Category: Early Childhood

Using calendars in preschool, why or why not?

Walk into a circle time in preschool in September and in June when the teacher is “doing calendar.”  It’s Wednesday. The teacher asks the children, “If yesterday was Tuesday, today is……?” The cacophony from the children includes the answers, “Saturday,” “Friday,” “Monday,” and pretty much any other day of the week.  It doesn’t change whether it is the beginning or end of the year. Why? Preschoolers are not developmentally grounded in past and future. For the most part, they still live in the now. Days of the week do not make sense-no matter how many times the activity is repeated. Yesterday, today and tomorrow are not solid concepts for three, four and five year olds.

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Maine’s public preschool programs and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The following information is provided to ensure that all Maine school districts are aware that Section 504 applies to public 4-year old programs. If districts are in partnership with Head Start programs, both entities are responsible for adhering to the requirements of this law. Section 504 is not the responsibility of Child Development Services (CDS).

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Instruction in preschool programs

“Instruction” is not a word that rises to the top in a preschool teacher’s vocabulary list. In fact, some teachers hear the word and envision “instruction” as equal to inappropriate practice.  It is a word that often connotes preschool becoming too “academic,” a “push-down curriculum from kindergarten,” or taking the fun out of young children’s curiosity about the world. And, if one mentions the term “direct instruction,” many preschool teachers will end the conversation, running out of the room.

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Maine’s Read to ME Challenge has become a ritual

Maine’s Read to ME Challenge became a household activity for the Veneziano family in Hermon this past month. The television public service announcements for the campaign that kicked off February 2, are of Jodi and her twins Donnie and Frankie reading. Aside from assisting the Maine Department of Education in producing these PSAs, this family took the challenge seriously.

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Nature based education summer institute

The University of Maine at Farmington is excited to announce registration is open for a first-of-a-kind Nature Based Education Summer Institute June 24 and 25, 2016.  The institute is designed for pre-service and experienced educators to gather and learn about the benefits and best practices of connecting children to nature.  The workshops will be interactive and held outdoors.

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Read to ME Challenge gone viral

It’s not an ice bucket challenge but some have taken it to that extreme as Maine takes on the challenge…the Read to ME Challenge. Since the February 2 launch, The Maine Department of Education’s literacy awareness campaign has gone viral which was the hope at its inception.

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You have been challenged…the ‘Read to ME Challenge’ has launched

Maine’s First Lady launched the Read to ME Challenge this week reflecting on how she and her kids would pack their bags to go to the local library for the afternoon. “It was a routine we all looked forward to. With demands of daily life, it was sometimes difficult to find time to sit and read, but we always made it a priority.”

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Read to ME Challenge fast approaching

The days are clicking away fast as Maine gears up for the statewide Read to ME Challenge kicking off Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Blaine House with the Governor and First Lady. But before then, you are being asked to consider participating in the challenge and think about whom you would like to challenge as well.

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Meeting at the Crossroads: Identifying pathways to proficiency through technical programs, mathematics and English language arts

Teachers from culinary arts, health occupations, and early childhood education programs worked for two days with mathematics and English language arts (ELA) teachers to find points of intersections where students can demonstrate proficiency of Maine student learning standards. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs have always been proficiency-based as students gain knowledge and skills that leads directly into post-secondary programs and professional licensing. Demonstrating proficiency in CTE programs often involves both an academic approach to gathering information and sharing knowledge, as well as performance assessment that reflects skill with various tools including a variety of technologies and human interaction.

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