Alison and I go way back. In the late 1990’s, we were both directors of small preschools in Chicago.  We met by chance one day and began talking.  I think our first conversation lasted several hours as we found that we had so much in common.  Alison cares deeply about education, children, parenting, friends, and family.

When my youngest son entered Alison’s preschool, I was astounded each and every day by the care and detailed attention she paid to every facet of that little school. I had never been a member of a community that took such good care of its members.  It showed me what was possible for young children and how, with a lot of work, early childhood programs can be extraordinary.

Alison rocks!

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1. Please describe how you are involved in the field of education

I currently stay at home with my two young children. Previously, I was a preschool director and head teacher in a 3-year-old class. I have also taught in both junior kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms.

2. How many children do you have and how old are they?

I have an almost 5-year-old daughter and a 2 and a half-year-old son.

3.  Describe your children’s early childhood experiences. Did they stay at home with a family member? Did they attend preschool or childcare? Did they attend a home-based childcare program, or a combination of the above? (If your children have not yet entered a childcare setting, please answer these questions for the future, i.e., What do you hope your children’s math experiences will be? What are your plans for introducing math to your children at home?)

Our kids stayed home with me until they were old enough to begin preschool. We have had a part-time nanny since my oldest child was 6 months old. Beatrix started preschool at 2 years 9 months (when most programs begin where we live). At that time, she attended 3 mornings per week her first year (per the preschool); the second year she attended 5 mornings per week. This year she attends 5 afternoons per week. Theo started this year: he will be attending 2.5 hours per day, 2 days a week.

4. Describe your children’s exposure to math in their prekindergarten years both at home and at school.

At home there was/is a lot of counting (everything: stairs as we go up, buttons, snacks) and sorting (playthings in storage bins, food in pretend kitchen, and art materials (in boxes and drawers)) and matching. With my older child we play board games like chutes + ladders and Headbanz. Lots of block and magna-tile play. We also talk some about time and use a Time Timer (a visual timer) for the kids to see it countdown until we need to move onto something else (transitions are especially hard for one of my kids). We have a toy tape measure and measure items. We cook (a little) and make play dough and they help measure ingredients. it seems to be much of the same at their school. Now that I’m writing I realize that while Beatrix can write all of her letters (ok, well not “G” or “K”), I’ve never seen her write a numeral.

5. Knowing what you now know about raising and educating children, what worked well in your children’s early math experiences?

I think all of it. I tried to make it relevant to their interests and what was happening

See how she describes “signing” with her children.  The first word they learned to sign was “more” – a great early math concept.  She also describes authentic ways of incorporating math into their everyday activities, and although she doesn’t admit it here, both she and her husband are “math people” so she could have fallen into the trap of forcing early math rather than facilitating the organic development of math skills and concepts.

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1. Please describe how you are involved in the field of education.

Former preschool teacher in the Chicago Public Schools.  For the past 20 years, I’ve been working in the College of Education at UIC preparing early childhood teachers.

1. How many children do you have and how old are they?

I have two children ages 18 and 14.

1. Describe your children’s early childhood experiences.  Did they stay at home with a family member? Did they attend preschool or childcare? Did they attend a home-based childcare program, or a combination of the above?  (If your children have not yet entered a childcare setting, please answer these questions for the future, i.e., What do you hope your children’s math experiences will be? What are your plans for introducing math to your children at home?)

Both my children attended two years of half-day preschool at a neighborhood preschool program.

1. Describe your children’s exposure to math in their prekindergarten years both at home and at school.

In the preschool program, my children were exposed to Math concepts mostly through play (e.g. block building, pretend play, and group games).  In small groups, the preschool program also included activities such as counting how many children were in attendance, setting the table for snack (passing out napkins, etc.), graphing and charting (e.g. who has a pet, number of sunny days versus cloudy days, etc.) counting how many days they were in school, and, of course, singing songs and fingerplays that included counting such as 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed, etc.

At home, exposure to math was mostly in the context of everyday activities.  Before they could talk, both my children learned to sign “more.”   And more, often meant more cheerios, more blocks piled higher etc.  We had a set of large cardboard blocks that were frequently played with by both my son and daughter—we stacked the blocks to be “taller” than us, we circled the blocks around us, and we counted the blocks.  We also sang the same songs and fingerplays about number and size (e.g. itsy-bitsy spider and great big spider) and read many books with math-related themes.   Both my children adored a counting book called Doggies by Sandra Boyton (and if this were a literacy questionnaire, I would add it was the first book that both my children “read” themselves.)  Counting was also a regular activity whether it was counting the stairs we were climbing up or down or the cracks on the sidewalk.  We also had a family calendar where we count “number of sleeps” until special events (e.g. a birthday party or visit from grandma).

As my children got a little older, we played a lot of games with cards (e.g. war, uno), dominoes, and commercial games such as HI-HO Cheery-Oh and Candyland.  I also recall making math games that involved more complex math concepts such as “adding on.”   I also tried to model “math” by thinking aloud and asking questions, such as “hmmm, where doubling this recipe (usually play-doh, one of the few things I cooked on a regular basis) so we need….”

As high school students when they have a question about math homework, usually my husband or I could help them—but we both always modeled the idea that we have “noodle it out” and perhaps try different strategies to solve the problem and if needed, check resource information including model problems in the textbook or going online to see ways the problem can be solved.

1. Knowing what you now know about raising and educating children, what worked well in your children’s early math experiences?

I think teaching math concepts in authentic settings worked well.  The concepts, while abstract, had meaning to my children and I feel they were more likely to understand and apply them later.

1. What didn’t work well?

I’m sure lots of things didn’t well in my child-rearing, but I’ve seemed to block that out.

1. What would you have done differently at home?

Read more, spend more time playing together, enjoy the moment.

1. What would you have like to have seen done differently in their prekindergarten settings?

Both my children loved their preschool experience, they loved their teachers and felt confident and competent during their first experiences in school – so I can’t think of anything I would liked done differently.

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1. Please describe how you are involved in the field of education.

I have a MS in child development and taught ECE/CD courses at three different community colleges from ’07-’12.  For the past two years I have worked at the Erikson Institute teaching one course and facilitating student academic support for MSCD/MSECE masters degree candidates.
2. How many children do you have and how old are they?

Two boys: 5 years and 10 weeks.
3. Describe your children’s early childhood experiences. Did they stay at home with a family member? Did they attend preschool or childcare? Did they attend a home-based childcare program, or a combination of the above? (If your children have not yet entered a childcare setting, please answer these questions for the future, i.e., What do you hope your children’s math experiences will be? What are your plans for introducing math to your children at home?)

I can only speak for my older son, but he was home with me somewhat exclusively.  I have worked part time since he was born, but the most he has ever been with a sitter is about 8 hours/week.  He attended a private preschool/pre-K for two years.  He went 3 half days when he was 3 and 5 half days when he was 4. He will attend full-day kindergarten at a public Naperville 204 school beginning next month. 
4. Describe your children’s exposure to math in their prekindergarten years both at home and at school.

Carter’s early math exposure both at home and school consisted of a combination of regularly working with math manipulatives through play, as well as more structured activities such as planned time to work on counting, use of flashcards, math games and worksheets/workbooks.
5. Knowing what you now know about raising and educating children, what worked well in your children’s early math experiences?

I think that a lot of early math experiences can be acquired through play (like many experiences), and that a lot of early math instruction can be organic, i.e. we’re in the car so let’s count together, but I do see the benefit in some structured exercises as well.  We play a lot of board games and card games that promote mathematical reasoning.
6. What didn’t work well?

I think forcing something that isn’t enjoyable, i.e. rote memorization of flash cards, is something that generally doesn’t work well as it sets up a negative early experience for a kind of learning that is vital.
7. What would you have done differently at home?

I think I would have generally made more of a consistent effort to weave math into our daily routine.  There are many opportunities to do so, and those are sometimes lost opportunities in the busy shuffle of day to day.
8. What would you have like to have seen done differently in their prekindergarten settings?

I think that any time a teacher can communicate to parents how math is being used in the classroom and how a parent can implement those same activities/skills/experiences at home, that is the optimal way to promote early math learning.

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• Hi Jen. Thank you for including me in your research. I will be glad to help out … where I can. The thing is, my children are old: three in their 20’s, one just graduating from high school and one heading into his junior year. I really do not remember much about their Math work.  My husband, kept me away from the schools and such because he didn’t want me arrested for arguing with the teachers over what they didn’t know. I didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you; I’m just a bit out of touch….

  • Hi-I would never think you were ignoring me. I am actually interested in parents of older children as well- now that yours are almost formed- is your perspective different? I also wonder if I had asked the same questions about early childhood literacy if you would have a clearer memory? These are actually some of the things I am trying to get at. Your nonremembering and having this feeling that the teacher didn’t know this stuff is important to relay to teachers.

    Hi Jen – Given the training we (you and I) have had, learning the difference between objectives and outcomes, and even knowing the place/role of formative and summative assessment, I have found that I could not really rely on many of my children’s teachers and/or their effectiveness because of the short-comings I saw. I mean, one of my children was placed in detention because I did not complete a lunch form. The assistant principal had the audacity to tell me that it was “homework” and my son didn’t complete it. I’m sure you know how that story ended. But I will say this, if my family had been “well off” financially, I would have home-schooled my children. This has nothing to do with CPS per se, I just see how much they have missed out on. I find this really interesting because I am a product of the South–Mississippi in fact, the worst state for education–but I learned so much more than my children in elementary school.

  I think we can all learn a lot from this exchange.  What do you think?
   

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1. Please describe how you are involved in the field of education.

I teach college Math

1. How many children do you have and how old are they?

I have a 5 year old daughter

1. Describe your children’s early childhood experiences.  Did they stay at home with a family member? Did they attend preschool or childcare? Did they attend a home-based childcare program, or a combination of the above?  (If your children have not yet entered a childcare setting, please answer these questions for the future, i.e., What do you hope your children’s math experiences will be? What are your plans for introducing math to your children at home?)

She started attending Bright Horizons since she was 14 months.

1. Describe your children’s exposure to math in their prekindergarten years both at home and at school.

When my daughter was 4 and ½ year old I realized she was never exposed to any Math (except counting up to 20) neither in school nor at home.

5.  Knowing what you now know about raising and educating children, what worked well in your children’s early math experiences?

6. What didn’t work well?

7. What would you have done differently at home?

Being a family of immigrants, we were focusing on teaching our daughter Romanian and English. When we realized she was so behind with Math (and so ahead with English, she started reading when she was 3) we withdrawn her from preschool and started doing Math and science at home:

-counting everything and everywhere

-playing games (e.g. up and down)

-adding, subtracting food (crackers, gummy bears etc)

-money, clock time, real life Math

-computer games

-reading books about science and Math

8. What would you have like to have seen done differently in their prekindergarten settings?

I understand reading is really important (she had homework about reading, vocabulary since she was 3), but introducing Math in early years is important as well. I would like to see that Math is introduced/taught even from preschool.

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1. Please describe how you are involved in the field of education.

I am a writing tutor for high school students and also help student s with college essays; I also work part time with National Louis University supervising student teachers.
2. How many children do you have and how old are they?      3; 11, 7, 4
3. Describe your children’s early childhood experiences. Did they stay at home with a family member? Did they attend preschool or childcare? Did they attend a home-based childcare program, or a combination of the above? (If your children have not yet entered a childcare setting, please answer these questions for the future, i.e., What do you hope your children’s math experiences will be? What are your plans for introducing math to your children at home?)

All attended preschool ; youngest still in preschool
4. Describe your children’s exposure to math in their prekindergarten years both at home and at school.

Practice counting, sorting, identifying numbers they see around them, number books
5. Knowing what you now know about raising and educating children, what worked well in your children’s early math experiences? Playing school and playing occasional online games
6. What didn’t work well? Trying to get my soon-to-be 6^th grader to learn her times tables
7. What would you have done differently at home? Practiced more frequently with her perhaps
8. What would you have like to have seen done differently in their prekindergarten settings?

Nothing

You can see from her answers that her daughter still has her preschool years in front of her.  I look forward to watching the next few years unfold as Kate knows quality early childhood care and education and will insist on the best for her daughter.

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Kathy has the benefit of hindsight as her children are mostly grown and she has worked in the field of early childhood education, in one capacity or another, for eons.   I appreciate how positive her responses are even though each of her children had vastly different early childhood  experiences.

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1.  Please describe how you are involved in the field of education.

 I am a professor, researcher, teacher and college administrator.

2.  How many children do you have and how old are they?

I have 4 children and they are 18, 22, 25 and 31

3.  Describe your children’s early childhood experiences.  Did they stay at home with a family member? Did they attend preschool or childcare? Did they attend a home-based childcare program, or a combination of the above?  (If your children have not yet entered a childcare setting, please answer these questions for the future, i.e., What do you hope your children’s math experiences will be? What are your plans for introducing math to your children at home?)

My children all had different experiences because they are between 3 and 6 years apart in age.  Some got me as a stay at home Mom while I attended graduate school (and had a childcare person come to the house sometimes daily, sometimes part-time and sometimes as needed), others attended preschool part-time, some full-time, some were in my own preK classroom when I worked.  Some had the lovely advantage of having au pairs who lived with us.

4.  Describe your children’s exposure to math in their prekindergarten years both at home and at school.

My children had many “math manipulatives” in the house and I played games with them, let them explore, taught them and emphasized mathematical thinking such as before, after, more, less, greater, less than, plus, minus etc. They also played school together a lot and practiced their “math”.  Their schools were often university laboratory schools and Montessori schools and were well versed on not only providing a positive environment for mathematical literacy, but actually “teaching and guiding” math learning.

5.  Knowing what you now know about raising and educating children, what worked well in your children’s early math experiences?

I have to say that I think one of my children chose to get a degree in math because she loved the challenge, but also loved the fact that there was a right answer to the problems.  Even as a small child she was interested in time and how long things took and solving mysteries.  Most importantly, she had a great math teacher in high school that she is still in touch with and still has as a mentor.

My oldest is what I would call an artist and math just came easy for her too.  My musician son claims to not be good in math and not like it, but I have observed he does just fine in all college math classes and tests…so I believe he just does not like the formulas etc. 

My youngest is a “math natural” too. 

I think having lots of materials for them to experiment with helped…having good teachers really helped.  In fact, besides the home environment, that is probably the most important thing. My youngest had a 3^rd grade teacher who taught the kids cribbage and they had daily tournaments all year long.  He learned his math facts so fast and so well that he can tell you every way to get to 15 or 31 that there is:)

GAMES work

6. What didn’t work well?

My musician son had a poor and absent teacher in 3^rd grade and I believe it greatly influenced his thinking about math and his perception of his ability to be good in math.  I should have provided more guidance during that time. In addition, with all of them, they soon enough surpassed my abilities and I never could use a graphing calculator…so I could not help them after they reached a certain level.  Luckily, they could help each other and we have an economist friend who helped with the super sophisticated stuff…like probability haha.

7. What would you have done differently at home?  Nothing actually

8. What would you have like to have seen done differently in their prekindergarten settings?  They were lucky in that they had great PREK settings….I would not change a thing

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1.  Please describe how you are involved in the field of education.

I teach college mathematics.  My wife teaches 1^st and 2^nd grade.  I’m also in the process of getting a Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Math education.

 2.  How many children do you have and how old are they?

I have 2 children, Vincent and Joseph.  Vincent is 2 years old; Joe is 4 months old.

 3.  Describe your children’s early childhood experiences.  Did they stay at home with a family member? Did they attend preschool or childcare? Did they attend a home-based childcare program, or a combination of the above?  (If your children have not yet entered a childcare setting, please answer these questions for the future, i.e., What do you hope your children’s math experiences will be? What are your plans for introducing math to your children at home?)

Vincent spent his first year (during the school year) at a nanny’s house.  She had a 1.5 year old.  He spent the next year in a nanny share with our neighbors.  The nannies work more on language and behavior than with math.  The same goes for my wife and I.  We focused significantly more on language and behavior, more recently because he’s exhibiting a speech delay and is seeing an occupational therapist.  However, inconsistently my wife and I have counted, compared, sorted with him.

 As for Joseph, we haven’t done much yet but hope to be more diligent with the early math experiences.

4.  Describe your children’s exposure to math in their prekindergarten years both at home and at school.

See above.

 5.  Knowing what you now know about raising and educating children, what worked well in your children’s early math experiences?

We’ll see.

 6. What didn’t work well?

We’ll see.

 7. What would you have done differently at home?

I would like to make a more conscious effort in engaging Joseph in more organized play, particularly focused on mathematical concepts.

 8. What would you have like to have seen done differently in their prekindergarten settings?

I would encourage the nannies to vary the activities to incorporate mathematics more deliberately.