So, since you don’t have to start from scratch and Duncan Hines premade curriculum has already provided the basics for a brownie mix, what next?  Pre-made curriculum is a starting point based on the milestones of a particular age/stage, but how do I tailor this recipe to children’s differing tastes? 

Well, just like a brownie recipe, DAP leaves room to adjust.  The second component of developmentally culturally appropriate practice addresses these differences through INDIVIDUAL UNIQUENESS.  Think about the decisions to make when “spicing up” your recipe:  many children like walnuts, others are allergic; some enjoy fudge on the top, others can’t stand it.  We are faced with the same challenges as Early Childhood Professionals.   We must understand that children come to us with different temperament types (flexible, slow-to-warm up and feisty), personalities, and learning styles and we must address their needs.

Right about now, you must be thinking “Wow!  What do I do?  How do I handle this?”  Just as you handle putting ingredients into a bowl, you must address uniqueness in the same way:  through SMALL STEPS.

First, drop in a dose of careful OBSERVATION of the children’s likes, dislikes, interests, etc.  Second, stir in CREATIVE and flexible teaching; ask yourself, “How can I make the classroom activities more engaging for each child?  Third, add in PERSONAL REFLECTION; look in the mirror and honestly assess yourself, “What type of learner am I?  What is my temperament type and how do I interact with different temperaments?”

So, as you attempt to prepare a Duncan Hines premade curriculum mix that will appeal to all, remember that CHILDREN are INDIVIDUALS and it’s up to the Early Childhood Professional to create the right combination.  Divide up the pan, bake multiple packages of mix with different ingredients, do whatever it takes to deliver the right dessert(s) that will be effective for all.  J

When students learn about DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice) and its components of child development, individual variation, and social/cultural contexts, they often ask about the pre-made curriculum that we may see in our early childhood settings.  Can premade curriculum be developmentally appropriate?  For example, can we say that a preschool curriculum for 4-year-olds would be developmentally and culturally appropriate for all 4-year-olds across the board?  Well, not exactly, but it can be a good place to start. 

Analogy: Why make brownies from scratch when Duncan Hines has already provided the brownie mix for us?

That pre-made curriculum is based on the first component of DAP (child development).  The activities within are centered around the developmental milestones for a specific age group.  One thing that separates those who educate young children from those who simply care for young children is the understanding that to truly be developmentally appropriate, the curriculum must be tailored to meet the needs and promote the development of a particular child or group of children.  Individual variation and social/cultural contexts must be considered in addition to child development.

If you have the opportunity to use pre-made curriculum, take it and run with it.  No need to start from scratch unless you want to.  Just take the brownie starter from Duncan Hines and add the extras that make it the perfect dish for your audience.  

Rasmussen College's Early Childhood Education Advisory Boards consist of community members, parents, current students and graduates, teachers, adjuncts and full time faculty.  Our goal at the fall meeting was to hear stakeholders describe the ideal teacher candidate.  Our hope was to put their ideas into a mission statement to guide our program.  Following the meetings, program faculty met and developed the following mission statement.  We hope this represents our commitment to children and families in the community!

Rasmussen College's Early Childhood Education Program prepares early childhood educators to serve young children, their families and communities.   We foster and advocate developmentally and culturally appropriate practice among early childhood professionals.  We value diversity, inclusion, professionalism, collaboration and research-based practice.  We strive to provide young children with meaningful experiences that provide a foundation for a productive life. 

Children and staff enjoy the excitement and the adventure of a field trip especially when the weather turns warm. A little advanced planning can help make your trip a successful occasion that the children will remember with pleasure.

Here are some suggestions for developing your safety plan:

• Call ahead or visit the facility if you are unfamiliar with the services they offer
• Maintain adult to child ratios at all times.  Add extra staff if necessary to insure the safety and well being of the children.
• Post the field trip sheet (parent permission form and facts about the trip) well in advance.
• Keep to your schedule – leave on time and arrive back when planned. 
• Carry a first aid kit, health consent forms and emergency information for every child on the field trip.  Make sure the staff’s first aid and CRP certification is current.
• If the children will be eating on the trip, make arrangement to keep the food cold and safe along with procedures for handwashing.
• Plan for frequent breaks and plenty of water for cooling off.
• If you are planning to spend time in the sunscreen, be sure sunscreen is available (parent permission form also).
• Establish a buddy system for each and every child.  If a child needs to have an adult buddy, make sure there is one that is available for that child.
• While on the field trip, each child should wear a shirt that makes him or her visible while on the field trip.  Count the children constantly to insure you have everyone together at all times.

Preparing the children for field trips

Involving children in related activities prior to taking a field trip makes it all the more meaningful for them and builds a level of eager anticipation.  For example, if you are visiting a botanical garden, you may wish to study different kinds of plants that will be seen. Reading books, looking at picture, studying habitats and environments, and growing plants can all be accomplished before the trip.  Another example – if you are going to a baseball game, you may want to learn the rules of the game. 

Before any trip, you will want to review behavioral expectations.  Explain to the children who their buddy is and what the buddy system entails (looking out for one another to make sure no one wonders off). Also, review the dress code for the trip.  Make sure the children and staffs wear appropriate footwear for whatever activity you have planned. 

After the trip

After the fun is over, have the children and staff share their impressions and memories of the field trip.  If possible, provide activities or projects that children can do to extend their learning. As a writing exercise, have the children write a thank you note to anyone who made the trip truly special.  It is also the teacher’s responsibility to reflect on the entire experience to determine if this is a field trip they would consider next year – with or without any changes.

Getting away from the center and enjoying outside activities can be a great time.  Preplan, be prepared for the unexpected and have fun!

With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day right around the corner, it is a great time to reflect on our relationship with the parents in our care.   Parents hold a uniquely important role as their child’s first and most important teacher.  Our role, as early childhood educators, is to support the important work parents do.  Many times parents will come to us to share their frustrations, sweet stories, or simply just to be listened to.  There are several things we can do to ensure we fulfill our role well:

• Listen and withhold judgment when parents share a concern
• Use humor to make light of situations, when appropriate
• Allow parents to find their own way in the journey of parenting
• Affirm parents for making choices that work for them

Another way to help parents is to practice making nonjudgmental statements.  For example, we may say to a parent: “It’s OK to be firm with your toddler”; “I am glad that putting your child to bed early works for you”; “Keep taking baby steps toward your goal.”  Be sure parents are armed with resources to assist them.  Blogs are a relatively new tool that provides support, assistance and a forum for parents to talk with other parents about child rearing.

Share these Parenting websites and enjoy them yourself:

• Minnesota Parent:  The Journal of Family Living     (check out their blog)
• Minnesota Department of Education     (check out their blog)
• National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families   

Honor the mothers and fathers in your program today by reflecting on changes you can make in supporting their efforts.  The most important knowledge for educators is that parenting is hard work and our support can make a difference!

As the weather warms, children and staff will be venturing outside as often as possible.  Outside play has often been seen as time for the children to burn off energy and time for the staff to socialize.  However, outside time should be a valuable learning experience for everyone.  

Learning does not end when they walk outside…….. but rather a stepping stone to stimulate the children’s natural curiosity.

Being outside helps children grow and develop - physically, socially, and emotionally.  Jump rope rhymes are an excellent way to develop language skills as well as a great physical activity.  The physical activity may also help them avoid childhood obesity while enjoying the great outdoors.

Children learn through exploration, discovery and the power of their imagination while noting the different types of trees or animals, and a chance to talk about science - for instance, how plants grow with sun and water. Kids love to be outdoors this time of year.  Here are a few other ways to set up an outdoor classroom:

• Art activities can be expanded when done outdoors and cleaning up is easier
• A reading corner can be under a shady tree or bush
• Meals and snacks can be picnics
• There are many opportunities to explore and observe nature outdoors. Children can watch bugs, birds, animals, and see how plants grow. They can look for changes in trees and bushes from spring to summer to fall
• There's more space for circle games and marching bands
• Music activities can be done outdoors
• Quiet times can include looking at the clouds or birds flying overhead
• Sand boxes are great for digging, pouring, and imaginary play with cars, trucks, and other small toys.

The best outside time is well planned….. just like the rest of your day. 

Aggression and hostility are the fight responses in the fight or flight reaction to stress.  Hostility is characterized by unfriendliness or opposition and can ultimately lead to aggression, whereby a child attempts to do damage to a person or thing.  The assault may be physical or verbal.  A child’s rude behavior, sarcasm, or silence can be exasperating or even frightening to a parent. 

There is an urge to set the child straight with a slap, shaking, or command to ‘snap out of it’.  Actually, confrontation is the worst possible alternative.  Generally, children want either to be left alone or to be allowed to blow up.  If your child does not accept the invitation to talk it out, try to stay out of the way until the emotional storm has subsided.

Although most behavior is learned, understanding the temperamental differences among children can help to explain why some children are more prone to aggression than others.  In addition, some adults directly sanction aggressive behavior when they advise children to ‘stand up for themselves and don’t take anything from anybody’.

In some cases children engage in aggressive acts because they crave attention some much that they will settle for any kind they can get – even if it is negative. Obviously, these children need more attention for desirable behavior and minimal attention for the undesirable. 

Here are a few suggestions:

• Observe the aggressive behavior and try to determine the situational triggers.
• Communicate to the child clearly and specifically which behaviors are not allowed and what the consequences of such behavior will be.
• Ignore attention-getting ploys.
• Provide a positive example by controlling your own aggression.
• Following an act of aggression, discuss the matter with your child.  Encourage the child to generate alternative, satisfying approaches to aggression. 
• Check out radKIDS for more ideas
  

In honor of April being National Child Abuse Prevention month, it is the responsibility of early childhood professionals to recognize signs of abuse and neglect and know the procedures for helping the children and their families.

Caregivers’ Responsibilities:

• Know your state’s law and regulations
• Be familiar with signs
• Keep written records of your observations
• Teach children self-protection strategies
• Report cases of suspected abuse or neglect
• Provide a stable, secure, consistent loving environment
• Help build a strong, positive relationship between parents and their children

Child abuse is like a virus - an infection that is often passed on from one person to another.  This infection spreads very quickly to others in the population.  Unless you avoid people altogether, it is almost impossible to go a day without encountering someone that has either been abused, is or has abused someone, or is very close to someone that has experienced an awful situation. The ‘virus’ infects the entire community with callousness and cynicism, anger and violence, crime, drugs, and disease.  The effects of child abuse are often a life-long problem and process that many need to go through. Children that are abused are missing out on the joy of childhood.  Abused children also have poor self-image, low self-esteem, depression, and inability to love and trust other people.

85 to 90% of the abusers are people the children know.  Therefore, do not be afraid of the stranger, but rather be aware of those that have access to your children – the coach, the teacher, the neighbor, the relative. 

Teach children self-protection strategies:

• Reinforce rules through books, role-playing, and examples
• Goal is to empower children
• Never take a gift from a stranger
• Never go anywhere with a stranger
• Only talk to people you do not know when you are with your mom or dad
• Your body is your personal property
• Never let anyone touch the private parts
• Teach the children that they ‘swimsuit area’ are the place on your body that no one should touch. 
• Talk to children about safety – teach them to use the telephone

Resources for Early Childhood Professionals and Parents:

• Child Abuse   
• Darkness to Light  
• There is No Excuse  
• Protect Kids  
• Stop it Now