Little People, Big Message....(Claire)

My name is Claire and this is my message…..

When I went to the SPEC- ParentLINKCentre programs, I learned to “listen to my teachers and smile and talk with them. I look forward to seeing them and learning from them. I really like learning my numbers, letters and cooking with my friends and teachers!”– Claire(Age 4)

Claire is 4 years old and will be heading off to Kindergarten in the Fall! She is helping us to share the importance of early learning. Here we tell more of her story through the eyes of both her Mom & her program providers at SPEC- ParentLINKCenter.

“I decided to register her in the SPEC- ParentLINKCentre programs- (Messy Monkeys, Little Chefs and Little Scientists ) because  Claire needed help to socialize with other children. She needed to learn how to play with other children her own age and connect with them in a fun environment. “- Joanne (Claire’s Mom)

“When Claire started attending programs she was so shy and wouldn’t play with any of the other children. Claire would come in the playroom and sit on her mother’s lap or play with a toy by herself. If a child came to play Claire would leave and go see her mother.” – Karen Bolt (SPEC ParentLINKCenter)

The ECMap developmental domain of Emotional Maturity can be described as “the child is able to express emotions at an age-appropriate level, is able to separate from parent/guardian.” In Brooks and the County of Newell 27.2% of our Kindergarten children are experiencing difficulty in this area of development.

The emotional maturity of a child has great impact on their everyday life. It affects every relationship they have, with members of their own family, and with new children and adults they encounter in the community. As you can imagine, those children who struggle in this area will face even greater challenges when they enter school, as they will need to handle all of the changes that brings and all the emotions that come with it. We can support our children by providing them with lots of opportunity to develop emotional control while we can guide them. Attending early childhood programs which provide a variety of experiences early in life, with a variety of children and adults, can make all the difference, as they gain control over their emotions, and confidence in their ability to meet new people and make friends.  By attending early learning opportunities, they will have had practice in situations such as: separating from Mom or Dad; having to listen to another adult besides their parent(s); sharing with children other than siblings; and resolving conflict with other children; all while managing their emotions or, if needed, having an experienced teacher or program provider assist them in doing that.

“Claire now welcomes us with a smile and a “hello” when we see her come to SPEC-ParentLINKCentre. Claire has joined in on conversation during the program and asks questions when she doesn’t understand. I also see Claire playing and talking with other children during the program and while playing. Claire seems much happier now. We are continuing to focus on social interaction with other children so that when she begins Kindergarten, the transition from home to making new friends at school will be much easier.”- Karen Bolt (SPEC ParentLINKCenter)

“The biggest change I have seen in Claire since starting these programs is how happy she is to be there. She always has a smile on her face when greeting her teachers. She also looks forward to playing with other children she has become friends with instead of playing alone.

I would recommend SPEC- ParentLINKCentre  programs to the other parents because the children have opportunities to learn at their own pace. The tasks are fun and the teachers take the time to get to know the names and the personalities of the children. The teachers do not push the children to do things they aren’t comfortable with at the time. The teachers are well prepared and are a huge help to the parents as well. I am proud of Claire because she has come out of her shell and emotionally is more ready to start Kindergarten in September.”- Joanne (Claire’s Mom)

“Healthy early childhood development is the foundation to a child's life. From positive relationships with peers and family to sleep habits to kicking a soccer ball, the experiences in a child's early years are of the utmost importance. We know from the results that came out of the ECMap Project, a large percentage of our children here in Brooks and area are experiencing difficulty. At the SPEC Parent LINK Centre we have staff with many different backgrounds and expertise to facilitate early childhood activities and empower parents with the resources they need to foster the best environments for their children. We believe in learning through play and also believe that parents are their child's BEST teacher!” – Desire Veno (Program Manager, SPEC ParentLINKCenter)

Nearly 29% of Kindergarten-age children in Alberta are experiencing great difficulty in one or more of the five areas of development. In Brooks and area this number jumps to nearly 33%! (www.ecmap.ca). The five developmental domains are related, building on each other, and it is important to support children as they develop emotional maturity, social competence, and communication skills, as difficulties in these areas directly affect development in general knowledge, language and thinking skills and physical health and well-being.  Children who have well-developed self regulation skills, and are able to communicate their needs, are better equipped to learn new skills and develop their knowledge, even when something is new or difficult.  The ‘unwritten curriculum’ provided through early learning opportunities, will support their successful transition to Kindergarten. Giving our children the opportunity and time to develop in appropriately in all five developmental domains will change the statistics we are seeing for children in our community. We can improve the experience our children are having, as students in Kindergarten and beyond! For more information about the statistics seen throughout the Little People, Big Message campaign, please visit the website of the Brooks & County of Newell ECD Coalition. For  more information about the programs mentioned via the BELA Blog please see the resources below.

Resources:

Brooks & County Immigration Services

www.bcis-brooks.ca

403.362.0404

Brooks Early Learning Academy

www.brooksearlylearning.ca

403.501.0019

Brooks Preschool

http://brookspreschool.com/

403.362.4828

Duchess Preschool

403.378.4557

Les P'Tits Trésors.

403.362.2010


http://leruisseau.csud.ca/

Parents As Teachers

Grasslands Intervention Offices

403.362.8729 ext 116

SPEC Parent Link Center

http://spec.ab.ca/

403.362.5056

- CP

Little People, Big Message....(Ashlee)

My name is Ashlee and this is my message….

“I love to help the teachers ring the bell and be the line leader, that makes me feel important. I like to sing songs and dance in class! – Ashlee (age 5)

Ashlee started attending preschool when she was 3 and is off to Kindergarten in the Fall. She is helping us increase the awareness of the importance of early learning. Here we share more of her story as told by her parents & teachers.

"Ashlee is a wonderful little girl who has benefited from attending Pre-School because her difficulty communicating her needs, and her anxiety in the social situation at school, made it challenging for Ashlee to share all that she knew about the world.  Fortunately with support from her family, these needs were recognized early, and strategies and supports were provided to assist Ashlee to become more comfortable in a school environment, and better able to communicate her needs."  – Jody Rutherford (BELA)

“When Ashlee went to preschool she needed help with communication, social and motor skills. She was not comfortable talking to everyone in the class and preferred to be quiet and to play by herself. Now she feels more comfortable talking to her teachers, responding to their questions. With her friends, she feels more comfortable playing with them.” – Lukkhana & Matt  (Ashlee’s Parents)

The Early Development Instrument measures a child’s development in the Communication Skills & General Knowledge domain, as a child being able to ‘’communicate needs and wants in socially appropriate ways, can tell stories and has general knowledge about the outside world that is age appropriate.

Data from the ECMap project indicates that only 59.9% of Kindergarten children in Brooks & the County of Newell are developing at an age appropriate level in this developmental area.

This ECMap data includes data for children who are learning to speak English, which is particularly important for Brooks & the County of Newell, where 16.9% of residents have a first language other than English or French. It is especially important for children learning English and / or struggling with their language skills to start early, by taking part in available programs, before Kindergarten.

“When we consider the number of children who are at risk in the Communication Skills & General Knowledge domain, combined with the Emotional Maturity domain,  and/or the Social Competence domain, we often see children who are experiencing difficulty expressing and communicating their emotions in a socially acceptable manner, which may have a significant impact in our Kindergarten and Grade One classrooms.”- Jody Rutherford (BELA)

 We know that it is sometimes difficult or even impossible to arrange transportation for children to and from programs, work schedules that are not conducive to enrolling children in outside programs, or if you have made a personal choice to keep your children at home with you. For any of these circumstances there are still programs that can offer you support in enhancing your child’s development. SPEC LINKS offers the HIPPY Program,

 (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters), some local programs offer a drop in schedule. Call & ask questions, visit programs & open houses. Design a plan that works best for your family and for your child’s needs.

“Ashlee celebrated her fifth birthday recently and has grown and improved in her social and emotional skills tremendously. Ashlee will now play with other children independently. She will sing songs and participate joyfully and willingly in games, group activities and play time at school. Ashlee will raise her hand and answer questions verbally during circle time. We continue to work on Ashlee’s communication skills by encouraging more verbal interaction with her peers during play. In addition we focus on increasing the amount of time she interacts with her peers.”– Kim McClelland  (Ashlee’s 

Teacher)

“We are so proud of Ashlee because she has improved a lot and is doing so well! We were so lucky to get help from the teachers and staff in school who have more experience with teaching and other areas that can help her to improve. We have 2 kids and we had them in pre-school since they were 3. Both of them loved to go to preschool because they can make friends, play, and learn the things that they need to know when they are in the kindergarten. We feel that going to preschool is the best thing for kids. It makes their younger years much easier.”- Lukkhana & Matt  (Ashlee’s Parents)

“With continued involvement from Ashlee’s parents and her older brother, we are confident we will be able to successfully transition Ashlee to her Kindergarten class, where she will continue to learn and grow!” Jody Rutherford (BELA)

For more information on programs and resources in our community please see below:

Resources:

Brooks & County Immigration Services

www.bcis-brooks.ca

403.362.0404

Brooks Early Learning Academy

www.brooksearlylearning.ca

403.501.0019

Brooks Preschool

http://brookspreschool.com/

403.362.4828

Duchess Preschool

403.378.4557

Les P'Tits Trésors.

403.362.2010


http://leruisseau.csud.ca/

Parents As Teachers

Grasslands Intervention Offices

403.362.8729 ext 116

SPEC Parent Link Center

http://spec.ab.ca/

403.362.5056

- CP

                                

Little People, Big Message....(Kane)

My name is Kane and this is my message….

I have been going to preschool since I was 3 and “now I can write my name on my crafts, play happily and talk with my friends, sit on my spot, and listen to my teacher!

I have learned all about dinosaurs, community helpers, and being a bucket filler!” – Kane (age 4)

Kane is 4 years old and is off to Kindergarten in the fall. He is helping us reach out to the community to increase awareness of the importance of early learning. Here we share more of Kane’s message, from the viewpoint of his parents & teachers. 

“We registered Kane in preschool because we knew the sooner we started, the more likely we were to see big changes! We have a lot of family support for childcare, which is a dream, but it didn't give Kane any consistent opportunities for socialization with other children his age. We had to take a leap of faith in the people helping us that they knew what was best for our son and our family.

The biggest change we have seen since he started preschool is his ability to engage and communicate with others of all ages. When he started preschool he had very few words and was not at all comfortable being away from his grandparents or us. Slowly, but surely, the morning drop offs got easier and the words became more frequent. As he finishes his second year, Kane will say hello to anyone he meets, approach new friends in the community, and enjoys participating in a variety of activities. He loves running errands and going to his brother’s school or activities, instead of simply trying to tolerate them. He actively participates in lessons, clubs, and on teams. He shows great empathy towards other people and animals.  He is excellent at considering the emotions and feelings of others and has learned appropriate ways to respond to them.  He is absolutely a different boy than he was in the fall of 2013!

We are so proud of Kane for moving out of his comfort zone of being at home with parents or grandparents and absolutely thriving at BELA. He has made friends he often talks about and has learned many things about being a good member of a community. He has a colorful personality and has become so very much fun to be around!” – Amber & Jordy (Kane’s parents)

“According to the Early Development Instrument, used to collect data for the ECMap project, Social Competence means, ‘a child plays and gets along with others, is curious and likes to explore, respects adult authority and is able to control his own behavior’.  In Brooks & the County of Newell, 72.3% of Kindergarten children are developing appropriately, like Kane.  That still leaves 27.7% of our Kindergarten children experiencing difficulty in this area of development.”-   Jody Rutherford (Director of Education & Programming at BELA)

Social competence is developed through the introduction of routines and expectations. Staff in early childhood programs are able to support children as they develop self regulation (emotional control) skills. These social / emotional skills are difficult, if not impossible to learn without the context of a group setting with ones peers.  For more detailed information about these social and emotional skills you can refer to the posts “ The Unwritten Curriculum or Why Should I Send My Child to Preschool?”  and  "Emotions Among Preschoolers"  a post written by our own Mrs. Parenas. 

“ Kane's social competence has improved significantly over the course of the school year.  He is a curious boy who enjoys exploring new activities in the classroom with his peers.  He demonstrates self-control by expressing his emotions in an appropriate manner, as well as recognizing emotions in others. Kane respects his teachers and children in the room and is willing to help out when needed.  At BELA we continue to focus on character development and being a good 'bucket-filler' in order to prepare Kane and the rest of our students for Kindergarten.”- Marsha Blake 

(Kane's Preschool Teacher) 

"During the past two years, it has been my pleasure to get to know Kane. With tremendous support from his whole family, and our staff at BELA, he has progressed steadily in developing the early learning skills he will require for success in Kindergarten. One of the biggest areas of growth has been in his social competence skills, and now this bright eyed, happy little boy is ready and eager to experience further learning in Kindergarten this fall!" – Jody Rutherford 

(Director of Education & Programming at BELA)

 "We would recommend preschool to other parents because it is a perfect opportunity to stimulate a child's development in so many areas (gross and fine motor, language, socialization, behavior, etc.). Three and four year olds are capable of such incredibly accelerated learning and we think preschool is the best way to take advantage of that.  There are so many talented early childhood development experts in Brooks and we are so glad that we were able to have them help us maximize Kane's potential. We do believe parents are a child's most important teacher, but it sure was nice to have such excellent support along the way. It was lots of miles, pick-ups, drop offs, and meetings but we don't regret a single second of it. Seeing our son succeed is so worth it!” – Amber & Jordy (Kane’s parents)

As Amber & Jordy mentioned, we are fortunate to have so many wonderful programs and professionals in our community. Please see the list of resources below and feel free to reach out, to have questions or concerns about your child heard.  Additionally, if you are an early childhood program provider and would like to be included in related posts please contact me asap. 

Resources:

Brooks & County Immigration Services

www.bcis-brooks.ca

403.362.0404

Brooks Early Learning Academy

www.brooksearlylearning.ca

403.501.0019

Brooks Preschool

http://brookspreschool.com/

403.362.4828

Duchess Preschool

403.378.4557

Parents As Teachers

Grasslands Intervention Offices

403.362.8729 ext 116

SPEC Parent Link Center

http://spec.ab.ca/

403.362.5056

- CP