Benefits & Supports in Preschool and Pre-K Imagine two children wrestling. Each child is trying to stay upright and to destabilize the other by using their hands to grab the other person’s waist or ankles. Is your first instinct to separate them? What if we told you that those kids were playfully engaging in…
“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson For little learners, play is part of their everyday world. It helps them learn. And as a grown-up in their lives, joining in their play is a big part of that process! Much like when a child takes a tumble…
What you need to know about the new Early Learning Foundations Guidance documents. By now, you probably know Indiana’s Early Learning Foundations by heart. You know how to identify when a little learner is on their way to great communication skills, when reading is just around the corner and when numeracy skills are developing right…
“One of the most highly effective preventative measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant and herself is to breastfeed.” — The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, 2011 As early childhood education professionals, we play an important role with families and their children. And as new…
Families Are Children’s First Teachers. From day one, children learn from their families: what they do and how they interact with their them. A young child will learn from their family how to have conversations, make eye contact, play and so much more. Families also learn a lot from their little ones: as they…
What new research says about children and screen time. Do a Google search for kids and screen time, and you will find headlines that say everything from “screens are toxic for kids” to “kids can watch Winnie the Pooh all day if they want to.” Most recently, a new study claims there is no…
Add Some True Stories & Fun Facts to storyTime Storytime is a great time for classroom bonding and fun. At bedtime, before naps, during wake-up… books help create calm, connected routines. Books also give us great chances to help little ones learn. A lot of the time, our choices may involve silly characters or…
Join Us on Facebook to Explore Family-Friendly CCDF Changes We’re hosting our first statewide Facebook Live session! Join us September 19 to find out how Indiana’s early childhood system is becoming more family-friendly. On October 1, 2018, Indiana will make a number of changes to the CCDF program. These updates are the result of…
New Resource for Families — and for Providers, Too! Beginning today, Hoosier families have a new resource to shed light on high-quality care and fun family ideas that boost brain growth — Brighter Futures Indiana. Our goal is simple: We support Indiana families as they nurture their children, at home and while in care. While…
Three Great Tools Help Families Thrive Today’s tech-focused world offers both challenges and opportunities to engage and share information with families. Well, we have some good news – there is an app (or a few apps) for that! Whether a family is looking for information about child development, expecting a new member of the family,…