May 2023

This month is a special edition of REACH, dedicated to provider appreciation. Provider Appreciation Day is May 12th, and we will be focusing the whole month on you! We’re very excited to announce the finalists for DIEEC’s Early Childhood Educator of the Year. Voting is open now through Sunday, May, 7th. DIEEC will also be hosting a … Read more

Spring is here! The change of season is a good reminder for us to look at how we support our health, well-being, and growth. We hope that this spring provides you with a sense of rejuvenation. It’s also a time to celebrate and share the joy of childhood. We are excited to start the month … Read more

This month, we’re excited to share our theme of Men in Early Childhood. Male caregivers play an important role in young children’s development but are underrepresented in the early childhood field. In Voices From the Field, we hear from Mr. Darnell Couch, classroom educator at St. Michael’s School and Nursery, about his experience as an … Read more

During the cold months in the middle of winter, it can be helpful to think about what lies ahead. Our editorial focus this month is self-care. Self-care is an especially important topic for all of you who spend your time caring for others. In our Voices from the Field section, we hear from a family child … Read more

Here at DIEEC, we’re starting January by focusing on partnerships. In addition to the “Early Childhood Partnering Opportunities” we’ve highlighted for you, this month’s “Voices from the Field” spotlights one of our current opportunities to build partnerships – participating in a series of Professional Learning Experiences (PLEs) as part of a cohort.

As we wrap up 2022 this month, it’s a great time to reflect on the year. Take a few moments to recognize everything you’ve accomplished! What are you proud of? What would you like to focus on improving? We took some time to look back as well, and you can see some of our learnings in the wrap-up, reflections, and provider survey articles.

What a busy and exciting month! Today marks the start of Children’s Book Week. We’re looking forward to visiting programs and reading in classrooms. At the end of this week, DIEEC will be hosting our first family child care conference. We can’t wait for the full day of learning, activities, and networking with Delaware’s family childcare educators.

We have some exciting updates in this month’s issue, including further details about our upcoming podcast and some new opportunities for Delaware’s family child care educators. Additionally, you can read a summary from the Department of Education Early Childhood Support team about the next steps for early childhood in Delaware.

In the “Fall Preview” of this month’s newsletter, we’re thrilled to be announcing the return of Children’s Book Week, one of our favorite events. Make sure to sign up to participate! We’re also excited to begin getting the word out for a couple of brand new initiatives, with more to come soon.

Like many during summer, we’re getting outside, but we’re doing it with our professional learning experiences. In the first article of this issue, learn more about the “Let’s Go Outside” initiative, our outreach to provide grants and training so programs can create outdoor spaces and facilitate learning through exploration and play.