Blog

Information and inspiration for early care and education professionals.

How to provide physical distancing in the early education setting

When planning to provide care for young children during COVID-19, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of where to find reliable advice. On a daily basis, you face critical decisions such as: how should you screen for an illness;[...]
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Supporting learning from a distance

Due to the onset of COVID-19, many early childhood education programs have shifted away from offering in-person activities to facilitating children’s learning from a distance, in the home setting. This change in services has created a multitude of difficulties and[...]
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Director’s network provides support during challenging times

Managing a center-based or home-based early childhood education program is a demanding job—and can feel isolating at times. Some of Arizona’s program directors have formed director’s networks to build support for themselves. These groups are comprised of early childhood program[...]
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New Routines to Protect Children’s Health

The foundation of quality early childhood programs is providing a healthy environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged and raised the stakes for programs statewide. Early childhood educators across Arizona are creating enhanced procedures to protect the health of the children[...]
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Take it outside: Learning in the great outdoors

You probably know all about the benefits of outdoor play for young children’s physical health. Outdoor spaces provide a natural setting for active physical play, helping children gain bone and muscle strength and supporting a healthy weight (Physical Activity Advisory[...]
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Building Healthy Handwashing Habits

Proper handwashing is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of germs in a group care setting. By taking the time to teach correct handwashing to the children in your care, you help build a habit that[...]
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Laying the foundation for math with infants and toddlers

Infants and toddlers are observant, curious and eager to explore. Natural pattern-seekers, infants observe their caregivers and environments, noticing similarities and differences, repetition and novelty. As they begin to interact with their environments, toddlers use these observations to learn about[...]
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Playing with sounds: Phonological awareness prepares kids for reading

Reading is vital to a child’s ability to learn and be successful in school. Many skills like vocabulary, comprehension and print awareness support children’s reading abilities. However, one set of skills—phonological awareness—is particularly important and has been found to directly[...]
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