How Can You Boost Cognitive Development in Your Preschoolers?
Preschoolers are developing in so many ways at once that their physical and socio-emotional changes can amaze teachers and even parents. Cognitive development is certainly an area that most families expect teachers to help with. In fact, some parents expect teachers to be the primary person boosting their preschoolers’ cognitive development. That’s no small task, […]
A Conversation: Understanding Temperament and Promoting Resilience
Christina: I’m so happy to be here today, chatting about resilience and what that looks like. And I think as educators, it’s important to know that we are resilient just by being in the classroom. There’s so much thrown our way, and just you being able to show up every day and be that strong […]
Make Things Happen with Collaborative Action Plans
As a child care owner, administrator, or director, is there really a description that captures the essence of ALL your duties? There are so many competing demands and various responsibilities that you have to the children in your care, the families you serve… and your staff. No description can truly capture the essence of what […]
A Conversation: Trauma Informed Childcare
Teri: So, trauma — that’s a really heavy topic. We just learned a lot about it in the training, but I wanted to take some time and go a little deeper with things and just really first, remind teachers that they’re not expected to be licensed mental health counselors. We’re not trained for that. It’s […]
Hiring Top Performers & Onboarding Them for Success
Imagine this: You’re pulling a large block of cement up a hill. It’s heavy, but there’s progress because you’re with a team that has experience and a successful track record in transferring blocks of cement up a hill. You’ve found your groove and you’ve also found the perfect technique to get the job done as […]
How We Get to Great: Staying Committed to the Process
Imagine being a leader whose school has a stellar reputation within your community, a place where skilled teachers want to work and that families tell all their friends about. If you’re not there yet, know that you can get there in due time. We all have the potential to be wildly successful in our schools […]
The Secret Sauce to a Successful Day (Circle Time!)
Circle time is the perfect opportunity to get all your little ones together so they can learn, grow, and play. Generally, it’s an activity that follows the same routine every day, though with different lessons, stories, or games each time. A successful circle time is planned in advance, with goals and procedures surrounding it. There’s […]
Transformational Leadership & Setting Your School up for Success
Everything in your school, the ups and the downs, comes back to leadership and your ability to provide safety and security to your team. Quality leadership creates an environment where everyone is all in and will trust each other, cooperate with each other, and even sacrifice for each other. This is an incredibly effective way […]
A Quick Guide: Health & Safety in Preschool Classrooms
Creativity should be the order of the day in preschool classrooms, as it keeps students engaged and entertained during the learning process. However, health and safety are vitally important, too! Follow this quick guide to learn how preschool teachers, owners, and directors can keep their classrooms well-organized, secure, safe, and healthy. Spruce up classroom safety […]
Empowering You: Bringing the Joy Back to Your Job
This one goes out to all of our directors… After a long week of ensuring your school is running well and putting out all the little fires that come up, it’s only natural to have a few defeating thoughts. “I’m so done.” “Maybe I should just leave.” “What am I even doing here?” If you’ve […]
8 Ways to Promote Cognitive Development in Your Preschool Classroom
There are four stages of cognitive development, as defined by Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. As a preschool teacher, you’ll find that your children are in the preoperational stage, where they think about things symbolically. This just means they are learning to use language as a way to represent and give meaning to an […]
Staff Retention & Turnover: The Secret to Loyalty
As the director, administrator, owner/operator, or whatever your title may be as a leader, you’re probably all too familiar with the feeling of being pulled in seventeen directions all at once. You serve in so many different roles, work hard to meet so many varying expectations, and put out so many fires every day. As […]
Managing Preschool Classroom Craziness (Yes, It Is Doable!)
The kids are loud. They’re squealing, singing, shouting, crying, fighting, and acting out. Or maybe they’re just being a little more wild than usual. Whatever the case may be, you’re feeling like you’ve lost control of your classroom, and you need everybody to take it down a notch. We’ve been in that crowded, noisy classroom […]
Troubleshooting Transitions in Your Classroom
Picture this… you’re lying in your warm, cozy bed on a rainy day. The alarm just went off, and you’re mentally preparing to get up and get your day started. As adults, we know the inevitable is coming: We have to get up, shower, dress, and head out to work. What would the three-year-old you […]
How to Manage Aggressive & Defiant Behavior in the Classroom
When you think about aggressive and defiant behavior, do a few students in particular come to mind? You can probably even peg those kids who have an exaggerated anger response when something triggers them or doesn’t go their way. Unfortunately, as long as you’re in the classroom, you’ll find yourself faced with these things because […]
Infant Health and Safety
Infants are in childcare on average 22 hours a week, but many actually spend between 8-10 hours a day in childcare, so there’s no doubt that the impact you leave on your infant students is long-lasting. After all, you’re the one spending the majority of the day with them, which means the work you do […]
Cultural Diversity in the Classroom
Our country is truly a melting pot with people from all different walks of life. It’s a place for dreamers, full of opportunity, where we’re free to strive to be the best version of ourselves. Our world is becoming even more diverse as time goes on — just imagine what it will look like when […]
Diapers, Undies, and Wipes — Oh, My!
Diapering and potty training takes up a lot of your day. At times, you might change 11 diapers in a row! It can start to feel like you’re on a factory line, right? We’ve been there. But guess what? This often smelly, yucky act of love can be a secret weapon to help you with […]
