Dear Families,
New families and visitors often ask if we there is a time when UCDC operates at a slower pace or if our enrollment goes down in the summer. My usual answer is âNo, not at all.â We are busy and operate the same pretty much year round. Programming is consistent throughout the year, enrollment is consistent throughout the year and things donât really change much based on the semester or season.
One thing that I have noticed is that we seem to do more outreach and center based activities with the children and other adults in the winter and spring. Partnering and supporting the University community and the community at large is something that we have always done and continue to do.
Beginning in January there will be a few activities and things taking place that I wanted you all to be aware of.
- We will be hosting two students from Duksung Womenâs University in Korea. JiEun Song and DoEun Kim will be arriving in Pittsburgh on Friday January 25th and will begin their 2-week practicum at UCDC on Monday, January 28th. UCDC will be hosting an orientation and welcome tea for the eight students, the partner centers (Falk, CMU and Carlow) and the host families on Sunday January 27th. We are always very excited for this practicum to begin. The students learn so much about early childhood education (they will visit other schools and centers), the University (they will visit the Nationality Rooms and participate in a School of Education early childhood class) and Pittsburgh (they will visit the Childrenâs Museum, Phipps Conservatory, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and go ice skating at Schenley Park) while sharing a lot about their culture and knowledge of early childhood education. The students will be completing their practicum hours in Preschool One and Preschool Two. After getting to know the children and the routine, they will plan activities and experiences for the children to participate in. Many of the activities will reflect the Korean culture and the preschoolers have always been receptive and eager to participate in these learning opportunities. This will be a very busy two weeks. Thank you to the Harries-Jones family for volunteering to host DoEun and JiEun. And thank you to staff and teachers that have volunteered to attend events and outings.
- In February, we will conduct vision screening in our toddler and preschool classrooms. Cheryl Girgash from Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services will be here on February 19th and 20th. She will work with Samantha Baird (T4) to complete the screenings for children 18 months and older. This year we will be using an âOpt Outâ permission form in means to save paper. Each classroom will have copies of this form for your convenience. If you wish that your child NOT be screened, please ask their classroom teacher for an opt out permission form for you to sign and return. In the past we have identified children that had vision problems and early detection was helpful in identifying those issues.
- Experimental Child Psychology student observations in toddler and preschool classrooms will take place on February 26th and 28th.
- Thursday, March 13th will be a professional development day (PDD) for UCDC staff. During our March PDD, we will be addressing our required trainings, which include fire safety and emergency preparedness . Other trainings will be planned, along with much needed time for the classroom teams to meet and share ideas and plan.
- Speech and hearing screenings for 3, 4 and 5 year olds will take place on March 20 and April 3rd. Permission forms will be distributed at the end of February.
- Dietary students will visit toddler and preschool classrooms on March 26th.
- Dental students will visit preschool classrooms on March 6th.
- Our spring fundraiser- our Annual Plant Sale will take place in May. Flower/plant delivery will be on May 10th.
- We will have two visits from the Carnegie Library- January 30th and February 25th. The librarian will visit toddler and preschool classrooms.
Additional information on the student activities will be shared as those dates get closer. Some experiences will require parents to sign permission forms.
As we continue to nurture and build partnerships with our colleagues on campus, please be sure to let us know if you have any ideas about additional ways that we can utilize resources or provide support.
Have a wonderful semester and be safe during the winter months,
ï»żBest,
Mary Beth
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Curriculum in the Classroom: Infant Three
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At present, we have a wide variety of ages in the Infant Three classroom. One activity that is appreciated by almost all the children is block play. At UCDC, our philosophy is reflective of the principle that children learn through play. Block play is an excellent âteacherâ for children of all ages, from our babies just learning to sit with a teacherâs help up through our very busy toddlers!
What are some concepts that blocks can teach us? For infants and toddlers, blocks help us with our motor development as we try to stack them or reach out to knock over towers. They offer the chance for problem solving as children try to figure out how to balance sides of the construction to ensure success. They are wonderful for mathematics as we count them out, and when given other items to use with blocks (ex. cars to drive under block arches) imagination becomes ignited! Working together is practiced when there is block play. Infants come together, with a teacherâs guidance, to learn the concepts of âtaking turnsâ and âwaiting,â (two things that can be difficult for young toddlers), and to share in the ultimate joy when the tower comes tumbling down! In Infant Three, we use blocks to also teach shapes, colors and to discern sounds made by different materials. At all ages, block play is a powerful teaching tool.
When shopping for an educational toy, consider building your âblock library!â Your childâs brain will thank you!
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Preschool Wisdoms
As we all know, high self esteem is an important attribute. We thought we'd ask the children of Preschool Four what makes it great to be them. They have some AWESOME answers!
- That I got the big princess tea set. - Dyllan
- That my skin protects my bones. - Miles
- Going to the zoo. - Juan
- I like to play with everybody. - Garrett
- Being with my cousins. - Bode
- I like Kennywood. - Naomi
- My Grandma when she picks me up from school. - Jackson
- My eyes because I see everything. - Ari
- I like wearing a dress on my way to school. - Mia
- Drawing a heart for mommy. - Andrew
- Doing puzzles. - Stephen
- When I go to Pitt games. - Austin
- Since I have my hands so I can grab things and play with things. - Troy
- Itâs my mommy and daddy because they give me lots of love. - Juliet
- My dresses - Hattie
- Eating eggs. - Everett
- Playing with Garrett. - Ogost
- Playing in big blocks. - Luca
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Professional Development Day Happenings
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This past Professional Development Day was filled with preparations for our upcoming NAEYC Re-accreditation visit. We have been extremely busy this past year working on classroom portfolios, refining practices and re-evaluating our classroom environments. During the recent Professional Development Day, we had the opportunity to complete some peer evaluations, share our classroom portfolios, as well as reflect upon our needs as we get closer to our visit (this will be anytime between February 1st and July 31st).
The day ended with a three-hour Medication Administration training that was a good refresher on the six rights of medication administration. Our next Professional Development Day will be Thursday, March 14th.
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Lost and Found:
Missing anything? Stop by the front office to claim your lost things.
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UCDC utilizes a child centered, extended family approach that is fostered by supporting the developmental needs of all children. We foster children's self esteem, creative abilities, sense of belonging and success by implementing a developmentally appropriate curriculum based on NAEYC and Keystone STARS standards, through a play-based approach to learning. We support families and partner with them to provide an environment that welcomes their collaboration and supports both cultural and family preferences.
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