The end of the year marks a key opportunity for self-reflection. This is the perfect time to look back and acknowledge the victories, and challenges, we faced over the past year. Reflecting on what hasn’t been working for us and why, reflecting on what has been working for us and why, identifying areas in our lives where change is […]
Every year as the leaves fall to the ground in the chilly November air, I’m reminded of how much storybooks meant to me throughout my own childhood. They were an outlet that helped me begin to understand, cope with, and manage my emotions, both big and small. Now, as a clinical psychologist with over 35 […]
Introduction: The Importance of Early Childhood Educators Welcome to the second installment of “begin to ECSEL School Stories,” our latest blog series where we explore common challenges that early childhood educators face on their journey to support children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Early childhood teachers are tasked with one of the most important jobs in […]
Introduction: Challenges in Early Childhood Education Early childhood is foundational to one’s development. These years shape the people that children will become – our future generation. Early childhood educators and leaders have one of the most important yet difficult jobs. They are tasked with meeting the unique needs of each individual child, guiding children on […]
In this blog, we will respond to common challenges (exclusion, “terrible” threes, and sharing) that teachers and families are facing with children at school and at home to show you how to apply these ECSEL strategies on your own. Your Challenges as Caregivers and Educators In the last blog, we went over teaching practices from ECSEL educators. We’d like to apply […]
As all early childhood educators and families know, children have a lot of big feelings that oftentimes come with even bigger behaviors. What all early childhood educators and families may not know is how to navigate these challenges. We asked parents, caregivers, and educators like you to share what you are experiencing with children in your classrooms and at […]
Previously, in Part 1, we’ve discussed: Why it is important to maintain consistency between home and school for children’s social early learning. In Part 2 we’ll see how to provide consistency between home and school for children’s social early learning with practical tips and activity ideas. In the spirit of setting children, families, and educators up for success this holiday season, here […]
In this two part series, we will explore: Part 1: Why it is important to provide consistency between home and school for children’s emotional learning. Part 2: How to provide consistency between home and school for children’s emotional learning with practical tips and activity ideas. Be sure to subscribe. The days are getting shorter and just as children have finally adjusted […]
Welcome back to our series on the Power of Reflective Practice. Previously, we explored what Reflective Practice is and learned about one early childhood educator’s personal experiences with Reflective Practice within the begin to ECSEL program and how it affected her work and life. In this segment, we will look at how Reflective Practice can go beyond […]
Reflective Practice ensures that all members working in the educational community get the opportunity to communicate their self-reflections about how their work, their role, their actions, and their words impact others—and how they, in turn, are impacted by their work. ~ Dr. Donna Housman, Founder & CEO of Housman Institute In an article for Edutopia, […]
Welcome back to the final chapter in our 4-part series about helping children to unpack the emotional backpacks they carry with them each and every day. Throughout this series, we have chronicled the story of our friend Annie, who — as we do with all of the children in our classroom — we have helped […]
Welcome back to the third of our 4-part series focusing on how we can help young children in the process of unpacking their backpacks that are overflowing with emotions, both big and small. Last time, you followed along with us as we supported Annie on her journey towards identifying and understanding her big feelings in […]
Welcome back to the second of our 4-part series focusing on helping young children unpack their backpacks that are overflowing with emotions, both big and little, and how we can help in the process. Last time, we talked about how helping children to identify their feelings can lessen the weight of the emotional backpacks they […]
Welcome to our 4-part series focused on helping young children unpack those heavy backpacks toppling over with big and little emotions, and how we can help ourselves in the process. In this first part, you will learn why it is important to help kids identify emotions, and recognize the physiological signs related to emotions, and […]
It’s a month into the new school year and children are still adjusting to their new classroom, new teachers, and new routines. A child, Chloe, arrives at school already in the midst of a tantrum. Chloe’s mom looks frustrated and is raising her voice. What do you do? While this situation is all too common […]
It’s the night before the first day of school. Your child is feeling so excited about their new classroom, making new friends, and meeting their teachers for the first time. They have been asking all the big questions: Will I like my teacher? What will my classroom look like? Will I make friends? They even […]
