Building Brains in Young Children
I did not allow my children to use technology until they were three and four-years-old. It was not easy to make this decision as a parent, but because I read…
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Child Care Subsidy – Improvements and Alternatives
The Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is federal funding provided to the states aimed at expanding access to high quality child care for low income families. In 2018 Congress…
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Let Children Play
A recent article in the New York Times entitled Taking Playtime Seriously and a 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics study remind us of the importance of play. Both the article and study…
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The Generational Impact of High Quality Early Education
Sixty years ago, The Perry Preschool Project aimed to study the lifetime impacts of high quality early education experiences. The participants in the study were socioecomically and developmentally disadvantaged African…
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Preschool Expulsion, A Parent’s Perspective
“…and so, I have to give you an official two weeks notice.” There it was; the culmination of a rocky few weeks at school for my daughter, Madison. I’d…
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Mindfulness Linked to Children’s Ability to Regulate Feelings & Emotions
Mindfulness is maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings and bodies. Research tells us that yoga practice in early childhood and elementary classrooms teaches children self-awareness, breathing techniques, how…
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April Showers
What if all children in Western Tidewater had the educational experiences they need to become successful in school and in life? That is the question the UVA CASTL team is…
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Expulsion is NOT the Answer
Everyday early educators work with children who exhibit behaviors that are difficult to deal with. Our early childhood programs and teachers are struggling to meet the needs of children…
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It’s Opening Day
When you play or watch baseball, you are seeing STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math) in action! Both of my boys are baseball fans (one loves the Yankees…
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Job Turnover in Early Education
The turnover rate among early education program staff in the U.S. is 30%. High turnover rates can impact program quality and affect children. Studies show that frequent turnover among early…
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