FunShine Tells: Maintaining an Inclusive Classroom

This post will explore how to best support young children with disabilities. Let’s start by simply defining disability. A disability refers to a condition that makes it challenging for people to do certain activities or interact with their environment. Particular requirements may include the need to support mobility, communication, feeding, behavior, or any other skill or function so that the person can thrive and learn in everyday situations and environments. This is where inclusion, classroom adaptations, and developmentally appropriate practices play an essential role in early childhood.

WOYC Activities for Everyone!

Each year the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) hosts the Week of the Young Child (WOYC) to recognize early childhood programs and focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families. As a provider, you play an important role in spreading the word! In addition to celebrating each day according to WOYC themes, share your knowledge and needs with local officials and other stakeholders. The more we can help others understand the importance of early childhood education, the better our profession, and the brighter the future for young children.

FunShine Tells: Understanding Child Development

When we talk about child development, we talk about the different steps and stages of growth and learning that a child goes through from birth to adulthood. It is important to understand that while there are many frames of reference, goals, and expectations for what children should be doing at a certain age, each child grows and develops freely and at their own pace.

FunShine Tells: Why Use Curriculum?

Charlie’s Cues: Using the Search and Find

To keep the attention of infants and toddlers, interactions usually have to be entertaining, engaging, and include items of interest. Young children enjoy searching for hidden things, following lights and sounds, and looking at images with bright colors and patterns. These types of activities prompt children to explore and grow curiosity in them. This is why we are including a new component in our bimonthly Buttercups kit, the Search and Find Piece. As always, I am writing to help you understand our featured component’s use, benefit, and how to adapt it in different areas of your classroom and routine.