March 29, 2023
Webinar recording, handout, and slides from the presentation on March 22, 2023.
March 20, 2023
It's spring! Lots of things are "emerging"—bulbs are sending green shoots up through the mulch in flower beds, insects are hatching, and birds are migrating and nesting. It's a great time of discovery.
March 16, 2023
March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is "Fuel for the Future." This annual nutrition education campaign is sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics with the goal of focusing attention on the need for developing sound nutrition and physical activity habits at all ages. Early childhood is an ideal time to instill an appreciation for the consumption of a variety of healthy foods.
March 8, 2023
"Relationships that are reciprocal, attuned, culturally responsive, and trustful are a positive developmental force in the lives of children" (Learning Policy Institute & Turnaround for Children, 2021, p. 2).
February 16, 2023
Kids love wheels! It is a common sight to see tots riding various types of ride-on toys at preschools, daycares, or parks, but not all ride-ons are created equal. While many families already intuited it, emerging research is beginning to reveal the benefits and advantages of a specific type of ride-on toy, the balance bike.
January 19, 2023
Assessment data is so valuable. Most QRIS programs require educators and directors to assess children and programs. This takes a lot of time and is sometimes met with resistance and exhaustion. In a 2020 article in Exchange, Holly Delgado, an early childhood assessment specialist, urges programs to reuse assessment documentation in other ways.
December 14, 2022
For a long time, child-development experts trumpeted the phrase "best practice" or "best practices." Things are changing. In the fourth edition of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) authors decided to purposefully no longer use the phrase "best practice." Instead, they often choose the wording "effective practice."
November 10, 2022
November is associated with gratitude. As we reflect back on 2022, we remember the loss of someone very special to us and the early care and education community, Dr. James (Jim) Van Horn, educator and founder of Better Kid Care.
October 20, 2022
As an early childhood educator, you have a unique opportunity to create a safe and welcoming learning environment for children. All children, regardless of family background, race and ethnicity, gender, and cognitive and physical ability deserve to feel they belong and that their teachers care about them. To promote these feelings of belonging and support the relationships you have with children in your care, it is important that you embed practices that support inclusion in your classroom environment and your teaching practices.
October 17, 2022
Facilitators' words are powerful models for children.
September 7, 2022
Childcare programs play a critical role in helping young children get sufficient physical activity, and childcare providers are instrumental in supporting active play for children.
September 1, 2022
Are you noticing that the children are playing with blocks a lot, but they are doing the same things over and over again? Having repeat experiences with the same materials is very important for children. They can get much joy from lingering in familiar play schemes, but sometimes children and teachers need a jump start to unsettle their play and their thinking.
June 24, 2022
Earlier this year, a large manufacturer of infant formula, Abbot Nutrition, recalled some of their powdered infant formulas after some babies got sick from drinking the formula.
June 24, 2022
June marked the end of a year-long celebration of Penn State Extension, Better Kid Care's On Demand distance learning platform. Thank you for celebrating and growing with us.
May 17, 2022
Active Play for Preschoolers with Autism—WE PLAY
May 16, 2022
#10: You never stop learning.
April 19, 2022
"Always be curious! Cherish your questions, question your answers, and take on learning for the long-term." That's a thought from the recently launched course "School-Age Youth Programs: Commit to Quality and Lifelong Learning."
April 18, 2022
#9: You seek practical ideas
April 18, 2022
School-Age Youth Programs: Commit to Quality and Lifelong Learning
March 15, 2022
Early math skills are foundational for school success and have been shown to relate to a whole host of later academic outcomes.
March 14, 2022
#8 You crave diverse content
February 16, 2022
Social-emotional learning (SEL) skills contribute to the process of creating, welcoming, and sustaining a diverse policy team that values and seeks the knowledge of each team member.
February 15, 2022
#7: You value customer support
February 15, 2022
While these aren’t the conventional snow people that Terri VanHoudt and her homecare preschoolers usually make in their wintry Minnesota neighborhood, they were a lot of fun to create during some indoor play time.
January 19, 2022
#6: You enjoy videos from real classroom experts.
January 18, 2022
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the cornerstone for growing and enhancing kind, caring, inclusive, and equitable relationships and practices with children and families within early care and education (ECE) communities. These equitable and caring communities support, value, and respect children and families.
January 18, 2022
"When my intent is to share knowledge, I become the expert, and everyone else becomes objects or faces with numbers associated with them. When I walk in with the intent to create an experience in which people realize what is possible for themselves, then magic begins" (Wise & Littlefield, 2017, p. 6).
December 14, 2021
#5: Your voice needs to be heard. Your feedback is not only welcome but is critical to the On Demand professional development experience and engaged learning process.
November 22, 2021
4: Technology shouldn’t stand in your way of learning.
November 17, 2021
Social-emotional Learning and Equity: Program Policy
