ended materials that could be used for group times in their own classrooms.
To assist teachers in selecting materials for their ECAP grant we have put together an Idea Book. These carefully selected materials include some classroom basics as well as some fun favorites we have seen over the years. Find digital copy here.
A growing collection of useful links to state and local resources and like-minded national organizations.
We are always on the lookout for qualified candidates with early childhood and/or elementary school expertise.
We stand in solidarity against injustice, racism, and hate. Our team shares in the collective outrage and heartbreak of our nation. We realize we have much to learn and unlearn. We are reading, watching, and listening. We are looking at ourselves as individuals and as an organization. We are learning to sit with discomfort. We are grateful for the grace offered by Maya Angelou who says, ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’ We are committed to doing better by ‘using our mouths to speak out against injustice, our noses to sniff out implicit bias, our eyes to identify privilege, our ears to listen to the people of color experience, our hearts to cultivate empathy for the oppressed, and our hands to take actions and make change.’ (@ohhappydani)
- The Family Connection Team
NEW HERE? WE CAN HELP!
DESIGNED TO HELP POSITION NEW HIRES FOR SUCCESS IN
NAVIGATING THE HIGHSCOPE CURRICULUM.
One day overview of strategies to put into place tomorrow for effective classroom organization, daily routine, and adult/child interactions with follow up coaching.
Tuesday January 11, 2022
Tuesday March 8, 2022
9:00 am-3:00 pm
Cost: Free! thanks to The Early Years Count Education Initiative funded by
The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.
ONLINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED-
https://forms.gle/xYNVj691h2FykiJv9