Dear Families,
As I write to you today, I am sitting on my couch in my living room. My cat, who has kind of been keeping me company is in the window looking at the sunshine that finally came out. More about him later.
By the look of things in general: a sunny day, blue skies, hedges getting buds on them and birds chirping, it seems to be a typical day here in West Mifflin. But my thoughts and my actions and my limitations say something entirely different. How many times have we said āthe new normalā in the last two weeks?
I think about you all and your children and the teachers all day long. The āworkā that the teachers and administrators have been doing is hopefully providing you some easy and easily accessible ideas for being parents and teachers at home. If you havenāt joined the UCDC Family Group on Yammer, please consider joining. This is a private site that is only accessible to UCDC staff and families. There are activity and learning ideas, pictures of kids doing awesome things, websites and local information that might be of help. Many parents have also been posting some very supportive websites and ideas. Thank you so much for all that you've shared and to all of you that have reached out to check on us and to make sure that we have what we need. The offers of support were very touching and I shared all of those sentiments with your children's teachers.
We are also in the process of working on some options for group times, virtual play dates, sing alongs, and story times (thank you to Jenny and Ammieās children for reading stories, and any other teacher that might have done the same) as is appropriate for each age group.
There is so much information out there, everywhere. We donāt want to burden you with thinking that you need to visit every website or read every article that is available. But we do desperately want to stay connected and provide some support. If there is something that you need, please reach out to your classroom's Head Teacher, to me (mbm12@pitt.edu) or to Jamie (jmw170@pitt.edu). We are happy to try to help you with anything you might need!
Our teachers are also working on a lot of other projects. It is a bit daunting considering they spend at least 90% of their time at work with your kids. Taking that out of the equation is a game changer. But we are creative and flexible and embracing the idea that much of what are doing will give us new skills, new knowledge and an inspired and fresh approach to our work when we return.
A University of Pittsburgh Staff Faculty and Students who are Parents Yammer page has also been created. This is a public Yammer page that anyone can join. The Office of Child Development has joined that group and will be posting regularly. Iām extremely grateful for their collaboration. Again, we do not want to overwhelm you. You can choose what level of support or participation works best for you.
Back to my cat - Louis, or "Louie" as I usually call him. Cats are solitary and sleep a lot. I think that I am messing up his routine and heās not quite happy about it. If I go outside for a minute and come back in, he looks at me in a confused cat way. I think heās hoping I donāt come back in. He also thinks that just because I am sitting and working at the kitchen table most of the day, he should get treats all day long. Treats are an evening event but heās confused. Itās a new routine for us both. But I do appreciate the company.
One of the things that I keep thinking about is how each of our current situations is so different but eerily alike. I am home in my house with my cat and my Alexa (thank goodness for Alexa and her wisdom and ability to play music). Thatās it. I know that my staff have a variety of situations going on in their homes. And you each have a variety of situations going on as well. You have children, partners, extended family, pets, family members outside of your home that need you. You may have students, colleagues and supervisors that are depending on you. You may also have children that need your help as they do work for school as well as eat and have some sort of routine. Children also need appropriate expectations as well as your attention and reassurance. This can be difficult as children may think that you should be with them because you are home. Itās a lot to navigate each day. But we are a strong community, both UCDC and the University. One day at a time. Take time to breath and still try to appreciate the joy and delightful moments throughout your day.
Sending love and warm thoughts,
Mary Beth (and Louie)
|
|
Curriculum in the Classroom:
Mathematics in Infant One
|
|
Lately in Infant one, we have been spending a lot of our time doing different activities related to math. At such a young age, it is amazing to see how much the children learn every day.
One of our favorite activities is using the shape sorters. The children can practice learning about different shapes such as triangles, squares, circles, stars etc. Not only are they learning about the shapes, but they are also learning about directional concepts such as in and out.
Connecting toys are a great way to practice counting with the children as well. Often times they enjoy connecting the toys together while the teacher counts out loud for them. The other day, we used the connecting toys to fill up cups and the children counted out the number with the teachers. This activity was great for the younger children as well. They would start filling up the cup and then ask for more, practicing the concepts of more, empty or all gone, and full.
In another activity, the children were using stackers. This kind of activity helps to introduce numbers while counting and different sizes and heights. The children begin to learn about bigger and smaller while comparing the stackers. They also are learning about the concept of taller and shorter while building the stackers up high and then knocking them down.
At a very young age, children are constantly learning and practicing different concepts of mathematics every day. These types of activities are a fun way to incorporate math skills into their daily routine.
|
|
We'd like to welcome a new member of our UCDC family to all of you! Becky is our new Associate Teacher in Infant Three and she comes to us with a lot of infant experience. Read on to learn more about her!
Hi everyone! My name is Becky Bujak and I'm very excited to join the UCDC team as the new Associate Teacher in Infant 3. I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Child Development and Family Relations in 2014. For the past five and a half years I have worked with infants in a different center in the area. I have also babysat many families in the community over the last fifteen years. In my free time you can find me exploring new restaurants with my husband, watching any and all PGH sports, building puzzles and reading. I look forward to getting to know all of the children and families in the UCDC community!
|
|
UCDC Philosophy Explained:
Process Versus Product
|
|
UCDC's art program is a very important part of our curriculum and the fundamentals of the program are unique as compared to traditional early childhood programs. Although you may hear "arts and crafts" often, we believe they are two completely different things!
Crafts are project based, copied from a model and objective, while art is a much more free form of expression that comes from within. It is open-ended, unstructured and subjective, making the product unable to be reproduced. This is the heart of our program.
We want children to express themselves through art, feel the experience and create as they see fit. That is why when walking through the halls of UCDC, you'll see lots of artwork with random strokes of paint, messy masterpieces and unrecognizable patterns. Each piece is it's own and the art is in the process of the experience. You won't see pre-cut patterns, altered artwork, coloring pages, or projects. You'll see open-ended art that was created by the child as opposed to directed by a teacher.
I believe Julie Janis said it best in the following quote:
"If people were to think of their life as a coloring-book-like page, creating within the lines without breaking through, there would not be any artists, inventors, scientists, successful entrepreneurs, writers, and so forth. It is breaking through the lines and exploring the blank space that one can discover something that has not been created yet. Let children be those kinds of people."ā
|
|
We were very prepared this year to start our garden indoors and had all of the materials set to allow this to happen. But, the COVID-19 pandemic changed our ability to do this.
So, the seeds are being planted by two UCDC alumni, Cora and Hazel Wincovitch (11 and 9 years old, respectively). They plan to plant and care for the seedlings until we all return to UCDC. We'll make sure we post pictures on the Yammer site! We're hoping this year's garden can be as big and beautiful as last year!
|
|
Professional Development Day Happenings
|
|
These past two Professional Development Days brought us new ideas, enhanced collaboration and introspective reflection. Erin Troup from the
Sprout Center for Emotional Growth and Development
came to present a training on attachment as it applies to teaching, best practices and primitive senses of safety and security for teachers. The following day, Erin returned to hold small meetings on reflective supervision where teachers were able to safely share their feelings and experiences to help them better understand themselves and their responses as a person and a teacher.
The days were also filled with office, classroom and substitute teacher team meetings and a large devotion of time to classroom work. This work was derived from a master plan created by each classroom team based on the individual needs of their classroom.
Another section of the day was devoted to a review of the importance of our art program at UCDC. We dove into the idea of Process Versus Product Art and reflected on how this looks in our classrooms and in our overall program. Finally, the teacher and staff also received their annual Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness Trainings.
We are truly blessed to be able to have these times to work together as a whole team and receive such high caliber trainings. These Professional Development Days always leave us with a feeling of growth, renewal and a stronger sense of community.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
