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summer 2012 a publication of the north carolina association for the education of young children promoting and inspiring excellence in early care and education for over 50 years

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a publication of the north carolina association for the education of young children summer 2012 contents letter from the executive director development is the theme of this issue of milestones we asked each of our authors to consider this theme in a variety of contexts their articles provide a range of perspectives including the development of children the development of professionals and the development of programs we hope these articles help promote and inspire excellence in all you do with or on behalf of young children birth through age eight as i reflected on this theme i recalled one of the most influential professional development experiences of my career attending naeyc s leading edge in 1997 naeyc developed this training as part of the launch of the revised edition of developmentally appropriate practices lorie barnes dap bredekamp copple 1997 this unique training incorporated face-to-face and live telecast components groups of professionals gathered all across the nation were simultaneously engaged in activities led by on-site facilitators at appointed times we would tune into a live broadcast featuring presentations from leading experts complemented by pre-recorded video segments rather high tech for fifteen years ago the leading edge resources developed specifically for this training utilized mental models which provided easy to recall visual representation of key concepts of the revised dap book while both the content and delivery format were brilliant i think one of the main reasons this was such a powerful experience for me was that it came at the most opportune time in my own professional development i was a year out of graduate school transitioning from working directly with young children and families into adult education it was exactly the perfect time for me to relate to one of the most important premises of dap s revised edition the concept of intentional decision-making i learned that being intentional meant applying principles of developmentally appropriate practice and being able to explain those guiding principles to others i had been striving for over ten years to be an effective teacher of young children now as a teacher of adults i needed more than ever to be able to explain why we do what we do the revised dap and leading edge concepts and tools did exactly that i received precisely what i needed at the precise time i needed it now that is developmentally appropriate practice with such strong emphasis on development within the principles of dap one particularly important mental model from the leading edge framed three key inter-related concepts that guide our decision-making 1 development is universal there are predictable sequential patterns of development that help inform our decisions about how to best support children where they are and prepare for where they will be next 2 development is unique every child goes through these predictable sequential patterns of development at their own pace and they each possess unique temperament personalities and learning styles that influence their development 3 development occurs in context the interplay between nature and nurture influences development children s development is impacted by the world around them and it impacts the world around them cultural contexts are woven into every element of our work meet our members 2 nc state budget 3 local affiliate council 4 child care teacher award winner 5 $100k for frankie lemmon 6 lessons we already knew 7 spotlight on conference 8 parent development 10 north carolina play daze 11 naeyc accreditation 12 telemon accreditation story 14 creative strategies 16 week of the young child 17 ddla visits ncaeyc offices 18 leadership lens 20 executive officers 21 staff executive director lorie barnes lbarnes@ncaeyc.org conference coordinator christine butler cbutler@ncaeyc.org a special thank you to neal lieberman for his assistance with editing this issue of milestones north carolina association for the education of young children 2209 century drive #550 raleigh nc 27612 919.510.5034 800.982.4406 919.510.5033 fax www.ncaeyc.org article/photo submissions if you would like to submit an article or photo to be considered for publication or have a suggestion for an article it may be sent to lbarnes@ncaeyc.org we welcome comments and suggestions contact us at generalinfo@ncaeyc.org or call 800.982-4406 through milestones ncaeyc provides a forum for discussion of issues and ideas in our field we hope to provoke thought and promote professional growth milestones articles represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of ncaeyc cover photo by katie mcanally read more on page 6 continued on page 21 » i |

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letter from the president which is defined by the merriam webster dictionary as the act process or result of developing according to merriam webster to develop has numerous meanings including promoting the growth of to make visible to work out the possibilities of to create or produce especially by deliberate effort over time to cause to unfold gradually to go through a process of natural growth to come into being gradually the images that come to mind include a bud developing into a flower an infant growing into a toddler a thought developing into a thesis synonyms for development include words such as elaboration evolution expansion growth progress and progression as i ponder what all of this means to us it occurs to me that as early childhood educators we influence the growth the evolution the progression the development of many things first and foremost we develop ourselves personally physically emotionally and professionally we develop plans for our work we develop resources such as this journal we develop appropriate programs for young children we help to develop children the theme of this edition of milestones is development eva phillips we know that as adults we must focus on our own development before we can successfully and effectively support the development of others so taking care of ourselves physically and emotionally is the first step i remember reading a short story about a spider who after giving of herself and sharing her silken thread with so many of the other animals in the forest didn t have any thread left to make her own web and to catch her own food because of this she was left hungry tired and without enough energy or supplies to take care of her own needs she learned that to be able to take care of others well she had to take care of herself first just like this spider we as educators often put others needs ahead of our own and eventually find out that we don t have enough energy to do the things we need to do burnout is high in our field so we must work hard to keep a healthy balance to be able to support our own growth and development as a person we must also keep developing professionally being an active member of ncaeyc reading this journal and other professional readings attending conferences and other various professional development opportunities keeps us growing and expanding our early care education and leadership knowledge base as we continue to progress in our own abilities we in turn can effectively support the growth and development of the children and families we work with as we support our colleagues by sharing our knowledge with others we participate in another important aspect of professional growth developing programs and resources for working with children is something we all do on a daily basis as we plan for the experiences of the children in our care we think about ways to support their growth and development in all domains including health and physical emotional and social language and cognitive approaches to learning through these intentionally planned experiences for children we are supporting their natural growth and development and making their development visible as they come into being before our eyes and what does this development look like how do we support it how do we facilitate it how do we sustain it these big questions are the foundation of children s growth and development that we must make visible as early childhood educators as calvin coolidge said all growth depends on activity there is no development physically or intellectually without effort and effort means work friends we have much to do as we work toward strengthening our own skills and knowledge in order to provide developmentally appropriate opportunities and experiences for all the children in our care we can t be afraid of stepping out of our comfort zones to grow it will take lots of activity and effort but if we do it together we can accomplish so so much be not afraid of growing slowly be afraid only of standing still chinese proverb summer 2012 |1

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meet our members written by pam zornick debi kennerson-webb ncaeyc board of directors members ncaeyc has decided to spotlight our members in each milestones magazine this issue we have interviews with a brand-new member as well as a long-time member we hope you enjoy getting to know more about your fellow early childhood professionals if you would like to be interviewed or if you know someone who should be interviewed please let us know meet brand-new ncaeyc member larika caldwell here is what we learned about larika we would like to introduce larika caldwell larika is a teacher of 3-year olds at the sunshine house in winstonsalem everyday larika realizes that she is important and is making a difference in the lives of the children she teaches highlights of her working week are watching the children she teaches grow and develop just as larika knows her students are growing and developing she is also growing and developing as an early childhood professional a professor in her program at winston-salem state university spoke to birth-kindergarten student teachers about starting a student organization of ncaeyc on the campus her professor inspired larika to become a member of naeyc and to participate in her student affiliate as well as her local affiliate group larika credits her involvement in this professional organization for her growth and deeper understanding of developmentally appropriate practice through her continued professional growth she has been able to successfully continue the growth and development of her classroom and the children she teaches larika has a future goal of opening up her very own child development center she states i know that being an active member of ncaeyc will help to ensure that my child development center will be the best i will be able to use the resources of my membership to benefit my center and support naeyc best practice for high quality care of the children i serve meet an amazing lady who has inspired our own involvement in ncaeyc ronda hawkins early childhood program coordinator at sandhills community college and a member of naeyc since 1994 ronda is an early childhood professor and program coordinator at sandhills community college scc in pinehurst she loves it when she has the opportunity to advise new students who are enrolling in the early childhood associate degree program she tries to calm their fears and build on their excitement she also enjoys interacting with students who are enrolled in practicum and working in a classroom for the first time she has been at the college for ten years and has never had a student that did not enjoy practicum at least the interacting with the children part ronda joined naeyc in 1994 when she moved to north carolina and became a director of a child care center serving primarily low-income families under her leadership the center became the first and only child care center in moore county to become naeyc accredited while the center no longer exists the space is currently being used for a school-age program her naeyc membership lapsed when she became a stay-at-home mom but her story of re-joining is a great one shortly after she started work at scc she attended an ag in the classroom summer training in raleigh one afternoon they went on a field trip to the farm bureau and farmer s market during the bus ride she sat with emily cook who was serving on the ncaeyc board she encouraged ronda to run for one of the open positions on the state board of course she had to renew her membership before she sent in her paperwork as it turned out ronda was elected and went on to serve several years as an area representative and several more years as the vice president of advocacy ronda feels that without a doubt it was the best professional development she ever experienced because of her personal experience neither she nor i will ever underestimate the power of simply asking someone to serve before ronda was on the ncaeyc board there was not an active affiliate in the sandhills area that would soon change ronda persuaded her friend peggy johnson into running for the board after they both finished their terms on the ncaeyc board they decided to start a local affiliate that was five years ago and ronda has just completed her term as past-president ronda strongly believes that our effectiveness as ncaeyc members is directly linked to our involvement in our local affiliates in addition to the state and local affiliate groups influencing her career naeyc has also had a tremendous impact just as she had provided leadership to the child care center to become naeyc accredited she worked with scc to become one of the first five associate degree programs in the u.s to become naeyc accredited sandhills community college submitted their second self-study report this past march and will be hosting a site visit this coming october ronda also feels that becoming a naeyc peer reviewer is a tremendous professional development experience which she highly recommends in addition to professional development ronda believes she is a better child advocate because of her membership with naeyc she is also very proud of our code of ethical conduct and grateful for the support it provides our profession ronda says my entire professional career is dedicated to the ncaeyc vision that `one day all of north carolina s children will be valued and offered high quality early childhood experiences i believe that local affiliates working together with ncaeyc provides the strong framework we need to achieve our vision i also believe that speaking in one voice will be our key to success we believe that ronda is an amazing role model for all naeyc someone who truly embodies the vision and work of our local state and national organizations thank you ronda 2 |

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growth and development of the nc state budget written by catherine lieberman ncaeyc vice president of public policy awareness growth and development of the nc state budget how a biennial budget was passed in 2011 and reviewed/amended in 2012 you have heard a lot about the nc state budget over the last several months strong differences of opinion and varying priorities are often at the center of political debates about our state s budget however many of us are not clear on the process that takes a budget from a governor s proposal to a state budget let s take a look at how the nc state budget grows develops and is implemented and where you have a chance to change the flow of funds for children in your community the nc state budget process is driven and guided by public priorities debate and discussion between the branches of government within the constitution s framework lead to all budget decisions it looks like this the budget seems like an expenditure process at first but it is actually made up of different parts including expenditure and tax policies the budget process includes · operating budgets these keep north carolina programs like child health or clean environment programs open and running throughout the year · capital budgets this is for long term capital investments such as maintaining state buildings and historic sites budget process public priorities judicial supreme court constitution executive governor s office legislative general assembly · debt management practices this is a part of any state budget as improvements and maintenance of state projects can increase state debt · tax expenditure budgets and forecasting this helps to project what the state will need to meet the needs of the public and what the state expects to bring in as revenue · inflation adjustments these are adjustments made to the budget as inflation changes each year the governor of north carolina recommends and releases a budget the general assembly then reviews the budget in legislative hearings in these hearings state budget office staff can answer questions about the budget each house of the general assembly can then choose to revise the governor s budget or build a budget of their own this budget is then sent to the other house of the general assembly for review again this house can revise the budget or choose to write their own when each house has passed a version of the budget members of both the senate and the house are appointed to go into joint committee and create a compromise budget this year the governor released a budget in april the house of representatives was the first house of the general assembly to take up the budget process and chose to write a house version of the budget for those of us in early childhood education ece this version did not cut any additional dollars from state ece programs and expanded some the house budget was voted on by members of the house of representatives and given to the senate to review the senate wrote a drastically different version the senate s budget made dangerous cuts to ece programs that could hurt our early childhood investments it also passed this year the house and the senate created a joint resolution that was sent to the governor for approval the governor vetoed it but the general assembly overrode the veto with a smaller margin of votes than expected nevertheless the budget created by the general assembly will be the budget for 2013 so where do you come in during this process those that represent you in the general assembly need to hear your voice at every point in the process your calls emails and letters can change what goes into the budget and which elected officials vote for or against it ncaeyc sends out public policy alerts at critical points in the budget process however you can let your representatives hear your voice any time every voice counts and every voice can change the budget outcome for young children and families the growth and development of the budget is a process that is shaped by the voices of north carolina early childhood advocates summer 2012 |3

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learning about the local affiliate council written by kirsten aleman president of wakeaeyc in north carolina there are currently sixteen local affiliates and chapters with more than two-thousand members ncaeyc and the national office struggled in the past with the question of how they could support the growth and development of the individual affiliate as well as the larger aeyc system the answer came to them in 2009 with the creation of the local affiliate council lac the north carolina affiliate council structure is modeled after the national s model in which representatives from each state come together at naeyc functions and discuss opportunities for growth develop new policies and search for a common voice that could be adopted locally each local affiliate and chapter in north carolina is tasked with the responsibility of sending one representative to serve on the north carolina lac on the board each affiliate regardless of size is entitled to one vote just as the national lac serves as a tool for connecting and supporting the growth and development of each affiliate so does the nc lac there are three elected positions on the lac board each lasting one year they are listed below · the chair who is responsible for running the meetings and serving on the ncaeyc board · the past chair who is responsible for supporting the current chair and takes minutes during meetings as well as serving on the ncaeyc board · the chair-elect who is learning the process of what it takes to become the chair for the past year i have had the privilege of serving on the nc lac as a representative from wake county this year i have seen the council grow and develop as it sought to develop policies and to find its voice one of the more recent milestones included the official adoption of the lac policies and the election of the new chair and chair-elect during the june meeting in my opinion the north carolina lac is everything the founders hoped it would be a forum for the individual voices of the local affiliates across north carolina to come together and create one voice and common vision for ncaeyc members ncaeyc local affiliate map ncaeyc board districts noted with black outline 4 |

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ncaeyc member wins national child care teacher award recognizing the need to raise the status of child care teachers and the need for quality child care the terri lynne lokoff child care foundation tllccf created the terri lynne lokoff/children s tylenol® national child care teacher awardstm this award acknowledges the critical role of child care teachers in providing quality early care and education child care teachers from all 50 states the district of columbia and on u.s military bases and installations around the world are invited to apply fifty teachers are selected for their commitment and dedication to the children they serve of the top ten recipients one is selected to receive the helene marks award and is named the national child care teacher of the year as a part of the application process each applicant is asked to design a classroom enhancement project for the children they teach illustrating the educational social and emotional benefits of the project a committee of early childhood educators and specialists review the applications award recipients receive $1,000 ­ $500 for the teacher s personal use and $500 to implement the project an award ceremony takes place each spring in pennsylvania hotel and transportation are provided for the recipients the event celebrates the best and the most dedicated child care teachers jessica tickle received her award in washington dc the helene marks award is presented to the child care teacher who is selected from among the top ten scoring applicants of the national child care teacher awards the recipient receives the helene marks award and the honor of being named the national child care teacher of the year and an additional $1,000 the tllccf has proudly presented this prestigious award since 1994 ncaeyc congratulates jessica tickle from the rainbow mountain children s school in asheville who submitted her project on creative dramatic play congratulations jessica we are so proud to have you as a student member of ncaeyc and your local affiliate land of sky-aeyc jessica was one of the top ten scorers of the terri lynne lokoff children s tylenol® national child care teacher awards and she is now eligible to apply for the helene marks award and to be named the national child care teacher of the year this information is taken from the tllccf website www.tllccf.org/pr_nccta.php jessica tickle and students a large silk creates a roof for a house sewing her own costume summer 2012 |5

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mom wins $100k for a nc early childhood program melissa matthews a mom and a former kindergarten teacher stumbled across an online contest while reading a home design blog and knew immediately what she would do if she had one year and $100,000 when i first saw it i thought of frankie lemmon said matthews the mother of a 3-year old who attends the preschool for children with special needs in raleigh so matthews penned an essay for ikea explaining how she would buy special technology for children with special needs if she won the furniture retailer s life improvement sabbatical contest a thousand people entered matthews won the contest and the $100,000 which she will use to help the frankie lemmon school and development center located in raleigh the school was founded in the 1960s by frank and georgia lemmon whose son frankie has down syndrome it was the first preschool in raleigh to accept children with special needs at that time the school was housed at hudson memorial presbyterian church where frank lemmon was a minister the program later moved to the basement of hayes barton baptist church where it serves twenty-five children tuition-free matthews will be focusing on technology purchases for the frankie lemmon students and she would also like to use the money to begin a fund to find a larger home for the school so it can serve more children aidan s mother melissa won an ikea contest and will use her $100,000 to help the school matthews 3-year old son aidan was originally on a waiting list for a spot at frankie lemmon i worried about his transition to school literally from the eighteen-week ultrasound that revealed the markers of down syndrome said matthews when i was pregnant with him i was wondering where he would go to school and what his life would be like with part of the contest money the school will add to its ipad inventory the plan is also to use the money to add more promethean boards and interactive white boards used by students and teachers to the classrooms administrators say the availability of technology helps the school with its no 1 mission our biggest thing is communication janet sellers school director said we want to make sure every child who comes here has a way to communicate read more here www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/01/1821113 mom-wins-100k-for-special-needs.html#storylink=cpy 6 |

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lessons we already knew written by kate thegen early childhood consultant/trainer/coach the only way that we can live is if we grow the only way that we can grow is if we change the only way that we can change is if we learn the only way that we can learn is if we are exposed and the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open do it throw yourself c joybell c well it is incredibly hard to say throw yourself to an overworked underpaid early childhood teacher the only kind i remember very well that i hardly ever felt compelled to go out and learn something new eighteen something news walked into my classroom every morning nonetheless that being said growth and change going from here to there from being four to being five is unavoidably and completely the point these are the central constructs of teaching unless of course you are just watching children for a living we teachers are in the business of helping children grow and develop and that means we have to do it too in fact we have to become very good at it more than any other profession we are the mediaries of change we are the advocates of throw yourself if we don t understand growth personally from the inside if we don t have personal and conscious experience with it how can we ever become good at helping others grow if we are resistant to the extra efforts required for growth then we understand why busy children may not want to interrupt their play for our projects if we have ever sat through a class or training that hasn t engaged us we know why children might wiggle through circle time most importantly when we uncover what motivates us we learn how to motivate others why do dinosaurs and bunnies thrill the hearts of children what thrills our hearts we know for instance that when we feel supported by others the discomfort of growing is tolerable this is of course why we support children not just because they are cute and we love them but because it is our job to provide a safe place for their growth can we do it for ourselves so if as teachers we are in the business of growth and development just how do we look to our own house is our development a solitary pursuit an on-line course or is it better to be an interaction with a mentor coach or peer does our knowledge of teaching suggest that we all learn best in communities alongside others where growth is richest with input from our colleagues our own teachers our coworkers if we are visual learners wouldn t we think to take field trips to others classrooms to see what the rest of the world looks like we are supposed to be the experts on how children learn why is it so hard to transfer that wisdom to ourselves brain science draws us a picture of the connection between learning and emotions while we do not necessarily learn exactly the same way children do the lessons of their learning ought to inform our own development to become professionals we need interactions that are supportive not just instructive we need respect if not affection we need encouragement and excitement so that the pleasures of learning are not only limited to the play of children the world of early childhood badly needs more inspired teachers great teachers of young children grew into that space consciously observing themselves self-reflection has a lot to teach us about throwing ourselves summer 2012 |7

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lead where you are located making the most of every leadership opportunity perhaps you have heard the phrase bloom where you are planted at this year s 59th annual conference ncaeyc wants to encourage every early childhood professional to lead where you are located now more than ever early childhood professionals from every level setting and professional role are needed to · reflect upon and strengthen their practice · share their knowledge and expertise · promote standards of excellence · demonstrate and advocate for the critical role of early care and education by making the most of every leadership opportunity we help ensure that across our state north carolina s children and families are provided the necessary resources and supports to promote their success in learning and in life by making the most of every leadership opportunity we advocate for early childhood educators across our state to receive the training support and compensation worthy of our estemed profession naeyc s conceptual framework for early childhood professional development 1993 currently in revision indicates that early childhood professionals must be able to · work effectively with young children · establish and maintain productive relationships with colleagues · work effectively as a member of an instructional team · communicate effectively with parents and other family members · communicate effectively with other professionals and agencies concerned with children and families in the larger community to support children s development learning and well-being ncaeyc s 59th annual conference provides a focus on helping attendees recognize their full potential whether they are leading a lesson plan a staff meeting a statewide project or an advocacy event conference schedule registration check-in hours main lobby wednesday september 12 7:00pm ­ 9:00pm thursday september 13 7:00am ­ 7:00pm friday september 14 7:00am ­ 7:00pm saturday september 15 7:00am ­ 11:00am pre-conference sessions thursday september 13 8:30am ­ 4:30pm regular conference sessions friday september 14 session 1 session 2 lunch keynote session 3 vendor spotlight saturday september 15 vendor spotlight session 4 session 5 8:00am ­ 6:00pm 8:00am ­ 9:30am 10am ­ 11:30am 11:30am ­ 1:00pm 1:00pm ­ 2:30pm 3:00pm ­ 4:30pm 4:30pm ­ 6:00pm 8:00am ­ 1:30pm 8:00am ­ 9:00am 9:00am ­ 11:00am 11:30am ­ 1:30pm pre-conference sessions pre-registration is required select from one of four sessions · lead where you are located making the most of every leadership opportunity for all early childhood professionals with a very special focus on supporting program administrators learn about resources tools and strategies that will help develop and expand your leadership potential · authentic implementation linking standards child assessment curriculum and effective teacher practice learn about how new state and federal standards and requirements impact the need for essential skills in understanding selecting and implementing curricula and linking it to child assessment and child outcomes · nc museum of natural science celebrating the new nature research center learn to promote science in early education through this hands-on pre-conference field trip through the museum s amazing new nature research center · introduction to the pre-k classtm limited seating the classtm observation tool helps educators break down complexity of daily interactions and focus on engaging effectively with students additional material fee $35 for more information please visit www.ncaeyc.org to register please visit www.ncaeyc.org 8 |

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the north carolina association for the education of young children invites you to our 59th annual conference september 13 ­ 15 2012 raleigh convention center all friday sessions now 1.5 hours in length in-depth 2 hour saturday sessions vendors in the hallways sessions to address new curricula across all age levels sessions for directors at pre-conference and embedded throughout friday and saturday all sessions in the rcc keynote speaker dr sue bredekamp men in early childhood discussion panel k-3 sessions at pre-conference and embedded throughout friday and saturday credits ncaeyc is approved by the division of child development and early education to offer contact hours for conference sessions vendor exhibit areas throughout the convention center one of the most exciting changes for ncaeyc s 2012 annual conference centers around our re-designed vendor area this year the vendors will be located in the hallways outside the session rooms attendees will enjoy connecting with vendors while walking from session to session and during the vendor spotlight on friday afternoon from 4:30­6:00 and saturday morning from 8:00­9:00 dap showcase teacher-made materials that reflect excellence in action dap showcase demonstrates teacher-made materials that reflect excellence in action to enhance young children s learning and development acquire new ideas and insights as you stroll through dap showcase bring your camera to capture your favorite examples so you can replicate and utilize low-cost high-impact teacher-made materials be an advocate have your voice heard ncaeyc s mission is to be the voice of professionals who work with or on behalf of young children birth through age eight have your voice heard is one of the ways we meet our mission throughout conference you will see ncaeyc board members with recorders encouraging attendees to have your voice heard la lounge connect with your local affiliate attendees can come prepared with specific issues they would like to advocate for or they la lounge is a fun energized spot to connect with your local can respond to one of several open-ended affiliate leaders learn about local affiliate events and enter to questions recorded messages will be win a door prize la lounge will be located in the glass room on used in a variety of powerful ways the main lobby level of the convention center near the escalators like sharing with legislators and that provide access to and from the second floor posting on our website summer 2012 |9

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parent development keeping all the balls in the air my fifteen month old toddler is discovering the world and i m discovering a special ability to feel sympathetic for her amazed by her and frustrated at her at the same time today we vroomed cars around the house while we kind of swept measured water in cups as we washed dishes/flooded the kitchen and compared stick sizes as we gardened and marveled at worms i have become a master multi-tasker and i dream of the day that i will be able to do just one thing at a time i find comfort in the idea that i m not alone if you re raising children you re splitting your attention between at least two and frequently two hundred different things every day you want to be the best parent you can and have your child reach his or her potential but it seems impossible to find the time to work on your own parental development or even know where to start everyone from your neighbor to google has an opinion so where do you go to spend the precious minutes you ve eked out for your own development written by katie sykes secretary land of sky aeyc your ncaeyc membership is a great resource and a frequent starting point remember to tap your local affiliate for sources as well trainings and conferences aren t just for licensed teachers and childcare professionals if you re raising a child you re a teacher you ll also come away from a training with more than new knowledge you ll get valuable adult time too when was the last time you used your adult words creating a support network whether you re giving or receiving the support is a crucial step in encouraging parent development in yourself and others for those of you who work with parents either alongside us in the workplace or caring for our children so we feel comfortable returning to the workplace thank you for your patience your support and your seemingly bottomless well of compassion we couldn t manage this balancing act without you there to steady us el desarrollo de los padres hacer malabarismos por katie sykes mi niña de quince meses pasa cada día descubriendo el mundo y yo he descubierto una habilidad especial de sentirme una simpatía profunda para ella a la vez que me siento asombrada por y frustrada con ella hoy corríamos sus carritos por la casa mientras barríamos más o menos medíamos agua en sus tasitas mientras lavábamos los trastes e inundábamos la pobre cocina y comparábamos el tamaño de diferentes palitos mientras trabajábamos in el jardín y nos maravillábamos de las lombrices ya soy experta de la multitarea y sueño con la idea de que un día ¡podré hacer una sola cosa a la vez me consuelo con la idea de que no estoy sola si crías a los niños compartes tu atención entre por lo menos dos y frecuentemente doscientas cosas cada día quieres ser el mejor padre o la mejor madre que puedas y lograr que tu niño alcance su potencial ¡pero parece imposible encontrar el tiempo de enfocarte en tu propio desarrollo ni saber dónde empezar todo el mundo desde tu vecino a la página web de google tiene su propia opinión ¿entonces dónde vas para gastar los minutos preciosos que has guardado para tu propio desarrollo tu afiliación de ncaeyc es un recurso excelente y muchas veces un lugar inicial para mí acuérdate de contactar tu grupo filial local para recursos también los entrenamientos y las conferencias no son solamente para los maestros licenciados y profesionales de guardería si crías a un niño ¡eres maestro también puedes obtener más que nueva información de un entrenamiento pasarás tiempo valioso con otros adultos ¿cuándo fue la última vez que usaste tus palabras de adulto crear un sistema de apoyo no importa si das o recibes el apoyo es un paso crucial de fomentar el desarrollo paterno en ti mismo y en los demás para las personas que trabajan con padres y con madres o con nosotros en la oficina o con nuestros niños para que nos sentamos cómodos en volver a la oficina les damos las gracias por su paciencia su apoyo y su compasión inagotable ¡no seríamos capaz de mantener este acto de balancear todos los aspectos de la vida sin tener a ustedes aquí para sujetarnos for more naeyc resources for families please visit families.naeyc.org para más recursos naeyc para las familias por favor visite families.naeyc.org 10 |

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north carolina play daze written by rich rarigh director of programs and early childhood development at be active nc and ronda hawkins early childhood program coordinator at sandhills community college many adults are wondering what has happened to children s play it sure isn t the way it used to be years ago many children are missing out on the freedom exploration risk taking and joy that comes from playing outside in a natural environment play has the potential to improve all aspects of children s well-being physical emotional social and cognitive burdette whitaker 2005 although play is meant to be fun it is also meant as a method of learning about ourselves and the world around us the united nations agrees that play is important to children and has included it in the u.n convention on the rights of the child article 31 articulates the right of the child to rest and leisure to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and north carolina has been a to participate freely in cultural life and the arts it leader in the education also states that parties shall respect and promote health and environmenthe right of the child to tal aspects that affect participate fully in cultural young children and and artistic life and shall this leadership continues in the encourage the provision of area of play through work being done by the appropriate and equal north carolina active play alliance children opportunities for cultural are being provided time artistic recreational and space and props to engage in leisure activity outdoor play it is also increasing awareness of educators parents and community leaders about just last month a playful group of collaborators in the importance of children s play southern pines nc held a play day at the elizabeth and ways to encourage it high rounds community park the nc zoo sandhills community college sandhills children center and the southern pines recreation and parks worked together to offer over one-hundred children ages 2­12 an opportunity to play with clay sand water dirt mud sticks and bubbles children happily built forts and created games with the loose parts that they were what can we do to keep this going schedule provided a play daze in your child care center school faith-based organization or community it doesn t have to be complicated or cost a lot of money it just needs to be fun for more information about holding your play daze event on september 21 22 and/or 23 and to download the 2012 play daze planner visit www.beactivekids.org summer 2012 11

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developing and sustaining an naeyc accredited early childhood program how developmentally appropriate is your center consider this not specifically about children s choices in the classroom but by thinking about the professional growth and development of your center and staff naeyc s accreditation of programs for young children process places strong emphasis on the skill knowledge and practice of early educators self-study the first phase of accreditation requires an intense team effort but the results are greatly rewarding in order to be effective in our early care and education practices we need to stop and think about our overall program and consider how we are meeting our goals becoming accredited or going through the re-accreditation process provides a unique in-depth opportunity to closely reflect upon daily practices the intentionality that comes from this process helps ensure positive outcomes for the children families and professionals involved naeyc accreditation of programs for young children represents the mark of quality in early childhood education naeyc accreditation began twenty-seven years ago in 1985 with the goal of providing a comprehensive rigorous national accrediting system that would raise the level of quality in early childhood programs today over 6,500 programs are naeyc accredited ncaeyc has put a renewed emphasis on supporting and recognizing programs that have attained or are striving to attain naeyc accreditation naeyc accredited programs invest in early childhood education because they believe in the benefits to children and families early childhood experiences from birth to age 8 have an enormous impact on children s lifelong learning and positively contribute to their health and development early childhood education programs with the mark of quality benefit children with greater readiness for and success in school · ncaeyc became an accreditation facilitation project in 2011 providing technical assistance to programs pursuing accreditation · ncaeyc has and will continue to advocate for naeyc accreditation to be recognized as a component of north carolina s revised qris system when updates to north carolina s star rated licensing system are made in coming years · ncaeyc accreditation chair and board member linda caldwell is helping lead the development of resources to support ncaeyc members who are engaged in or want to learn more about accreditation recently ncaeyc had the opportunity to connect with professionals from two naeyc accredited programs in north carolina rainbow station in charlotte and halifax community college child care center in weldon it is powerful to hear from professionals who have completed the accreditation process as they reflect on the journey to accreditation francesca busse site director at rainbow station in charlotte shared that the opportunity to work through the self-study was instrumental in program improvement at our school teachers administrators support staff and families were all engaged in the process our entire team took on a renewed energy and this was reflected in our daily practice we embraced the accreditation process as a way to benchmark where we were and set goals to define the school culture we desired to create leyetta cole pre-k class lead instructor at halifax community college child care center reflected that the most rewarding part of achieving naeyc accreditation is knowing that parents are secure in their choice and entrust the hcc staff to provide high quality care to their children many teachers report that concentrating on the naeyc s ten program standards and criteria highlights areas of strength as well as areas of their teaching that need more attention teachers might find they are doing great on literacy and math development but need more focus on science preparing portfolios helps the program staff to explain to families what takes place each day in the classroom mandy martin it helps examine how well are teachers doing the lead teacher at rainbow station shares classroom portfolio allows teachers to document and provide evidence of their work and the classroom s strengths additionally it is a clear system that provides a method to show growth opportunities and how making changes in current practice can improve classroom and child outcomes by having your teaching teams develop their classroom portfolios together it creates a context for information sharing brainstorming and reflection on their current methods leyetta stated that we learned that it takes team work dedication a positive attitude and persistence 12 going through the naeyc process allowed me to think about my own teaching practices in a whole new way the criteria and standards really drilled down the importance of examining every aspect of my classroom

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written by francesca busse site director rainbow station directors often say that teacher-to-teacher relationships develop during the quest for naeyc accreditation as they work together as a team francesca busse reflected we learn more about a staff member s expertise and encourage them to be a better leader she went on to say while compiling evidence for our program portfolio and the classroom portfolios we found ourselves more frequently engaging in deeper discussions about what quality truly means putting all the evidence together in one source really allows you break down all the components and understand the connection to greater goal of program quality naeyc it seemed like an uphill struggle with lots of paperwork and extra work once we started to actually work on it we realized that we had the practices already implemented and that we just needed to document it in a way that showed off our classrooms and how we were developmentally helping the children looking back at the process of preparing portfolios brought very rewarding results we learned a lot and brainstormed with other teachers on how to improve or implement different teaching citizens are elated to have an strategies so that we could have the best overall results that benefit the naeyc accredited child care children in our classroom leyetta cole said the role of administration program in their community was critical and without the support of the administration and faculty it means that children are it would have been difficult to achieve national accreditation the child able to attend a high quality care center at halifax community college is the first and only naeyc center their needs are being accredited program in their area when asked what naeyc accreditation means for their community leyetta said citizens are elated to have an met with developmentally naeyc accredited child care program in their community it means that appropriate practices and children are able to attend a high quality center their needs are being resources are made available met with developmentally appropriate practices and resources are made to families when needed available to families when needed it is important to know there are tools and a step-by-step process to assist programs in their journey towards accreditation · the self-study process in step one leads to a real we can do it sense of confidence · naeyc s online tool torch the online resource center headquarters is filled with a wealth of user friendly resources torch is available to all who are interested in quality improvement registration instructions are available at www.naeyc.org/torchinfo torch allows you to search criteria by keyword view a calendar of important due dates links to other helpful websites and scholarship information to help programs that may be in need of financial support · naeyc also provides an information call center training sessions and partnerships with naeyc affiliates north carolina has about 130 naeyc accredited programs in our state perhaps you may be interested in connecting with one in your area finding them is easy listings by county or city or zip code can be found at www.naeyc.org/academy accreditation/search or you can contact ncaeyc for help in connecting with other professionals and programs families can learn more about the importance of high quality early care and education at naeyc s newly updated website for families www.rightchoiceforkids.org although accreditation may seem daunting at first many teachers francesca busse report that it ends up being one of the most meaningful professional development experiences of their career mandy martin shared when we first started to prepare for accreditation is within your reach and can help ensure your center is developmentally appropriate for children and the professionals that care for and educate them at ncaeyc we want to know your needs and suggestions for ways we can help so we can continue to build a networking team to support you let us know if you would like to learn more about supports ncaeyc can offer to help you explore accreditation or if you d like to see your naeyc accredited program featured in an upcoming issue of milestones contact ncaeyc through email at generalinfo@ncaeyc.org or call us at 919-510-5034 summer 2012 13

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