When it comes to children the old saying goes, “It takes avillage to raise a child.” But what does that village actuallylook like when it comes to early childhood education? Thevillage starts within the early childhood education programand includes the children and their families along with theprogram’s educators and staff. Through partnerships, thevillage can extend … Read more
Every November DIEEC joins the national celebration of Children’s Book Week. It is one of our favorite events because we have the opportunity to go out to early childhood education programs across the state and read to children. Shared storybook reading is one of the best ways to encourage language and emergent literacy in children. … Read more
While traveling along your early childhood education journey, you may have come across the phrase “multi-age learning environments.” A multi-age learning environment is defined as a classroom or learning space with children of different ages or grade levels. Typically there is at least a 2 year age span. For example, in a typical Montessori preschool … Read more
Circle time is a well-known concept in the early childhood education community. It is also the subject of many debates in our field. Our hope with this article is to shed some light on the purpose of circle time and how to use this time effectively. Circle time is said to have originated in Great … Read more
Sensory play is what I consider the great “equalizer” of early childhood education. Children of various ages and abilities can enjoy sensory play, and summer is the perfect time for these activities! Outdoor play provides a great opportunity for some of the messier sensory activities. Many activities can also involve water play to help cool … Read more
There are so many layers to working in early childhood education. In addition to educating, caregiving, and running the business side of early childhood education, many programs also serve as a wealth of resources. We should be ready to support the children, their families, and our colleagues in a variety of ways. Many times families … Read more
If you or your program has developed a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) or worked with the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood (DIEEC), you have likely spent some time focused on goal-setting. Setting a goal for yourself or your program is an important part of the quality improvement process. But the process involves more … Read more
This is the time of year when everything starts to feel a little bit dreary. The holidays are over, the weather is colder, and it gets dark earlier. It can be easy to fall into a slump. Self-care becomes more important than ever during this time! Working as an early childhood educator makes for busy … Read more
It’s no secret that the majority of the early childhood education workforce is made up of women. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women accounted for 94.3% of “childcare workers” in 2022. The percentage of men in education increases moving into elementary and secondary education. Going back to the roots of humanity, women … Read more
Every year the Week of the Young Child (WOYC) provides an opportunity to reflect on the magic that is early childhood. Created by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), WOYC has been celebrated by early childhood education programs since 1971. Following the themes set by NAEYC, DIEEC put together activity guides … Read more
DELAWARE INSTITUTE FOR
EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
