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The task of sitting down and writing out all of your early childhood education career goals can feel daunting. Where should you start? How far in the future should you plan? And, once you have your goals nailed down, how do you start working toward them?

At ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI), we’re dedicated to helping early childhood educators like you meet your personal and professional development goals through online courses, certification programs and more.

That’s why we’ve put together this how-to guide to help you set and achieve your professional goals in child care with ease:

Think about where you want to end up and plan backward.

While it may seem counterintuitive, start your goal-planning session by determining where you’d like to be at the end of your set period of time. Write down your dream destination (e.g. owning my own center, serving as lead teacher, etc.) in as much detail as possible. If you’re having trouble thinking about where you’d like to be, try describing your ideal day instead. What time do you get to work? What are you doing while you’re there? When do you head home, and how are you feeling at the end of the workday?

Get ‘smart’ with your goals.

Once you have an idea of where you want your career to go, map out the steps needed to get there. Take each step and turn it into a goal that can help guide you on your path to professional success.

To ensure the goals you’re creating are realistic and can help you achieve your overall dream, we recommend putting each one through the SMART test. That requires asking yourself whether or not your goals are:

• Specific: Is the goal clear and concise?
• Measurable: Are there metrics you can use to determine when you’ve met your goal?
• Achievable: Is your goal attainable? If not, what needs to happen to make it achievable?
• Relevant: Does it ladder up to your larger professional goals in early childhood education?
• Time-bound: Is there a target date for your goal to be met?

By setting SMART goals, you’ll help ensure you’ve have a plan in place to succeed — and knowing that will help keep you motivated along the way.

Write them down.

Studies have shown that people who write down their professional goals are more likely to achieve them, so take a moment to physically write down the SMART goals you’ve created. If you’ve have a personal planner or calendar, input the deadlines for your major goals, along with reminders for when you should be at the halfway point. This will help you remember your goals and ensure you’re keeping yourself accountable for meeting them.

Find support.

Whether it’s your manager, co-worker or best friend, find someone to share your goals with. Talk to them about the motivation behind your goals, how you want to achieve them and what your ideal timeline looks like. Then, ask if they can help keep you accountable along the way via semi-regular check-ins.

Revisit your goals regularly.

Early childhood education career goals are not something you can set and then forget. Like all things in life, your professional goals can grow and change over time. Think about what you wanted in your career four years ago. Is it the same thing you’d want today? With that in mind, schedule time to regularly revisit your goals. Are your priorities still the same? If so, how are you doing in relation to your goal timeline? If you haven’t been hitting the benchmarks you’d hoped to, think about why that could be and see if your plan needs to be adjusted. Even if your goals and timeline are still the same, having that time to revisit your plan can help motivate you to push forward.

Celebrate the wins.

As you work through your goals, be sure to take time to celebrate whenever you successfully cross one off the list. This can be something simple, like treating yourself to an iced coffee on the way into your center, or it can be taking time off to do the things you love most. By celebrating your accomplishments, you’ll be more aware of the progress you’re making and feel more confident about completing the remaining steps.

Whether your goal is to earn your Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential, knock out your state-required hours or start on the path toward a college degree, CCEI and StraighterLine can help you achieve them. Click here to learn more.

The post Setting Early Childhood Education Career Goals appeared first on CDA Council.

The original goal of the Suzuki Method of music instruction was not to produce little prodigies on the violin, a common misconception today, Instead, Suzuki wanted to spark a revolution in education, based on the idea that talent is not an innate trait, confined to those who are born with it. Practicing and repetition are the keys to mastering any skill, he proposed. So, environment, not genetics, is the key to unlocking all children’s promise, an argument with consequences that go far beyond playing classical music. Every child’s talent could be nurtured, Suzuki maintained, so that “all the children around the world shine like little stars.”

Pursuing this quest took him around the globe, beginning in Nagoya, where his father was one of the first people in Japan to manufacture violins as the twentieth century dawned. His father’s fortune allowed Suzuki to spend most of the 1920s in Berlin, where he studied the violin, picked up progressive social values and became friends with Einstein, an enthusiastic amateur violinist. By the eve of World War II, Suzuki was in Tokyo, where he began teaching young children. Next came the city of Matsumoto, in the north Japan Alps, where he opened a music school after the war. Then he achieved worldwide fame in the 1960s as he toured the world with his students, continuing well into his nineties.

The message Suzuki spread was a challenge to Japan’s traditional methods of schooling based on testing, a rigid curriculum and constant pressure to perform, as Suzuki explained in his treatise, Powerful Education. The aim of his system was to “bring up all children, with not one left behind, as fine Japanese,” a goal that eluded many teachers, he complained. “Most Japanese educators approach their tasks with a sense of resignation, along the lines of, ‘One cannot alter what one is born with.’ For example, imagine a child having a hard time with math. Seeing such a child his teacher would be inclined to conclude: ‘This child is born being not very smart, therefore, he cannot be able’ or ‘A genius or an ordinary person, either way, one is born with what one has got, and one cannot do anything about it.’ As long as we keep thinking in such a passive manner, educators cannot educate.” Yet there exists a way, he insisted, to ensure that not one child will be left behind.

This assertion was based on Suzuki’s “Mother Tongue Approach” to teaching children how to play the violin. Suzuki was convinced that children could learn to play music the same way that they learn language at an early age. The key factors in developing fluent speech were constant exposure and nurturing adults, he explained. If that same approach were brought to all early education, then every child would know the pleasure of learning through their formative years and beyond. So, “let us, with perseverance, search for the best ways to develop ability,” he urged teachers and parents.

In addition, Suzuki had a broader goal because he believed “true education begins with the development of character,” a conviction inspired by his early contacts with young children. When he was 17, he felt especially happy around children and in time came to see the reason he enjoyed their company so much. “Children of five or six,” he would recall, “never lie to themselves.” Yet why, he wondered in later years, did honest, high-spirited children become unhappy, calculating adults? And the question led him to ponder the goal of education. It should be, as he concluded, to preserve what is best in children. “We should strive to deeply instill a beautiful, sensitive heart and splendid ability in children, believing that every child can develop into an adult who has these basic characteristics.”

Music could help, Suzuki contended, by building a sense of community and making learning fun, two hallmarks of his approach. The Suzuki Method is characterized by a pervasive sense of inclusiveness and inventiveness, which brings elements of enjoyment to otherwise tedious drilling of musical skills. For instance, the method requires group lessons in addition to private instruction, with the goal of impressing on children the joy of making music with their peers. And the Suzuki repertoire for young students is full of catchy tunes like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which has become an anthem for the movement.

Children still love to sing it in today’s early childhood classrooms, where music can help build character and advance learning. So, “every child deserves the opportunity to learn and experience the joy of music,” as Suzuki insisted. And the Council shows the many benefits that music can provide in Essentials for Working with Young Children. Children can develop confidence and self-esteem as they learn and perform songs and dance to the beat of music with support from adults and peers. Children practice counting when they clap their hands and stomp their feet to the beat of music. Music is a form of communication and an outlet for expressing feelings. In addition, music promotes language skills, and the close link between learning language and music was a foundation for Suzuki’s Mother Tongue Approach.

Besides making and moving to music is a blast, and Suzuki was keenly aware of how important it was to make his violin instruction engaging for young students. The group lessons were a major way of bringing children together to have fun with each other and with their favorite teacher. When it was cold out, the children at his school would gather around a potbelly stove with Suzuki and chat before the group session. There were tea parties and games to celebrate good lessons, making the school a setting not just for education, but also a place in which to feel safe and loved. “By providing a nurturing and supportive environment, we can unlock a child’s true potential,” Suzuki contended, and this required expanding his approach beyond instruction on the violin.

He had the opportunity in 1947 when the Hongo Elementary School in Asama Onsen became the first public school to apply Suzuki’s approach to subjects besides violin study. This experiment in education became possible because the school’s principal, Shigeru Kamijo, heard Suzuki’s little violinists play in a local recital and became intrigued by Suzuki’s approach, Together, they conceived of a talent education program for Hongo Elementary and put it to the test.

In the first year of the program, they chose 20 girls and 20 boys to join their experiment in early learning. The children had no class schedule and no homework, routine components of education at the time. The traditional curriculum—covering mathematics, science and Japanese language—was also set aside. Instead, days at the school followed a relaxed and playful beat a as the children took part in various projects to train memory, concentration, creativity and motor skills. Suzuki had a close hand in devising these projects: drawing lines, painting water colors, memorizing through storytelling and music, observing nature and feeling music through rhythmic exercises with the hope that the children would gain the foundation needed for other forms of learning.

It was an innovative approach that proved so popular with parents that there wasn’t enough room to accept the many children whose parents applied to put them in the talent education program. Teachers, however, were less enamored with the program because it went against everything they had learned while training for their vocation. Besides, they took personal offense at some of Suzuki’s public statements about the teaching profession in Japan. They knew Suzuki had said teachers were doing a bad job and left too many students behind. So, when Principal Kamijo suddenly died, no one succeeded him as a champion for the program and it ended after just three years.

Before it did, Suzuki had successes with children that he would always cherish. One of his fondest memories was of a girl who couldn’t count to three when she arrived for first grade. In any other school, she would have been labeled as slow or developmentally challenged. But in the talent education program, she was able to pick up effective habits through repetition and playful learning. The little girl’s teacher was able to enhance her focus by embedding skill-based education in fun games, and in time the child would go on to pass a competitive high school exam.

Personal triumphs like this changed lives. Yet they didn’t make the news as Suzuki’s system of violin instruction passed from a Japanese novelty into the mainstream, everywhere from the former Soviet Union to the United States. In the 1960s and ‘70s, Suzuki and his young violin students toured the world, playing to packed houses wherever they went. On one visit to the U.S. in 1978, they played a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. attended by President Jimmy Carter. The president said he wanted to take his daughter, Amy, on an impending visit to Japan so she could study with the master, and many American parents have shared Carter’s passion for Suzuki’s approach to teaching the violin. Forty years later, the U.S. remains home to about 300,000 Suzuki Method students, about three-quarters of the global total.

But knowledge of the broad social mission that Suzuki embraced has largely faded away. Mention of the Suzuki Method tends to evoke scenes of young children sawing away in groups on tricky classical pieces with surprising skill. “Little geniuses!” observers tend to marvel, not realizing that wasn’t what Suzuki had in mind. “Music is the language of the heart without words,” he said, and he saw it as a means to open young hearts and minds. His dream was to use his Mother Tongue Approach to bring out all children’s promise, a goal that evokes the Council’s own dream of equity in early learning. And he made his intentions clear in 1955 after TV footage of his Grand Concert in Tokyo gained attention worldwide. “We are not raising miniature violinists,” he explained. “We are trying to raise worthy citizens while proving that talents are not inborn. Great sensitivities and talents can be nurtured in any human being.”

The post On Prodigies and Potential: A Review of Suzuki by Eri Hotta appeared first on CDA Council.

We want to bring your attention to an important matter regarding communication from the Council for Professional Recognition.

Recently, a Facebook account impersonating the Council for Professional Recognition responded to people who entered our Gratitude Giveaway with a congratulatory message and a phishing link asking for personal and financial information. To ensure the security and authenticity of our communications via social media, we want to clarify that all legitimate messages from the Council for Professional Recognition will originate from these specific pages:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cdacouncil
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cdacouncil/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-council-for-professional-recognition
X: https://twitter.com/cdacouncil
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdacouncil

We urge you to be vigilant when reviewing any communication from us and carefully check the pages/URLs to confirm their authenticity. Here are three simple rules provided by Facebook on how to protect your account:

1. Slow down: Scammers often try to create a sense of urgency or threaten you with losing your account or other action. Take time to ask questions and think it through.
2. Spot check: Scammers often mention a problem to encourage you to act. Do your research to double check the details before clicking links or downloading files. Does what they’re telling you make sense?
3. Don’t send: Scammers often pretend to be from a familiar organization, they may use its employee photo they stole from the internet to convince you. No reputable organization will demand payment on the spot.

For more ways to protect your account and personal information, please visit:
www.facebook.com/help/1584206335211143

In this specific situation, the commenting page announcing the winners had no followers, no profile photos, and listed the Council for Professional Recognition as a real estate company – all common signs of a scamming page. Fraudulent accounts are becoming increasingly common across platforms. Taking these steps will ensure your safety and reduce the likelihood of phishing scams.

If you are unsure or have questions about the legitimacy of a message you have received from the Council for Professional Recognition, please contact us directly via Facebook Messenger. We are here to assist you and provide clarification to ensure that your interactions with us are secure and reliable.

Please note, the Council for Professional Recognition will NEVER ask you for your financial information via social media. If you clicked on the fraudulent link, we urge you to contact your bank directly to report the interaction immediately.

We want to continue to be a reliable source for ECE related information, news, and opportunities moving forward, and your trust and security are of the utmost importance to us. We appreciate your understanding and diligence as we continue to navigate the ever-changing digital marketing landscape and the challenges it sometimes presents.

The post Know Before You Click: How to Protect Yourself Against Phishing Scams appeared first on CDA Council.

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Whether you’re embarking on professional development (PD) to meet state requirements, or you want to invest in your own growth, PD has a number of benefits.

First, it helps ensure you’re keeping up with the latest trends, techniques and skills. It also makes you more marketable as an employee, helps you become a better colleague and opens the door to career advancement. Finally, and most importantly, it helps you become a better educator for your students.

At ChildCare Education Institute, we’ve spent the past 20+ years providing early childhood educators like you with the professional development courses you need to grow and succeed. As a result, we know a thing or two about how to make the most of your PD endeavors.

Here are our top tips for getting the most out of your professional development: 

Set clear objectives (write them down)

When you set clear objectives, it gives you something to work toward. With everything else on your plate, a well-defined plan can give you a roadmap to follow and help keep you on track along the way.

As you set your goals, make sure to physically write them down so you can easily refer them as needed. This will help you visually see what you want to achieve — and will improve your chances of succeeding.

Finally, it’s important to ensure the goals you set for yourself are realistic and achievable. To do that, we recommend following the SMART goal-setting system.

Choose courses that interest you

A lot of times, people don’t know where to begin with their professional development. The easiest way to get started is by choosing courses that interest you. Perhaps you read an article about mindfulness and it intrigued you (in the case of CCEI, we offer The Value of Mindfulness in Early Childhood Settings). By selecting a topic that interests you, you’ll likely be more interested in the content and motivated to complete the course.

Choose courses that challenge you

While courses that appeal to you will likely be more enjoyable, don’t forget to also pick topics that might seem more challenging. It’s important for you to stretch yourself – it will also make you a more well-rounded educator. This can mean selecting a course that is completely new to you (for example, engineering in early childhood) or something that has always been a challenging area for you.

Find a partner

Finding a study buddy is helpful because the two of you can tackle tough concepts together, quiz each other and most importantly, hold each other accountable. Once you’ve found a partner, we recommend either setting aside time to work through your courses together or creating regular check-ins to see how the other is doing on the goal path.

Avoid distractions

With everything going on in your world – work, family obligations, errands, etc. – it’s easy to get sidetracked. Don’t let distractions interfere with the time you set aside for studying. If possible, find a quiet space in your home that you can turn into a study nook. If that’s not possible, try to find a public place to work, like a library or a quiet coffee shop. Using the Pomodoro Technique (focusing for 45 minutes and then taking a break for 15) can also help you stay focused on and plugged into your coursework.

Reward yourself

The knowledge you gain from professional development and the ways it can advance your career should be reward enough, but no one said you can’t provide a little extra incentive for yourself. Whenever you complete a course or achieve a goal, treat yourself. This might be taking yourself out to breakfast, watching a movie or a couple of episodes of your favorite television show guilt-free or enjoying an at-home spa day.

Keep your learning journey going

Once you’ve knocked out your state-required professional development hours (or you’ve met the goals you’ve set for yourself), keep the learning going by working toward your college degree from home. Thanks to our partnership with StraighterLine, you can now access five ECE-focused courses from anywhere — and then transfer the credits you earn from them to over 1,500 partner colleges and universities.

The post Getting the Most from your Professional Development appeared first on CDA Council.

The Council for Professional Recognition, a nonprofit that supports early childhood education professionals, administers the CDA® and just announced that the 1 millionth Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential has been awarded. This milestone represents the culmination of over four decades of dedicated efforts to elevate the quality of care and education provided to our nation’s youngest learners.

The journey toward this achievement began in 1975 when Margaret E. Wright received the very first CDA Credential. Back then, it was hard to envision the monumental impact this program would have on early childhood education (ECE). This pioneering initiative was born out of the need for a highly qualified workforce to support the Head Start program, designed to promote equitable early learning for all children, especially those from underserved communities. As Edward R. Zigler, the architect of the CDA, emphasized, the question was whether we would offer developmental child care or merely babysitting. The CDA was the answer, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

The demand for well-trained child care providers has always been substantial, but many faced obstacles in pursuing formal education. Adult learners with families and full-time jobs found it challenging to access the training they needed. The cost and time commitment of a college degree in early education were also significant hurdles.

The CDA has emerged as the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education. The CDA is a key stepping stone on the path of career advancement in ECE. The CDA is based on the National CDA Competency Standards that guide early childhood professionals toward becoming qualified educators of young children.

A recent survey by the Council found that 87% of CDA-holders felt more prepared for their roles, equipping them with essential skills like evidence-based practices, specialized knowledge of child development, and the ability to manage challenging classroom situations.

What sets CDAs apart is their ability to connect with children and communicate effectively with parents. They demonstrate higher commitment and retention rates, which benefits both the children they serve and their employers. These highly skilled educators are precisely what the early childhood education field needs.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the commitment to the CDA remained unwavering. Applications for CDA renewals remained strong, underscoring the enduring value of this credential. Ten U.S. states and territories have integrated the CDA into their child care licensure and career progression pathways, ensuring that CDA holders play a central role in ECE.

Jada Vargas, an 18-year-old and recent graduate of Alchesay High School on the Fort Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona, is the 1 millionth person to earn the CDA.

Vargas says she realized becoming an educator was her calling when she worked in a child care center and began going through the CDA credentialing process. She says she learned very quickly that each child requires different types of support and interactions.

“If you want to pursue something you are passionate about, like the CDA, it is worth the effort. I believe you can do anything you put your mind to, and I try not to let anyone affect my journey,” she says.

Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr., the CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition, says, “We congratulate Jada on earning her CDA and being the 1 millionth person to do. She joins a distinguished and successful group of professional educators who are well prepared to foster the social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth of young children. Having a CDA does more than just help educators bring out the best in children, it also advances their careers and contributes to the status of our profession.

Supportive measures, such as scholarships and financial assistance, are making it easier for educators to earn the CDA. Initiatives like the high school CDA program have also been instrumental in introducing young individuals to the early learning field, equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills.

As we celebrate this historic milestone of 1 million CDAs, we know it’s a testament to the dedication, hard work, and resilience of educators who have embraced the CDA’s enduring purpose— igniting the imagination and nurturing the love of learning in our youngest learners.

The post Celebrating a Million Strong: The CDA Milestone in Early Childhood Education appeared first on CDA Council.

Whether you’re just starting out in the early childhood field, or you’ve been teaching for years, chances are you’ve heard the term CDA at least a few times.

The Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential is the most widely accepted and acknowledged credential in the early childhood industry. When an educator earns their CDA®, it demonstrates that they have the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality care to young children.

But having added credibility isn’t the only reason to earn your CDA.

I’m Leslie Coleman, the education director for ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI), an online trainer of early childhood professionals — and an official partner of the Council for Professional Recognition. We’ve had over 49,200 students graduate from our CDA training program as well as other certification programs and have seen firsthand the impact a CDA can have on an educator’s career.

With that in mind, here are four reasons why you should consider earning your CDA.

1. You’ll feel more confident in the classroom. Earning your CDA is a great way to sharpen your skills and stay up-to-date on the latest developments in early childhood education. It can also help you feel more confident with your skills and abilities inside the classroom. That added confidence will not only help you teach your students more effectively, but it can also increase your productivity and help you stand out from your peers.

2. You’ll have better parent-teacher relationships. Having a CDA can also help you attract new families to your program. Parents will feel more comfortable knowing they’re leaving their child with someone who has a deep understanding of their children’s needs and how to meet them. Plus, when parents see that you’ve invested time and money into becoming a better educator for their children, it can help strengthen the relationships you have with them. 

3. You’ll continue to grow professionally. As with any form of professional development, earning your CDA is a great way to invest in yourself and your future. Whether you’re looking to move into a senior educator role within your program or you’re hoping to work in a related field like education consulting, having a credential can help open up a number of opportunities that might not otherwise be available to you.

4. You’ll have an opportunity to increase your pay. Teachers with CDAs tend to earn more than other educators (in fact, they typically make more than the national average). Plus, many states and/or programs offer financial incentives and bonuses for educators who put in the time to earn their credential.

5. You’ll be able to keep your education going by knocking out college prerequisites with our parent company at StraighterLine! You can then transfer your credits to 1,500+ partner colleges and universities.

These are only a sample of the many benefits that come from earning your CDA credential. To learn more (and see how you can get yours online), click here.

The post Five Reasons to Earn Your CDA appeared first on CDA Council.

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Excitement. Jitters. Uncertainty.

The new school year comes with a multitude of emotions and challenges — but thankfully there are things you can do ahead of time to prepare and ensure it’s the best one yet.

At ChildCare Education Institute, (CCEI), we’ve spent the past 20+ years helping early educators like you get the training they need to be the best possible teacher inside and outside of the classroom.

That’s why we’re sharing our tips to help you get ready to welcome students into your classroom for the 2023-2024 year.

Do some late summer cleaning.

Last year’s student artwork has likely come down, but your bulletin boards might need to be spruced up. It’s also may be time to recycle all the old paperwork and lesson plans taking space in your files and throw out the broken crayons and dried-out paint sitting in your art stand.

Now’s also a great time to think about your classroom layout – perhaps you want to move your reading nook to a different part of the classroom or reorganize the manipulatives center.

Finally, while you’re moving furniture, it’s also best to give your room a nice deep cleaning and sanitizing before the kiddos (and their germs) arrive.

Get organized.

While you’re fixing up your classroom, channel your inner Container Store enthusiast. Make sure you have systems to keep everything in its place, including a filing system to help you stay organized and plenty of storage for classroom supplies, toys and more. Our motto, when in doubt, it’s always better to have too many containers than not enough. Be thoughtful about the materials you put out on the first day and create a system to rotate new materials from the supply closet on a regular basis.

Revisit, revise and create your lesson plans.

Before the school year gets into full swing, review your existing lesson plans to see if anything in the curriculum has changed since last year. After all, best practices and recommendations for teachers are constantly changing, so you want to ensure your lessons are always incorporating the most developmentally appropriate early learning experiences for your little ones. Now is also a great time to incorporate any changes or key learnings you took away from certain lesson plans the previous year to help make the material even more effective. Finally, since the beginning of the year tends to be especially hectic, you can get ahead by creating your lesson plans for the first couple of weeks.

Plan your first day of school.

As an early childhood teacher, you know how important it is to be flexible and adapt to what’s happening in your classroom at a moment’s notice. That said, go ahead and plan out your first day, taking into account the breadth of emotions your kids (and their parents) will likely experience between drop-off and pick-up. Think about what transitions you want to implement with your students and what you can do to make them feel welcomed and supported right away.

Play by the rules.

Create your list of classroom rules on large posters (incorporating visuals where you can) and hang them throughout the room. You can then cover all the rules on the first day so your students know exactly what you expect of them.

Don’t forget your development goals.

With everything else happening, don’t lose sight of your own learning. Make the 2023-24 school year one to remember by starting your CDA journey with ChildCare Education Institute . And, while you’re at it, start knocking out college prerequisites with our friends at StraighterLine so you can get one step closer to a degree.

The post Preparing for the New School Year appeared first on CDA Council.

To Support Language Development

1. Embrace Multimodal Communication: Children with disabilities may experience challenges in verbal communication, but they often excel in other modes of expression. Encourage and support various forms of communication, such as sign language, pictures, or other augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. For instance, if a child finds it difficult to articulate words, they can use picture cards to express their needs, feelings, and ideas. Emphasize that all forms of communication are valid and valued.
2. Speak Simply and Clearly to Children: Slow the pace of your own speech and repeat statements and questions as needed. Speak simply to children and give them one-step directions. For example, ask a child to “Please clean up you toys” (one step) instead of “Please clean up your toys when you’re done. Then go put on your shoes” (multiple steps).
3. Promote Storytelling and Dramatic Play: Engage the child in storytelling and dramatic play activities. Storytelling enhances language skills, imagination, and creativity. Use props and costumes during dramatic play to bring stories to life and encourage the child to participate actively. This approach can help build language and communication abilities in a fun and engaging manner.
4. Encourage Peer Interaction: In both home and classroom settings, provide opportunities for children with disabilities to interact with their peers. Encourage group activities that promote cooperative play and communication. These interactions can help improve social skills and language development as the child learns from and models their peers.
5. Use Visual Aids and Schedules: Visual aids and schedules can provide structure and predictability for children with disabilities, promoting better understanding and participation. Visual timetables and daily schedules can help the child anticipate what comes next and reduce anxiety. Additionally, visual aids like flashcards with images and corresponding words can reinforce vocabulary and language comprehension.

To Support Literacy Development

6. Provide Individualized Instruction: In the early childhood classroom, support individualized instruction plans based on each child’s unique needs and abilities. In most cases, children under age three will have an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and children ages three to five will have an Individual Education Program (IEP). Collaborate with special education teachers and therapists to develop these personalized learning plans that target specific language and literacy goals. Use them to implement a variety of teaching strategies and interventions tailored to the child’s learning style.To support writing skills, provide a variety of materials, such as shaving cream, sawdust, and hair gel, so children with dexterity problems can practice tracing letters with their fingers instead of holding a writing tool. You can also provide hand-over-hand guidance (place your hand over the child’s hand) or place sponge rollers on the handles of the brushes or pencils so that children can hold them more easily.
7. Create a Literacy-Rich Environment: Both at home and in the early childhood classroom, immerse children in a literacy-rich environment. Surround them with age-appropriate books, brightly labeled objects, and educational materials. Designate a cozy reading corner with comfortable seating and a diverse selection of books that cater to different interests and abilities. Begin with simple, wordless, or photograph-based books. Also select books that appeal to the senses, such as texture or scratch-and-sniff books. Encourage children with fine motor challenges to look at books independently to gain practice holding books and turning the pages.
8. Utilize Assistive Technology: Incorporate assistive technology tools that are appropriate for the child’s age and developmental level. Technology can facilitate communication and literacy skills through interactive learning apps, audiobooks, or speech-to-text software. However, it is essential to use technology purposefully and ensure that it complements other learning experiences.

To Support Language and Literacy Development

9. Involve Families in Learning: Collaboration between educators and families is essential in supporting language and literacy development. Share progress updates, provide strategies for at-home learning, and encourage families to engage in literacy activities together. This partnership ensures that the child receives consistent support, reinforcing the concepts taught in the early childhood classroom.
10. Celebrate Progress and Efforts: Recognize and celebrate every milestone and effort young children make in their language and literacy journey. Positive reinforcement and encouragement can boost their confidence and motivation to continue learning. Make sure to also acknowledge progress and growth in front of peers and family members to help foster a sense of pride in their accomplishments.

Creating a supportive and inclusive environment for young children with disabilities is vital for their language and literacy development. The early childhood classroom, along with a nurturing home setting, can serve as a powerful foundation for their future academic and social success. With patience, understanding, and the implementation of evidence-based strategies, we can make a positive impact on the lives of these young learners and set them on a path of lifelong learning and growth.

This blog is based on guidance provided in the Essentials for Working with Young Children, Third Edition textbook. Some information has also been adapted using firsthand experience working with children with disabilities. To learn more information on this topic and other early childhood related best practices, we invite you to purchase the Essentials for Working with Young Children textbook. We also encourage you to subscribe to our monthly CounciLINK newsletter and follow the Council for Professional Recognition on social media (Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, LinkedIN, and TikTok) for the latest ECE news, including articles and videos on trending topics.

The post 10 Ways to Nurture Language and Literacy Development | Empowering Young Children with Disabilities appeared first on CDA Council.

What is CAN?

The Council for Professional Recognition established CAN with a mission to provide recognition, resources, and opportunities to participants by cultivating shared best practices, insights, and access to special networks.

Why did the Council develop CAN?

The primary intention behind developing CAN is to foster a sense of belonging and provide ongoing support for those in the ECE community. The Council recognizes the value of creating a platform where educators can come together, collaborate, and continue their growth in the ECE sector. The Council hopes to strengthen the professional network and build a safe place for people to share their experiences and seek support. While the pandemic certainly exacerbated the need for this sort of community, the Council wants to support further educators’ need for connectedness that also improves their wellness and sense of support.

Who is part of the community?

CAN consists of individuals with connections to the CDA, whether current or past. This community is made up of seasoned ECE educators, as well as those just starting their careers, administrators, program directors, mentors, advocates, and other professionals in the sector. Members are from diverse backgrounds, educational institutions, and settings across the United States and internationally.

What can the CAN members gain from being a part of the community?

CAN offers many benefits to its members, ensuring a strong and engaging network. Some of the advantages include:

• Networking opportunities: Through CAN’s micro-communities, members can meet with like-minded professionals, exchange ideas, and build valuable relationships. CAN provides a platform for meaningful discussions and collaborations.
• Community and personal wellness: CAN supports community and personal wellness by providing safe spaces for community members to share without judgment. By creating a non-judgmental environment, members can take advantage of wellness sessions that offer opportunities to explore new ways to relieve stress and take a break to talk with their peers.
• Professional development and career opportunities: CAN members gain access to a wealth of resources, including webinars, articles, and research materials. These resources contribute to continuous learning, skill enhancement, professional growth, and career advancement opportunities.
• Supportive community: CAN fosters a sense of community and belonging. Members can seek advice, share experiences, and gain support from their peers. The network encourages collaboration, mentorship, and the exchange of knowledge and expertise.
• Recognition and opportunities: CAN amplifies diverse voices, allowing members from all facets of the field to showcase their achievements and expertise. The network promotes the recognition of professional accomplishments and provides platforms for presenting research, participating in conferences, and contributing to the sector.

What is the CAN Regional Ambassador Program?

Through CAN, the Council has empaneled educators as part of the CAN Ambassador Program. CAN Regional Ambassadors are interested in a leadership position in their local area. CAN Regional Ambassadors help promote the importance of the CDA as part of a unifying framework related to their work in the ECE sector and encourage the use of the resources developed by the Council. There are more than 20 CAN Ambassadors. More information can be found here.

For more information about CAN and upcoming face-to-face and virtual events, visit councilcan.org

The post Exploring the Council for Professional Recognition’s Council Alumni Network (CAN) appeared first on CDA Council.

Moviegoers everywhere laughed, though sudden infant death syndrome is one of the top fears of new moms, as Sarah Menkedick says in her searing book, Ordinary Insanity. Scientists do not understand the cause of SIDS or know how to help prevent it besides putting infants to sleep on their backs. Extensive media coverage stokes the fear of SIDS, leading to a perfect storm of dread that obscures the facts. “The actual percentage of babies who die of SIDS in the United States is .0000625,” as Menkedick points out. “Not 1 percent, not 2 percent: .0000625 percent. Yet for many women, avoiding SIDS becomes the single most important focus of their early days with their babies.”

These moms are not total outliers, as the data shows. Over 40 million Americans struggle with anxiety, but it’s especially common in pregnancy and the immediate period after birth. Ninety-five percent of new mothers are haunted by obsessive compulsive thoughts, according to one study Menkedick cites. Another estimates that 17 percent of mothers live with clinical levels of anxiety that disrupts their every waking moment. Yet doctors and researchers make few efforts to ease their plight, so fear remains a silent crisis among American moms.

Their reluctance to speak out reflects deeply rooted stereotypes about “female hysteria, overreaction and noisome presence,” as Menkedick points out. “Mothers should be invisible, should be in control and self-sufficient, and at the same time should patiently and studiously absorb a nonstop stream of medical and cultural haranguing about dangers, expectations, needs and shoulds. They should just be able to handle it, just be natural.” And living up to the current ideal of single-minded, self-sacrificing motherhood, Menkedick grimly concludes, has created “a degree of anxiety and guilt in mothers that is unparalleled in history.”

Hence the frantic women whose stories Menkedick relates as she fills the silent crisis with their voices. One told Menkedick that she’s “terrified of everything.” Another wore ankle weights to stop herself from sleepwalking and perhaps hurting her baby. One was manipulated by her obstetrician into voluntarily admitting herself for psychiatric evaluation and wound up placed on a 72-hour hold at a hospital ward geared toward people detoxing from drugs. Then there was the sleep-deprived young mom whose anxiety was so high, she leapt out of bed one afternoon when she heard noises coming from the kitchen because she imagined someone was putting her baby in the microwave oven. None of these moms received proper help until they either found it themselves or hit dangerous levels of stress.

Neither did Menkedick after the birth of her daughter, Elena, while her family was living in a nineteenth-century cabin. “For me, it began with mouse poop,” she recalls. It was innocuous but she feared it could kill her baby and went on a cleaning frenzy. And that was the start of a widening circle of fear. “I was afraid of the mouse droppings, glyphosate in Quaker Oats, the toxins given off by my new mattress, fracking chemicals in the air, fracking chemicals in the water, preservatives in granola, synthetic fabrics.” Her whole life felt like a “held breath,” and Menkedick came to realize she needed help because anxious mothers become obsessive risk managers who make anxious children.

The many mothers like this reflect the influence of our current “risk society,” as Menkedick explains. Though we are “the healthiest, wealthiest and longest-lived people in history,” we also have access to a wealth of information that leads us to fret about a wide range of threats in daily life: the plastics in our toys, toothbrushes and T-shirts; the cars that emit carcinogens and might someday smother our planet; asthma-inducing carpet mites and the cholesterol in fast food. Nearly everyone has some fears, but emotion plays a crucial role in how we evaluate risk and studies have shown that people are wildly inaccurate in judging the actual dangers they face.

Take child abductions for example, Menkedick points out. The vast majority of them are the result of children running away from home or being taken by family members, and most of the children return in less than a day. The actual number of children who are kidnapped by a stranger is 90 per year in the United States, which puts the risk for the average child at .000015 percent. But dramatic media coverage of these rare instances ignites strong fears that blur the line between uncertainty and danger.

Mothers are most prone to these skewed perceptions, Menkedick points out, because their brains rewire in pregnancy to make them natural protectors. Then society stokes their natural instincts, Menkedick goes on to say. “Stories about the fragility and infinite potential of children are so prominent in our culture, mothers’ judgments about risk are bound to be off the charts” as they focus on what they fear most. “In a risk society both safer than ever and tormented by the possibility of a rare catastrophe, mothers are bound to drown in risk.” So, mothers contend with self-imposed restrictions that stop them from living rich, full lives and limit their children’s lives, too.

Prevailing concepts of the zero-risk child and the good mother who keeps her child completely safe are the culmination of outdated social mores and medical myths, psychiatric beliefs and superstition, Menkedick explains in sweeping breadth. She tells us how the ancient world viewed motherhood as a source of power and how the Renaissance saw the Virgin Mary as a model for the humble matron at home. She explores the impact of psychoanalysis and its ideas about female hysteria, prejudices against midwives and attacks on them as witches. She shows the influence of the fight for women’s rights and ‘50s ideals of the perfect household, the passage of the Social Security Act and the beginnings of welfare. In addition, she pays close attention to the legacy of slavery and how systemic racism leaves its mark on Black women, who are now far more likely than white women to die of pregnancy-related causes and develop post-partum depression, whatever their economic status.

The stresses of motherhood also make an especially strong impact on Black moms because the “strong Black woman syndrome” makes them reluctant to seek help. “I think that Black women are forced to be strong,” as one woman told Menkedick. “It’s not choice,” so the mom didn’t even dream of seeking help until her daughter began having anxiety attacks around age three or four. “It was through her journey that I began looking at my own reactions and behavior,” the mom said, looking back at her progress from depression to mental health.

She went to a mental health conference to learn more about her daughter’s issues and one of the presenters taught her something that stuck with her for decades, as she recalled. “If you have high blood pressure or gestational diabetes, you go to the doctor. It’s very matter of fact. But when it comes to your mental health, Oh, now they’re going to think I’m crazy.” Still, “there’s nothing wrong with seeing a therapist,” and the mom finally did. The experience led her to earn a certificate as a doula who guides women through pregnancy counsels them post-partum and listens to their stories of struggle.

Menkedick’s personal story had a happy ending after she was diagnosed with O.C.D. and received the therapy that she needed. In the process, she not only conquered her crippling fears but also learned the importance of not sacrificing her identity for the sake of her child. “The moments when Elena is happy playing dress-up while I cook or write in my journal,” she reveals, “or when she sits on the bed with my husband and me and play-acts reading her book while we read ours are my favorite experiences of family life.” To establish this kind of intimacy, a mother “needs to reclaim herself, to find space in which to breathe and grow,” as Menkedick now knows. A mother’s affirmation of her own needs and desires is essential to having an authentic relationship with her child.

And this message made me think back to my own experiences as both a new mother and a young child. When I was a little girl, my mother, Winnie, found me on the floor holding a little spider. My mother was terrified of spiders and wanted to scream but remained silent, as she recalled. She held herself back because she didn’t want her child to be afraid of spiders, she explained to me when I was an adult. By then, I was also a mom, and I wasn’t the least bit afraid of spiders. But I was facing my own fears for the safety of my son. Sometimes, I, too, felt like going off the rails as I fretted about my active, adventurous little boy. And when I did, I found resilience by recalling some wise words that my mother said: “The best thing you can give a child is a calm, fulfilled and happy mom”—like Winnie has always been. She has been with me through trials and triumphs. She’s always supported me while preserving her own sense of self. And there are few terms of endearment that can express just how I feel about her.

The post Facing Risks, Finding Resilience: A Review of Ordinary Insanity: Fear and the Silent Crisis of Motherhood in America appeared first on CDA Council.