The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has identified 5 content standards for math education. When we began developing the lesson plans that can be found on the Early Math Counts website, we referred to these content standards as the primary guide for development. These 5 content standards are: Numbers and Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, […]
In yesterday’s New York Times magazine, author Tara Parker-Pope argues that “play is the key to academic success”. Aaaah! a like-minded writer who understands what teachers of young children have known all along. She asserts that game play encourages higher order thinking skills, improved executive functioning, and self-control. I love it when we hear research […]
Look what I found! This is a downloadable book of dice games for young children that is free and easy-to-use. The book is 38 pages long and is chock full of ideas of activities you can do with your children simply using a pair of dice. You don’t have to print it. You can download […]
Before enrollment actually begins, families usually complete a whole bunch of paperwork. This information is pretty standard; contact information, emergency numbers, health forms, etc. I think it would be interesting to gather information from families that might help to know them a little better, especially in terms of what they hope for their children while […]
Check out this article from the Chicago Sun-Times, Wednesday August 22nd, 2012 called “For preschoolers, love of learning starts at home”. True, very true. Remember, good quality child care replicates home life as much as possible. The article should be called “For preschoolers, love of learning starts at home or at child care”.
This email appeared in my inbox this morning. I have had the pleasure of viewing many Davidson films over the years, so I can attest to their quality. However, the price tag is huge- but it may be something that a large organization can purchase to be shared amongst all of its providers. Click here […]
Last year, when this project was in its infancy, the Chicago Tribune interviewed Dr. Kathleen Sheridan (formerly of NLU and now of UIC) and myself about the grant and our plans for Early Math Counts. That article generated a lot of interest in the project both from potential users of the site as well as […]
More about Math Standards…. If you are getting bored with the details, scroll to the bottom of this post and go directly to the site. Check out the associated videos. They are excellent! The Illinois Early Learning Standards are pretty straightforward and easy to follow. According to their website, The Illinois Early Learning Standards, developed […]
I spent a long time working on enrollment when I was a director. In fact, I spent about 50% of my time from November to March meeting with families, discussing the program, answering questions and finally enrolling. This was specific to a program that has a traditional calendar year (Sept.-June) so I can’t imagine what […]
If you use these seats in your Infant and Toddler programs, take a look at this. Yikes!!!!