Keyword: Early Care and Education
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Approaches to Early Childhood Education
This Q&A will provide families with introductory explanations of some common approaches to early childhood education in the U.S.
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FREE Professional Development Online for Early Childhood Educators
We have curated a list of free professional development opportunities that you can attend from your home
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Getting Your Child Ready to Return to Childcare
Along with most states in the country, Illinois experienced a shelter-in-place order for several weeks and then started a phased reopening. For many families, this meant their young children did not attend childcare or preschool programs for an extended period of time. If they did keep attending childcare, practices at their childcare centers likely changed.
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Including Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities in Child Care
On this podcast we talk with Dr. Jenna Weglarz-Ward, an assistant professor in early childhood education and early childhood special education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, about the inclusion of infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays in child care settings.
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An Introduction to Montessori Education
On this podcast we talk with Dr. Natalie Danner, the LaVonne Kopecky Plambeck endowed chair of Montessori education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
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Resource Directory for Illinois Families with Young Children Experiencing Homelessness and Housing Insecurity
This resource directory provides contact information, descriptions of programs, state agencies, and non-profit organizations in Illinois that provide support for families of young children experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Families may wish to begin searching for resources in their local community using these links: Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)IDHS provides a listing of state…
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Social and Emotional Development
This section of the guidelines describes how infants and toddlers develop relationships with the people around them, develop a sense of self, and learn to be sensitive to the wants and needs of other people.
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“Where Does the Water Go?” Investigating Pipes and Plumbing
Kim Burd and Laura DeLucaJohn L. Hensey Elementary SchoolWashington, IL The Pipes Project took place in an inclusive early childhood classroom that holds two sessions each day; children attend only one session. The classroom also has an assistant teacher. The curriculum is play-based and experiential in nature. Topics of study are chosen based on children’s…
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Challenge Young Artists to Create in Three Dimensions
When young children create visual art, they explore and experiment with the properties of materials. Some classic examples of developmentally appropriate art opportunities for children include drawing with crayons, painting at an easel, or creating a paper collage. These types of art experiences allow children the opportunity to explore in two dimensions of space.
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The Pumpkin Project
Meredith Kennedy and Michaela Martens Bridgeview Elementary School LeClaire, Iowa This project was an investigation of the afternoon preschool class at the Pleasant Valley Preschool Program. Our program serves children ages 3 to 5. The classroom is inclusive and made up of 17 students. The Pumpkin Project began in October and lasted until the end…
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Language and Literacy in Inclusive Early Childhood Programs
In this interview, we speak with Elise Prosser, a speech language pathologist from the Urbana Early Childhood School in Urbana, IL. Ms. Prosser received her bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing science and master’s degree in speech language pathology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has been working in the schools as a…
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Traditional Costumes Project
Şermin Metin, Nilüfer Darıca, and Zerrin MercanHasan Kalyoncu University, Gaziantep, Turkey The Traditional Clothes Project was the result of a research study that was undertaken in Pristina, the capital and largest city in Kosovo. The aim of the research study was to provide training for Kosovan Turkish teachers to embed 21st century skills in their…
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How Teachers Can Help When a Child Says, “Mommy, I Don’t Want to Go to Preschool!”
While there are many reasons a child may not want to come to school, there are a few things teachers can do to support children during this difficult time. Things that help build a sense of belonging may increase the child’s willingness to come to school. These include providing positive interactions, creating equal opportunities to…
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Get Them to School Every Day
Preschool is the ideal time to stress the importance of consistent on-time attendance and encourage strong attendance habits.
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Going to Kindergarten?
Getting required health checks, practicing key skills, and visiting your new school can help your child make a smooth transition.
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Preventing That Summer Slide
Increasing young DLLs’ language skills and vocabulary in their heritage language is important for learning future academic skills.
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Adjusting Pace and Location of Project Work
By adjusting the pace and location of the project work to the developmental levels and experience of the children, teachers can begin to engage them in project work soon after they join the class, even at the beginning of the school year.
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Talking About Numbers and Letters
In this video, 4-year-old Martín plays with letters in a bilingual prekindergarten classroom, where teachers provide instruction in both Spanish and English.
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Transformative Early Childhood Education: An Interview with Dr. Kathleen Gallagher
This podcast is an interview with Dr. Kathleen Gallagher. This interview was recorded during her visit to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus for the Child Development Laboratory’s 75th anniversary lecture in November 2017. In this interview, she discusses her own story of becoming an early childhood educator and shares her perspectives on how…
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Mathematics Benchmark 10.B.ECa
This module is a innovative professional development resource for busy early childhood educators. It provides teachers with some suggested ways to help children meet the following benchmark… Mathematics 10.B.ECa: Organize, represent, and analyze information using concrete objects, pictures, and graphs, with teacher support. Related IEL Resources Tip Sheet: Project Approach: Helping Preschoolers Represent What They…
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Getting Ready for Preschool
This list contains a variety of resources associated with getting a child ready for preschool.
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Father/Male Involvement in Early Childhood
This list contains a variety of resources associated with father/male involvement in early childhood. While this resource list specifically addresses fathers and males, IEL supports all types of families.
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Moving from Early Intervention to PreK: What Parents and Caregivers Want to Know
This list contains a variety of resources associated with moving from Early Intervention to PreK for parents and caregivers.
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Your Child’s First Day in Preschool
Here are some tips for easing those first-day blues from parents who’ve lived through the experience.
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Developmental Milestones, Infant Toddler Guidelines, and Early Learning Standards: Metrics for Young Children
Teachers and parents of young children are likely to encounter different checklists or guidelines to assess the development, knowledge, or skills of the young children in their care.
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Starting Kindergarten in Illinois
In this document, we respond to a variety of questions about starting Kindergarten in Illinois.
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Standards of Experience
Around the country states and school districts are working hard to adopt standards of achievement and outcomes by which to evaluate their programs. Illinois is in the complex process of developing and revising early learning and development standards for its preschool programs that will address the benefits of programs to children from 3 years old…
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Some Benefits of Multiage Grouping
Even though it’s not natural for young children to spend large proportions of time in same-age “litters,” we seem to insist that they be cared for as well as educated in them!
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Thoughts on Leadership
These experiences reminded me of some of the fundamental aspects of effective leadership practices in such complex environments.
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Flexibility and the Project Approach
What a joy it is to have students working with the Project Approach within our building. As the excitement builds for the students and the teachers, it is amazing to see the level of understanding that these small children have.
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Observing Your Child in Preschool
Here are parent-tested hints for observing children in preschool.