Hey y'all!
I just wanted to give a little update on what's going on... I didn't post this weekend because I am SWAMPED. Not only am I a full-time student and currently working full time, but I am also helping my center-director write a huge federal grant! While originally we had until early June, we obviously enjoy self-inflicted pain, and intentionally moved our personal deadline to the second week of April! 
SO, what this means for the website... I am EXHAUSTED by the end of the day, and can barely keep my eyes open at the start of each day. I will not be posting this week either, but am planning something huge for the first and second week of April (Week of the Child)! 

I will still be on Instagram, and I will still be responsive to questions, comments, and any other interactions...

Big things coming!

I wish you well, 

Teacher Emmy <3

P.S. Sneak peek at the next activity idea!

Hey everyone! In honor of pi day, I made a math and science activity out of bubbles!
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This is an activity plan I created that incorporates math, science, language, and social-emotional development all into one fun activity that can be done with ANY age. I did this activity with two eleven year old boys and they stayed involved and having fun with BUBBLES for 40 minutes! Imagine a toddler and how long they would be at this activity. Take a look, and try it yourself! Have a wonderful day.

​-Teacher Emmy

First of, there is a video to this. This post has a lot of information, and the information is important! So, please read on, and follow with the video. I appreciate you!
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Why Activities? Children learn through play and through observation. As one of the primary adults in their life, you are one of their primary learning tools! Having an activity paired with a skill that you want to teach your child will increase the time that they gain to learn that skill, as well as increase their bond and attachment to you during play.
 
But I’m not a teacher? Parent, caregiver, teacher, friend… All the same. If you give care to a child, you are one of their teachers. They watch everything that you do, and hear every word you say. These young children are taking in the environment, the emotions, and the actions of every moment so that one day they can replicate the actions they see from you. Your child looks forward to time with you, and will look to you for information and answers to the questions that they can’t verbalize yet.
 
What Is the Adult Roll During Activity?

1. Pick a skill your child hasn’t fully developed yet.
2. Plan an activity based on that skill.
3. Gather the materials you need for the activity.
4. Set them up in an appropriate area and make the activity look inviting.
5. Make sure their physical and emotional needs are met before starting.
6. Bring or call your child to the activity.
7. Ask open-ended questions.
8. Model.
9. Explore.
10. When your child loses interest, have them help you clean up and put away the area.

That’s a lot of information and super confusing! Yes, and that is why I will be providing examples. Without example, I get that… it would be hard to understand. Just like children! We adults need examples when we set out to learn new things, and that is the purpose of a specific activity time. When I can’t figure something out, I tend to google it and search for a how-to video since I am a visual and kinesthetic learner.
 
But infants are too young for curriculum? Contrary to popular belief, infancy is the best time to run curriculum. Their brains are absorbing everything around them and turning experience into evidence. Infancy is the best time to model skills, teach multiple languages, and set the standards of routine for the rest of their life.
 
But my child doesn’t want to pay attention? Yes that happens. This probably means that the curriculum wasn’t designed with them and their interests in mind. If your child is a “wild child” and loves to run around, hating to sit still…Make a movement-based activity. If your child loves to get messy, do an outdoor activity with mud, paint, water… If your child loves a specific toy that they refuse to let go of, make an activity based on that toy. Every playful interaction is a learning experience, and can provide more and more experiences when you are intentional and meaningful about what you plan.
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This still seems complicated! I know… It is a learning process, especially for someone who hasn’t had experience in writing curriculum or learning child development. So, I adapted a curriculum form from my old childcare center, and made it easy. Parents and Caregivers, you don’t need to write this out, but I know that I am a planner. I love to write out plans just to help me and the situations go as smoothly as possible. I recommend writing it out the first few times, especially until this just becomes a natural process for you.
 
For this form, I will use a daunting task for many people…PAINTING. Painting always seems so difficult because of the clean up and the unknowns. Making plans can help prevent that, and make the clean up easier. I am also going to pair the activity with an interest AND a skill to work on that seems like it has no relationship to paint. So, I give you… my example:

I know- this is a lot... Which is why there is a video coming soon!

Give this a share, please. <3
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I wish you well,
-Teacher Emmy.

​Social-Emotional Tools
 
               Have you ever felt so angry that you actually ‘see red’? For me, that looks like tunnel vision, where everything but my object of anger is blurred, and I see darkness around the edges, and everything does actually have a red hue. I also may not be able to think clearly, and my words are jumbled and confusing.
               Have you ever felt so anxious that you cannot seem to do normally easy tasks? For me, that looks like shaking with blurry vision, where I can feel every single heart beat as if a hammer is pounding in my chest? My words come out jumbled and my tongue feels fuzzy.
               Have you ever felt such sadness, that your heart feels heavy? For me, I feel my chest tighten, my muscles are so relaxed that I have difficulty grabbing a tissue or walking to grab something I need, all the while, my eyes burn with tears.
               Have you ever been so excited that your cheeks ache from use? For me, I start jumping and dancing around, talking what seems to be a mile-a-minute, laughing uncontrollable, and falling into giggle fits.
               If we, as adults share in these same feelings and emotions, imagine what it is like for a child who has not yet figured out which situations to prevent that cause these emotions? Imagine, being new on this planet, still learning the names of these emotions. Imagine not knowing how to control these emotions (which we adults struggle with too!). Imagine being two years old, and feeling these emotions, but not having enough language to tell exactly what you are feeling, but still feeling that emotion with all your body. Imagine then, that someone tries to identify why you are crying, but then tells you “Oh, it’s not that bad. You’re okay.”
               Often times, adults overlook that emotions and emotional-regulation is learned and not automatic. What I mean by this, is that we forget to call the emotion by name, and acknowledge that the child’s emotions are real and valid (whether you understand or not.) Adults also tend to punish children for “emotional outbursts” by taking objects away or spanking or providing time outs… Though, when you think about it, what do those teach about emotion or emotional control?
               Let’s take this a step forward: what could happen if we don’t teach emotional-regulation?

• The ‘outbursts’ may happen more often.
• The child cannot self-regulate when on their own in school.
• The child spends so much time calming down and feeling overwhelmed that they lose out on learning or play opportunities.
• The child may be kicked out of classes because lack of emotional-regulation.
  • Let’s be honest, this child will then be ‘labeled’ in the school systems forever.
• Lowered self-esteem from negative attention.
• The child may be expelled for fighting due to uncontrolled anger.
• The child might not be able to graduate.
• The child goes on to be an adult that yells often at employees or cashiers or family members.
• This now adult, may hold in emotions until they are at tipping point, causing physical or emotional harm to others.
• This now adult, has few quality relationships, unable to regulate or identify emotions in others.
  • Cannot identify or empathize with other people- Apathy.
  • Yells or Cries often when life doesn’t go their way
  • Throws or breaks objects in anger

 
While these seem extreme, I was able to imagine adults in my life that were told to suppress emotion, and have transformed through these steps. Can you picture someone like this that struggles with identifying emotions, or has extremely large emotional ‘outbursts’ that could be scary or worrisome? Do you possibly identify with some of these things?
 
Just like any other skill, self-calming, emotional understanding, and emotional regulation is taught or learned. When you are looking for a childcare center or a place to work, I encourage you to ask what systems the school is using to teach these skills.
Here are some ways that a school could be teaching these skills:

1. Practicing Deep Breathing (from the belly) during group times.
2. Talking as a group about WHEN to use Deep Breathing
   1. This could include puppet shows about situations where the children identify where to deep breath
   2. When reading a book, the children identify where a character could stop and breath to prevent emotional actions (hitting, yelling, screaming, etc).
3. The class teaches movement skills to prevent harmful actions:
   1. Teaching children to stretch, take a jog, or exert physical energy in a safe way (that does not hurt self or others)

i.Having a “pushing station” with heavy objects that a child can push through the class is a safe way to exert energy in the classroom. I use a laundry basket filled with sandbags. I have also seen handprints on the wall, for the child to push into.
ii.A stretching station for children to relax, stretch, or jog in place.

1. The classroom uses a conflict negotiation strategy, in which children are able to solve conflicts using a series of steps, while identifying the ‘problem’, creating and choosing a solution, and identifying the emotions of the others involved.
2.  At some point in the week, there is an activity about identifying and naming emotions
   1. Could be naming the emotions represented in pictures, in books, on dolls, on the teacher or peer’s faces during group, etc…

There are a ton of ways to teach emotional management to children, but you’ll want to make sure that the teachers in the center you are scoping out, are aware of social-emotional development, and ways to support.
Feel free to ask questions or add to the list! I’d love to hear how you manage social-emotional behaviors at your school, within your home, or for yourself. Give this a like and a share with your interpretation! Give me a tag if you feel up to it, with your favorite ways to teach and regulate emotions.
 
I hope you have a beautiful day, and I wish you well.
-Teacher Emmy
 

The Fears of Choosing a Child Care Facility Part Two
 
               Welcome back for part two! If part one was helpful for you, please give a share on Facebook or Instagram in order to help more families like yours.
I hope that the last part made it so that you know how important is for families to interview prospective preschools and child care providers. I was watching a TV show last night with my husband, and in the show, it was depicted in the way that preschools will interview the families and choose them based on their abilities and services that they can provide for the school. THIS IS NOT HOW IT SHOULD BE. The schools need you to pay for the services, but your needs are more important. Families need the school to nurture development in all areas, provide empathy, share resources, and take care of your child physically and emotionally. The media has erased that from our collective minds, and makes it seem like you should be providing services (money, diversity, fundraising, donations equal to monetary value) for the schools, when in reality, that is not the case. You have the ability to interview them, and I am hoping that the tools provided in part one will help you know what to question.
               Alongside from providing your own sense of safety and security in the school, interviewing schools in this manner pushes the overall system of childcare to improve. When families take the power in this scenario, demanding quality care, then in the name of “supply and demand,” overall quality will rise. I beg of you- expect quality of us teachers, and overall the system will have no choice but to improve.
               I wanted to make a part two and will be making a part three, because I wanted to individually address two more topics. I wanted to address “Discipline Policies” and “Social-Emotional Curriculum.”
                                             Discipline Policy:
               Families, this should be included in your interview questions of the childcare center that you are choosing. Teachers, this should be included in your interview questions so that you know what to expect when you start the job, and be able to determine if it is a policy that you can agree with and are comfortable using.
 
What should the policy look like?
Just like curriculum should be designed to meet the developmental needs of a child, a discipline policy should be developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) as well.

1. There should be a “No Expulsion” policy. The center should recognize that young children only seek to learn or communicate. They should not villainize a child, or penalize the family for child-like actions.

For example:

1. It is common for young children to bite others because they want to communicate a need: They are hungry; their teeth hurt; they don’t have the words to ask for space; they are frustrated and don’t have the words to communicate this…
2. An older child knocks down a tower another child built because they want to watch it fall and see what happens (Cause and Effect)- Not because they want to break another child’s work.
3. Children yell because they still need to be taught how to regulate their emotions (happy or sad or mad). They yell because they enjoy the sensory output of the sound, the vibrations in the chess, and the feeling.

1. When a child consistently does something that is not safe for others or themselves, or is against the class policy, then the teacher will take time to teach the behavior.
   1. This could look like “Partnering” where a teacher moves everywhere the child goes to, and scaffolds and narrates the environment, predicting what might happen.

i.For example of narrating: If the child often hits others when frustrated, the teacher may stay by their side and narrate to help predict and problem solve. “Oh look, I see Elliot coming over to join us. Do you want him close or do you want space? You chose to have space. Let’s tell Elliot ‘I need space. You can play this far away from me.’ I see Elliot wants to play with the same toy you are holding. What can we do? Should we take turns, or find another toy for Elliot to play with.”

1. The teacher may create a story or puppet show about similar events to share at group time and have the class help come up with solutions for the puppet.

1. The teachers use observations and assessments when the behavior persists.
   1. Observations can help find out what time of day the incidents are occurring; who the child is around; what the triggers are; etc. Knowing can help prevention.
2. There is a location in the classroom for safe and monitored gross-motor play. This can help the children release energy. When energy is built too high, children can become frustrated and find other ways to release the energy.
3. There is a calming section of the class where children can go to be alone. If a child is taught to go to this area when feeling strong emotions, the teacher will know to go and support this child and help problem solve.

Essentially, when it comes to discipline, the teachers are teaching. The true definition of the verb, discipline is “to train.” As teachers, we have to train and teach skills. Threats do not teach a child anything but to threaten others. Yelling at a child only teaches that they can yell at others when angry. Physical punishment (NEVER ALLOWED IN CHILD CARE) only teaches that children should hit when frustrated or angry. Time-Out does not teach a child anything but to be sneakier in order to avoid time-out, or teaches that their emotions don’t matter because you will just send them away.
In a nut-shell, it is important to make sure that the school’s discipline policy matches what the fields of psychology and child development are finding in the most recent and respected studies. Next week, I will continue with Social-Emotional Skills that support the ability to discipline a child and teach them how to be safe.

If you’ve read this, give a share so that it can support others. Whether you agree or disagree, share your thoughts alongside! Let me know what you think.
Wishing you well,
-Teacher Emmy
 

​The Fears of Choosing a Child Care Facility
 
This is kind of a heavy topic, but I wanted to address it early on because this is such a concern for so many families. This post is a little longer than I intended, or intend to normally write… but it is probably one of the more important things that I could address for families; I ask that you continue to read to the end so that both you and I can be in unison.
While many families choose to have their child enrolled in a child care center to increase social skills and to assist in education, many families have no choice but to bring their child to a child care center in order to earn their living. In either case, both types of families simply want the best care for their child and to know that their child will be taken care of and educated in safety and love. While there is excitement that your child will get the chance to make friends and learn, there is also a huge fear of neglect and maltreatment. As a teacher, it breaks my heart to acknowledge that this is a possibility. We see it on the news or read it online… I can’t imagine the fear and heartbreak that a parent or caregiver has when imagining this happen to their child, or actually having lived through an experience like this. It does not help for me to say “not all teachers” because (while true), it doesn’t mean a thing when the possibility is still there.
The best advice I can give, is to assess the center that you will possibly be bringing your child to, and to give my advice on how to assess and what to look for. I have worked in the highest quality center that is imaginable, and I have also worked in centers that do not reflect my philosophy of “high-quality”; I feel confident that I can give tips on how to identify the differences. I also will acknowledge and address that many people do not have a choice in where their child goes because of funding, later on in this page. I will also mention to teachers looking for jobs at centers, this list can also support you in your interview process. Not only is the job interviewing you, but it is an exchange- you interview them also.
Also, I want to acknowledge that this is not cut and dry. Just because this is my experience, does not mean it is fact. I know that there are many teachers with hearts of gold and the teaching skills that outshine the sun that do not work in centers like I am describing. To those wonderful teachers, I ask: Can you imagine working at a center that reflects these practices, and how much more you would be able to achieve?

1. A high-quality center is accredited (or follows accreditation standards).
   1. NAEYC (National Association for Education of Young Children) or NECPA (National Early Childhood Program Accreditation) are the two national accreditation programs for preschools and child care centers.
   2. For in home centers, the accreditation association is NAFCA (National Association for Family Child Care)
2. A high-quality center has lower ratios than state-regulation.
   1. California regulation for Infants is 1:4 (1 teacher, 4 infants)… NAEYC accredited centers follow a 1:3 ratio.
   2. California regulation for Preschool is 1:12… NAEYC accredited centers break that down. For ages 2-3, an NAEYC accredited center follows a ratio of 1:4. For ages 3-6, an NAEYC accredited center follows a ratio of 1:9.
3. A high-quality center follows a developmentally appropriate curriculum.
   1. A developmentally appropriate curriculum will be flexible and based off of the individual children, and what their next developmental goals are. No set-in-stone curriculums.
4. A high-quality center has highly educated staff members.
   1. In California, this looks like: Teachers with “Teacher-level Permits” and continuing education; Teachers with Associate Degrees in education and continuing education; Teachers with BA’s in education, child development, human development, etc.
   2. This also looks like: Teachers that continuously receive professional development.
5. A high-quality center allows parents to observe (even from a distance) and visit any time.
   1. If a center ever has a rule that you can only visit at drop-off and pick-up, then likely there is something that they don’t want you to see.
   2. COVID-19 regulations have changed this rule. Because of safety and security, many centers do not allow anyone besides children and staff to enter the building. Centers should try to find another way for you to observe or check in when possible.
6. A high-quality center values social-emotional curriculum on top of their academic curriculum.
   1. Without social-emotional skills (self-regulation, calming skills, problem-solving, and conflict resolution), children will have a difficult time as they grow being able to regulate and focus in order to learn.
7. A high-quality center will provide resources for families in need.
   1. These resources could include: developmental specialists, psychologists, pediatric facilities, crisis nurseries, crisis centers, WIC, food banks, shelters, clothing donation sites, etc.

 
Let me be clear, this type of high-quality center with ALL of these components is not as common because of the budgetary restraints. These centers do exist, and it is up to you to look at this list and see what matters most to you, and interview your possible childcare facilities. What really matters is that your child will be well taken care of by someone with experience, love, gentleness, and respect for you, your child, and your home-culture. As a parent, you should never have your voice ignored because you are the biggest advocate for your child’s safety and development.
As I’m writing this, I was thinking about the organizational guru, Marie Kondo. When cleansing your home, you evaluate each item… Does it bring you joy? If not, you throw the item away. When you walk into a childcare center for the first time, look around the room with child-like lenses… Does this room bring joy? Do the teachers show joy on their faces when they don’t see you looking? Do the children in the room show overall joy? If not, that’s when I’d walk away.
 
Feel free to ask for any clarifications via Facebook or Instagram. I’d be happy to address your concern or question, whether it be making corrections or additions to this post.
This is a daunting task that many people have to make a choice… and when it comes your turn,
I wish you well.
-Teacher Emmy

***Part Two Next Week ***

 We Are Teachers
 
Let’s start this blog off strong and to the point. On my Instagram page, I asked the question: “What negative stereotypes do you hear about early childhood development that drive you crazy?” I had a ton of responses, but there was one overwhelming consensus: that early childhood development professionals are more often than not, referred to as “babysitters” who “just play all day.” After personally hearing this almost weekly for six years, I think it’s time that we teachers set something straight:
 Teachers for ages 0-5 are teachers. We are not babysitters. Period.

For many years, professionally educated preschool teachers, early childhood caregivers, and infant-toddler teachers have been underestimated in what they bring to society. While ECED teachers may have in the past, been uneducated people with big hearts open to caring for other peoples children in times of need, that is not as much the case today. In most cases, ECED teachers are professionals and qualified teachers and educators that are seeking degrees and permitting within the field with the same amount of love in their hearts. There are widely accessible resources for teachers that allow for us to seek constant professional development as the field grows and information becomes available.
Forty years ago, preschool teachers may have been babysitters. Twenty years ago, some caregivers may have been babysitters and some may have been learning how to be educators. Today, early childhood caregivers are teachers. We are not babysitters.
Years ago, early childhood educators were not required to receive education in the field, and that is where the stereotype comes from. While I personally believe that the states requirements for ECE teachers are still not enough, there are plenty of supplemental materials that provide teachers with all the blueprints to provide quality education to children- Resources such as NAEYC, QRIS, California Competencies, etc... (which I will talk about in later blogs). Each of these ask that teachers have higher education and provide accurate resources for families. Teachers in early education now hold the knowledge of child development growth patterns, curriculum development, activity development, classroom arrangement, leadership skills, social-emotional development understanding, physiological and psychological understanding, and more!
We teachers work with children through play, conversation, open-ended questions, and developing curriculum based on our knowledge of development. We teach about math, science, language, written language, and art. We recognize that none of these can be developed without social-emotional health, and that is something that the field is focusing on now, to provide comprehensive development for the children in our class. We work all day teaching, leading lessons, curing aches, teaching children about emotions and interactions, problem solving, and more… Then we spend our personal time working, on top of the eight hours we are paid for.
 On our lunch breaks, we sit on our phones or computers searching for new teaching ideas, researching new theories, and learning so that we can go back into our classroom and present these new ideas. Then we walk back into the classroom with a genuine and giant smile on our face because we are so happy to see the children after our break, and then exhaust ourselves through moving, running, jumping, dancing, spinning, and singing. Then we go home and study for the next day’s lesson plans. The job is physically and mentally exhausting, but we gladly go back every day with smiles because we love our jobs and we love the children.
As an Infant-Toddler teacher (0-24 months), I see that this is the most-viewed group of teachers that are seen as babysitters instead of teachers. People think that all we do is play with babies, and then change their diapers, and put them to nap. Yes we do these things, but while we do these things, we are teaching. We are setting up curriculum for each individual child instead of one single curriculum for an entire class. We sing intentional songs to teach language, rhythm, and syllabic understanding. We use American Sign Language while we speak, and repeat ourselves a thousand times in order to help a child learn the word, sign, and understanding. We teach rational numbers, and we teach about the world. We help the babies with fine and gross motor development by setting up courses in the classroom to teach balance, safety, and spatial reasoning. On top of this, we infant-toddler teachers speak an entire language that many others cannot speak. We speak non-verbal ‘Infantese.” This means that we read facial expressions, micro-cues, and differentiate between different types of cries, gurgles, and sounds in order to interpret their language and teach them the words and skills for these non-verbal cues and sounds. Infant-teachers teach all day at every single moment while the most curious minds at their most critical point of development are watching and learning from us. We are teachers.
If I haven’t made it clear, early childcare teachers are teachers and deserve to be treated as so. How can you help? Reach out to your local government and get involved, because right now, preschool teachers are overlooked and that has become sorely clear during this pandemic. When you advocate for early childhood teachers, you advocate for the future of children and community at the same time. 



Thank you Ashley, Kolton, Jordyn, Natalie, and Sher for helping me edit. <3