Marcia Hebert's Blog

One of the most underused strategies in an early childhood classroom is also one of the most beneficial to both teachers and children.

But, we often don’t even think of breaking up the large group into smaller, subsets of children during the course of the day.

As one of my wise colleagues used to say, “Less is More.”

We move the entire classroom of children to the playground, on a walk, to snack – but why? Could we accomplish the moving in a different way?

Could a smaller group, when ready, move outside with teacher number one?

Could a teacher take a smaller group of children on a nature walk today, leaving the others in the classroom to work on the project – and then reverse the plan tomorrow?

Could snack be open and available at one of the tables when the children are ready to sit for a moment and eat something?

Could we think more about “why” we do what we do? Might there be other simpler, less chaotic, and much more effective (and efficient) ways of working with our little ones?

In addition:

• Young children need time to work independently, but they also need time to work with their teacher.
• They need to receive individual attention and instruction in order to meet their specific developmental needs and interests – not possible in large group activities.
• They need the opportunity to talk and be heard. They also need the opportunity to listen to what others are saying. They need to learn the fine art of discussing and interacting with one another.

Small groups are designed for this.

Some guidelines:

• Small group time can be built into the daily/weekly schedule.
• Small groups should be distinct from the planned classroom activities.
• They are intentionally organized – to accomplish a specific goal – to work on skills.
• The learning goal should determine the number of children in the small group; however, this small group should not exceed five children.
• The teacher plays an active role in small groups.
• And the children play a supportive role in one another’s learning.

It is a win-win for everyone in the classroom!

Let me know if you would like more information on small groups. We used small groups in our preschool/kindergarten programs – with great success! We were better able to meet the unique, individual needs and interests of each child in each classroom.

It’s worth thinking about …

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to produce over 100 percent. Here’s a little math that might prove helpful in the future.

What makes life 100 percent?

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Can be represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then,
H A R D W O R K
8 1 18 4 23 15 18 11 = ONLY 98%

And,
K N O W L E D G E
11 14 15 23 12 5 4 7 5 = ONLY 96%

But,
A T T I T U D E
1 20 20 9 20 21 4 5 = 100%

It stands to reason that hard work and knowledge will get you close, but attitude will put you over the top.

Food for thought …

 I am a huge proponent of the primary caregiver system – because it works!

It works for children; it works for parents; it works for teachers; and it works for directors. It is the glue that holds teachers responsible and accountable for providing consistent, appropriate care and learning experiences for each child.

In order to provide the highest quality care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, effective teamwork within the primary caregiving system ensures that our young children will develop secure attachments in a safe, nurturing, learning environment.

Each child is assigned a primary caregiver. The purpose of the primary caregiver system is to insure that children receive individualized care in response to their specific needs, and that each parent has a primary contact. The parent relationship is as important as the child relationship.

“Primary caregivers” are a child’s special teacher – each child’s advocate within the early childhood program. They are responsible for the child’s care routines, observations, discussions with family, writing progress reports, sharing progress during parent/teacher conferences, and setting appropriate learning objectives in partnership with parents.

This does not mean that a child and his or her primary caregiver maintain an exclusive relationship. Rather, the primary caregiver becomes the “in-center” expert on the child, within the team, and has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the program and environment work for that child!

As primary caregivers, teachers:

• Communicate – The teacher is the essential link in the communication chain between parent and program, between child and program.
• Advocate – The teacher empowers parents and children by translating their individual concerns and needs into actions.
• Care – The teacher tunes in to the child and develops a special bond while insuring that all needs are met.
• Facilitate Learning – The teachers makes sure that the learning environment works for each child and that there is a balance of developmentally appropriate materials and experiences, with neither too much nor too little stimulation.
• Monitor and Evaluate – The teacher makes sure that the child’s experience in the program is positive and that parent concerns are addressed.

Primary caregivers do not “own” the children. All teachers have some responsibility for all children and collective responsibility for maintaining the learning environment. But, primary caregivers make sure that it all works for their primary children.

Generally, the teaching teams, along with the Director (or supervisor), decide upon primary caregivers. There are many factors to consider when making these choices. Ultimately, each teacher should have about half of the children in the class as primaries (if 2 teachers are on the team); about one third of the children as primaries (if 3 teachers are on the team). Each teacher should have a balance of ages as well.

It is workable for a teacher to:

• focus on one-third to one-half of the children in the group
• observe one-third to one-half of the children in the group
• determine ‘who needs what’ for one-third to one-half of the children in the group
• plan appropriate and relevant experiences for one-third to one-half of the children in the group
• write progress reports for one-third to one-half of the children in the group and,
• to have parent conferences with one-third to one-half of the parents in the group.

And, it is wonderful for the children and their parents to have one special teacher – one who knows them well, listens, supports, and acts on their behalf.

As I said, this system works for everyone! It is effective, and it is efficient. It is best practice. And, as a Director, I wouldn’t manage my programs without it.

If you haven’t been using primary caregiving in your program, please consider implementing it. I am happy to share more information with you; if you are interested, contact me.

On this eve of the New Year, I tend to reflect on all of the things that really mattered this past year.  In my work with you – as consultant, coach, mentor, and teacher – what got my passions fueled? Who inspired me each day? What motivated me? Where did I find the answers? How did I ask the questions? Most importantly, did I make a positive difference?

On this eve of the New Year I have, for you, two gifts.

One inspires me and keeps me focused on the things that matter in the lives of the youngest among us; it is this:

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, the excitement, and the mystery of the world we live in.”  Rachel Carlson

In the lives of your children, are you this adult?

My second gift to you is one that has inspired and motivated me for years.  Each morning I wake up to an uplifting Notes from the Universe email message, and this gets my juices flowing for the day at hand.  The messages are whimsical, witty, so true, and always just what I need to hear. So, enjoy! Open your mind and heart to some totally unique thoughts at www.tut.com.

May 2014 bring you much happiness, good health, and great successes! Thank you for being a part of my life.

From my vantage point as teacher, then director, and now consultant to many many early childhood programs, I often wonder why we celebrate holidays in our programs with very young children.

Over the years, as I have observed the infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in numerous programs, my thinking about this topic has evolved. By now, if you have read my blog posts, you will know that my focus for everything that happens in an early childhood program is the children and their experience.

So, when I observe very young children overly excited and melting down as the holiday frenzy swirls around them; when I observe very young children disengaged and clearly not understanding what is going on; when I observe very young children being pulled from a child-centered, age-appropriate experience like shaping play dough, to a teacher-directed activity like making look-a-like Santas from glue and paper, it begs the question, “What are these very young children receiving when we celebrate traditional holidays (Thanksgiving, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Christmas, and others) as part of our child care curriculum?” Sadly, I think that after all of the effort and the energy expended, the positive results for the children fall short.

I see three potential problems to sort out:

• It is extremely difficult to give holidays meaning that is developmentally appropriate for very young children. Most holidays are based on abstract concepts that are beyond their comprehension. So, “Will the children understand?” is an important question to answer before we add a particular holiday to the curriculum plan.
• “As directors, what guidelines will we establish around celebrating holidays? How inclusive shall we be? Are we going to celebrate holidays based on the cultures represented in our program? What if there is little diversity? Should we include many diverse celebrations? Which ones? What if some parents object to all holidays? How much of our curriculum will be devoted to holidays? And, are we missing other more important activities with our very young children by spending time on holidays?” Lots to consider here before we take the plunge.
• And, what about the parents and families of these young children? Many holidays are simply overdone! We are bombarded with the signs and sounds of holidays – months before the day. Because of this, our young children will have questions about what they see and hear, and I believe the answers to these questions should come first from their parents and families – as they make their choices about whether or how to celebrate these holidays. Another question to answer, “If families are celebrating certain holidays, why do we need to celebrate them as well?” Could we simply talk about these family celebrations after they happen, and let the children share based on their now relevant and recent experiences?

There is much to reflect upon. And, reflect we should!

When we make decisions about whether or not to add holidays to our curriculum, I suggest answering this incredibly important question first: “Who we are doing this for?”

• If we are doing it for ourselves, it is very easy to choose a holiday curriculum – the resources are everywhere and excitement is built in.
• If we are doing it for the families, we must choose carefully what to celebrate so that we are inclusive.
• If we are doing it for the children, let us be aware of the subtle messages inherent in what we do, and choose those things that are meaningful, relevant, and developmentally appropriate for them.

In my world, we planned and implemented curriculum activities and experiences in our program for the children! In fact, the early childhood program that I directed did not celebrate holidays. We asked the aforementioned questions; we reflected upon their answers; we discussed thoroughly; and we made an informed and principled decision about holidays as curriculum.

Given the issues of time, energy, resources, and educational objectives, we decided to mark other occasions that are the most developmentally appropriate for very young children. Some of our alternatives to celebrating traditional holidays were to:

• Celebrate milestones – the first tooth; navigating the stairs; tying shoelaces; making a friend.
• Celebrate children and families – the birth of a sibling; moving to a new house; a new puppy.
• Celebrate the natural world – rain puddles; the first snowflake; rain clouds.
• Celebrate learning – the color purple; the number 3; tyrannosaurus rex.

The list of these types of celebrations is endless! They are relevant. They are developmentally appropriate. And, they are child-centered and focused on our individual little ones!

Let me also say that I love celebrating holidays. And, as children grow older and their understanding of specific holidays takes form, I think it a wonderful use of time, creativity, and resources to mark special days within the larger community. For the youngest among us, however, I stand my ground.

Your thoughts …

A new day! A new start! A new school year!

As the Director of an Early Childhood program, I always loved beginnings. They gave me the opportunity to start over again every single year.

What a gift it is to start fresh and to: take what I learned the previous year and add it to my practice; remember those things that had gone especially well, and keep them in this year’s repertoire. And, yes, to reflect upon those things that hadn’t gone as well as I had planned (Should I, this year, drop these ideas altogether, or figure out what might work better?).

Reflection has always been a big part of my professional life. I think about everything that has gotten me to this point; I jot down thoughts as they come to me; and I begin to shape the year ahead. Someone once said (and I’m paraphrasing here), How will you know when you’ve arrived, if you don’t know where you’re going?

As I see it, that’s my job as the leader of the program, school, organization – to set the course. And, the best part of another beginning is that I can reset it annually.

What I’ve learned is that how I begin each school year, each training session, each presentation, each meeting, sets the tone for what is to come, and the expectations that we are all to meet or exceed. It is that important!

As a leader, I’ve always had my eye on quality and the highest standards – for me, personally, for my team of teachers, and for the organization. My dad used to say, “It’s not worth doing, if you don’t do it well.” So very true – and, you know, it just feels better to do it well!

I have also learned that people will rise to the challenge – if it is clearly articulated, and the expectations set. So, I’ve always set my sights high, and my teams have risen to the occasion!

To this end – to set the appropriate tone, and to move forward together – I focused on three things at the beginning of each school year.

A Way of Being

I believe there is an appropriate way to work – with children, with families, and with one another. And I believe it is critical to our credibility as professionals, and to our commitment to quality. People use the word “professionalism” all the time, but I’m not sure we always display it at work. It is so much more than the way we speak and act.

At each beginning, I include this important way of being to set the expectation. I have a well-written article on this very topic. Lots to think about, and perhaps discuss virtually.

A Shared Vision

Years ago, members of my team wrote a beautiful document that outlined everything we thought to be important in our work with children, families, and one another; how we would design our environments; and what our infant, toddler, preschool, and kindergarten programs would include.

At each beginning I used this guide to be sure we were on track. I’ll share some excerpts from “We Believe In …” to give you an idea of how we put our values to paper to shape our philosophy and vision for our program. It takes work to create such a document, but we’ve used it over and over again as a training tool – definitely worth the effort!

Plotting the Course

As part of every beginning, I provided a roadmap for us to follow during the year – in the way of goals. What did we want and need to accomplish this year – as individuals, as a team, and as an organization? Sharing these goals, and the plan for accomplishing them, got us focused immediately and all moving in the same direction. It also set the expectation from the start.

For those of you who would like more information on professionalism, creating a shared vision, plotting the course and setting goals and expectations, take a look at my blog posts from October and November of 2010.

If you are so inclined, let me know what you think or could add to the virtual dialogue. And please, forward the link to this site to other colleagues who you think would appreciate and enjoy it!

Meanwhile, Happy September!