The changing landscape of early childhood in CT

I belong to a group consisting of area directors; our primary focus is to provide affordable professional development opportunities to our staff. At our November meeting a couple of directors voiced their concern over loss of enrollment due to public, magnet and charter preschool opportunities being offered in their area. We decided to invite Senator Beth Bye(in photo) to our next meeting in order to
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Snowman pancakes

First … here’s my disclaimer – I can take absolutely NO credit for this idea. Outside our window this morning is the first significant snow of the winter (unusual for here in Connecticut). So, my 6 year old bounces down the stairs with big plans of what she’ll do outside later today. And then, it hits her … “Hey, maybe Daddy can make me
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What is the teacher expense deduction?

Below is the second post which provides tips on tax deductions for pre-kindergarten teachers from financial consultant, Steven Daar. Please read through to fully understand the “teacher expense deduction”, and what pre-kindergarten teachers can/cannot deduct. (And if you think it’s unfair, there’s a call to action at the bottom!) The Teacher Expense Deduction: This deduction is one I believe pre-kindergarten teachers get the short end
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Pre-K teacher tax deductions (part 1)

Below is the first in a series of posts to provide tips on tax deductions for pre-kindergarten teachers from financial consultant, Steven Daar. The New Year brings about a lot of exciting & promising things. Taxes are not included in that group. But they are going to have to be paid one way or the other and if you want to keep a little more
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Financial expert just for preK teachers

This month, we are sharing a new feature on our blog, especially for prekindergarten teachers. With income tax season coming up, we have a unique opportunity to share some expert advice on the subject – geared towards early childhood teachers. Sharing his expertise with us this month is Steven Daar from Teachers Retirement Help. Steven Daar is a graduate from the University of Illinois in
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Making a mural for MLK Day in preschool

Today our preschool classes made an “I have a dream” mural to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day today. Before we made the mural, we read a story and had a discussion about who Dr. King was and why we celebrate his birthday. We started by reading The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore, which tells of Dr. King’s life in an
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Children’s book and music for MLK Day

The winners have been announced in our “I have a dream” CD giveaway … thanks for all who entered and shared their dreams for children! Now we want to share some additional resources that you can use in your homes and classrooms on Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. First up … music you can download (for FREE!). Daria is offering her “I Have A Dream”
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Make a hibernation book in preschool

During the winter months, you can teach young children about hibernation and where/how/which animals hibernate. This activity focuses on concepts of science (nature, animals) and literacy(knowledge of books and print, reading and writing, story comprehension). This also provides children with an experience to practice fine motor skills(drawing/writing). A great way to start of an activity like this is with a book! There are many great children’s books about
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Best of 2011

I’ve been inspired by some of my favorite early childhood bloggers to create a “Best of 2011” list! It is fun to take a look on Google Analytics from this perspective and see which posts generated the most interest. Not surprisingly … the top posts also were some of my favorite activities that we did this year! So, before we start get too far into 2012,
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Parenting advice for when a child has trouble coping

We had a question from a parent for Bill Corbett (our blog Parenting Expert ). This parent has a child who is having difficulty coping with decision making. She worries so much that she will make the “wrong” choice – that she gets so upset and argues. Here is the original question: “One of my 7 yr old daughters gives us a run for our money.
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