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As we enter what seems to be week number 1,973 of Florida’s Stay at Home Order, stress levels are keeping us moving between our survival and emotional states. Coach's Column Paulette Maggiacomo April 24, 2020 As we enter what seems to be week number 1,973 of Florida’s Stay at Home Order, stress levels are keeping us moving between our survival and emotional states. Many remarkable educators are presenting webinars and posting tips on how to lower stress which will help us reach the executive state. Looking back on professional development workshops that Childcare Resources has presented, I immediately thought of Dr. Maryln Appelbaum who has joined us two times. Who can forget her vivacious personality and amazing laugh? Remember how we all tried to imitate her? Well, you can go to YouTube to hear her teach us that laugh. One of the topics she spoke about in our November 2016 workshop, Five Things Every Educator Should Know , was the importance of self-care and providing ideas on how to boost spirits in a snap: Start your day by setting your emotional radar. Pay attention when thoughts weigh you down. Zap those thoughts by saying – This too shall pass, I can handle it, I am not stuck at home, I am safe at home. Remember that you are not alone - we are all in this together. Don’t hesitate to reach out to friends, and family. Use Facetime and Zoom so you see each other. Slow down – give yourself time to stop, breathe, and relax. Forgive yourself if you can’t do every single thing you’ve hoped to do. You are doing your best. Enjoy nature – we are blessed to live in this beautiful state. Take a walk and really notice the beauty around you. Focus on the present – Most people spend less than 1% of their time living in the present. Enjoy the moment. End your day by reflecting on the good that you did. With apologies to Dr. Appelbaum, I modified the last two lines of the song she ended with (somehow, I don’t think she would mind). I hope it resonates with you – say each line twice: I am special Yes I am I can handle this Yes I can Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters

The children you teach have a large variety of developmental needs which, if met, will help them grow into their full potential. Coach's Column Susan Roberts March 1, 2022 We hope you enjoyed our recent workshop, Teaching with Intention and Powerful Play featuring Amanda Morgan. Have you noticed a common thread running through the professional development presented by Childcare Resources? We are focusing on learning developmental milestones and best strategies for working with our youngest children, ages birth through pre-kindergarten. Amanda Morgan presented play as the method and learning as the outcome for young children. Both can and should be done! Play based education is the balance between guided play and free play. Again, both can and should be done! The children you teach have a large variety of developmental needs which, if met, will help them grow into their full potential. The developmental differences in very young children span a wide range. The focus is on all children and the whole child . Preschool children and younger should play to learn just as kindergarten to third grade learn to read and fourth graders on up read to learn . The learning experiences you as a teacher present to your children need to be rich in content and possibilities. A workbook page or worksheet cannot take the place of experiencing the learning . Guided play experiences encourage children to take in new information and practice skills so they can reach their developmental potential for entry into kindergarten and more formal schooling. If you have visitors in your classroom who make a comment about the “play” going on be sure to enlighten them about the purpose of the play. Point out: That the children painting are mixing primary colors (and discovering what new colors they can make). That the child at the sand table is strengthening her fine motor skills by finding square objects in the sand and picking them out with a tong. (She is also learning the difference between round and square). That the baby reaching for the toy is just learning how to crawl . The teacher is enticing him with a new toy (and describing the toy to expand his vocabulary.) By explaining the purpose of play you are becoming an advocate of the power of play for enhancing brain development, learning, mental health, and social skills. Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters

Simple Interactions | Dr. Dana Winters | Fred Rogers Institute Simple Interactions February 11, 2023 Handout (PDF) Back Dr. Dana Winters Fred Rogers Institute

Donors like you can ensure families have access to more than just early education; they can also have access to opportunity, stability, and a brighter future. Make A Gift Today ! Brianna and Luca A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE 1-800-HELP-FLA OR VIA WWW.FLORIDACONSUMERHELP.COM . REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Registration #CH5623

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Support the creation of a state-of-the-art campus that empowers children, families, and educators in Indian River County. Transforming Tomorrow Building a Foundation for Lifelong Success Support the creation of a state-of-the-art campus that empowers children, families, and educators in Indian River County. Make a Difference Today The Time to Act is NOW The Transforming Tomorrow Campaign addresses urgent challenges facing our community by expanding access to life-changing high-quality early education and support for working families, therapeutic and wellness services to address development needs, and professional learning resources for educators. 55% of children enter kindergarten unprepared of families earn too much to qualify for assistance but cannot afford quality childcare 45% Real Lives Transformed by Your Support Nolan spent his first year of life living in a car. When he came to Childcare Resources at 18 months old, he could not crawl, walk or talk. He was dangerously behind in meeting his developmental milestones and his mother was deeply concerned for his future. Thanks to the teachers and therapists at Childcare Resources, Nolan received therapies tailored to his needs and spent every day in a nurturing environment. Today Nolan is walking, learning and discovering the world with curiosity and joy. His mother, empowered by CCR’s support, is rebuilding their future. “Childcare Resources didn’t just help my son – they gave me hope. They showed us what’s possible.” -Nolan’s Mom A Space Built to Impact The Transforming Tomorrow Campaign is a $14 million initiative which will expand enrollment by 64%, and will feature: An early childhood learning center with classrooms to serve infants through 2nd grade. Therapy and intervention spaces to meet the growing demand for physical, speech, occupational, and behavioral services. Outdoor sensory areas designed to foster creativity, exploration, and confidence. Professional learning facilities for training educators and raising the standard of care county-wide. Parent resources center connecting families with services that foster growth and stability. Make an Impact Today When you give to the Transforming Tomorrow Campaign, you're doing more than funding a new campus. You're creating a space where: Children grow and succeed. Families find hope and stability. Educators lead with confidence. “When children succeed, families flourish, and communities grow stronger. This new campus will be a cornerstone for our community, helping children and families reach their potential.” -Katy Block Healy, Steering Committee Chair Flexible Ways to Support the Campaign We offer multiple ways to give, allowing you to choose the option that best aligns with your goals. ONE-TIME GIFTS Make an immediate impact by donating via credit card, check, or online RECURRING GIFTS Provide sustained support through monthly or annual contributions GIFTS OF STOCK OR SECURITIES Maximize your tax benefits by donating appreciated assets PLANNED GIVING Create a lasting legacy with bequests, trusts, or other estate plan MATCHING GIFTS Double your impact by checking if your employer matches charitable donations For assistance with your gift, contact Monica Cheslak FAQ's Why is this campaign important? Childcare Resources has been a trusted leader in early childhood education in our community for more than 30 years. CCR is one of only 7% of early learning centers nationwide accredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC). CCR’s expanded presence in Indian River County adds significantly to the quality of early childhood care available and greatly improves a child’s success in school and life. How will my gift be used? Your donation will fund the creation of classrooms, therapy spaces, and professional learning areas, ensuring that children, families, and educators have access to life-changing resources. How can I contribute? There are many ways to give—through one-time donations, recurring gifts, or planned giving. Learn more on our Ways to Give page. Can I make a recurring gift? Yes! Your monthly or annual contribution provides sustained support and is greatly appreciated. Are there tax benefits for my donation? Childcare Resources is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

With creating a School Family we are building connections through a culture of compassion. Coach's Column Amanda Gooch September 1, 2022 I am so excited to start the new school year as the new Early Childhood Education Coach for Childcare Resources of Indian River! I wanted to take the time to introduce myself before we get started. My name is Amanda Gooch and I am an Educator with 14 years of teaching experience. In addition my bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology. I also hold a master’s degree in Teaching from the University of South Florida. I hold my Florida Childcare Professional Credential Certificate and my Educator Certificate from the State of Florida Department of Education.  For those of you that joined us, I hope you all had an incredible day of Conscious Discipline training with Mandy Lloyd this past Saturday. You should have all left feeling ready to start the school year strong. For those of you that weren't able to join us, our training focused on the School Family. With creating a School Family we are building connections through a culture of compassion. We create a positive school climate by eliminating reward and punishment in favor of the safety, connection and problem-solving of a School Family. One of my favorite parts of the training was the implementation of the Safe-Keeper Ritual. Our goal was for children to consciously place their “figures” in the Safe-Keeper container while making a commitment to help keep the classroom a safe place to learn and play.  As your Early Childhood Education Coach I am here to help you start strong with creating a School Family. One of the many benefits of creating a School Family incorporates the motivation to behave from the quality of the relationship. Connection wires the brain for impulse control and willingness. Attempting to disciple without willingness is a chronic power struggle. What are our ingredients for connection? eye contact touch presence playfulness. How do we achieve this connection for Creating a School Family? Face to Face interactions I love you rituals Greetings or good byes Wish you well rituals Friends and Family Board I look forward to following up with each of you who have attended our most recent Conscious Discipline training. Our follow up technical assistance will focus on implementing a Friends and Family Board. I look forward to getting to know each of you as we create a School Family. Wishing you the best, Amanda Gooch Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters

These team building activities provide opportunities for children to develop important character skills while having fun and building positive relationships with their peers. Coach's Column Amanda Gooch April 1, 2024 The spring season of our school year comes with high expectations. Many students are excited and motivated to learn. Several, however, need to have strategies in place that will allow them to continue to build up relationship skills and encourage them to work together. The activities below can encourage students to build their relationships with each other through team-building activities that are fun and engaging and reinforce collaboration, communication, social interaction and creativity. Here are some engaging and developmentally appropriate team building activities: Animal Charades - Children take turns acting out different animals while their peers guess what animal they are pretending to be. This activity encourages teamwork, creativity, and non-verbal communication. Obstacle Course - Set up a simple obstacle course using cones, hula hoops, tunnels, and balance beams. Children work together in teams to navigate the course, helping each other and cheering on their teammates. Group Art Project - Provide a large piece of paper or canvas and art supplies such as paint, markers, and collage materials. Children collaborate to create a mural or collage, taking turns adding their own artistic touches. Outdoor Scavenger Hunt - Create a list of natural items for children to find and collect outdoors, such as leaves, rocks, flowers, or sticks. Children work together in small groups to search for items and check them off their list. Team Challenges - Set up group challenges such as building the tallest tower using only spaghetti noodles and marshmallows or creating a bridge to span a gap using only paper and tape. Children collaborate to brainstorm ideas and work together to complete the challenge. These team building activities provide opportunities for children to develop important character skills while having fun and building positive relationships with their peers. To learn more about team building activities and games for kids, visit this link: Team Building Activities We are excited to help end the year strong with you all as we continue to be “bucket-fillers” for our students. We truly believe many of these team building activities and games are a reflection of Tammy Pawloski’s focus on how much we matter to the field of education. Our play based bucket filling activities set the foundation for our student’s futures as we help them to reach their goals and dreams every day. For more bucket filler activities that encourage kindness in your classrooms, visit this link: Bucket Filler Activities If you have an epic team building or bucket-filler activity that you do with your students please let us know. We would love to come to your centers and see the incredible work that you do for children in Indian River County. Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters

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To better understand why challenging behavior occurs we need to be aware of the brain states and how they affect decisions that are made by both adults and children. Coach's Column Paulette Maggiacomo September 10, 2020 “Discipline isn’t something you do to children, It’s something you develop within them” Becky Bailey There were so many excellent speakers at the Transforming Challenging Behavior Online Conference 2020 . I truly felt that I learned something from each one. The presenter that spoke straight to my heart was Elizabeth Montero-Cefalo. She spoke on How to use Conscious Discipline Strategies in Preschool . As an Early Education Coach I have seen the positive impact that Conscious Discipline can have when practiced with fidelity. When practiced this way it can transform how you self-regulate and in turn be taught to the children entrusted into your care. To better understand why challenging behavior occurs we need to be aware of the brain states and how they affect decisions that are made by both adults and children. Conscious Discipline refers to these three brain states: Survival, Emotional, and Executive. The Survival State equates to the Brain Stem and is asking, Am I Safe? The developmental need is for safety . The trigger can be perceived as a real threat. Behaviors exhibited are fight, flight, or freeze. In the Emotional State which is the Mid-brain, the question being asked is Am I Loved? Connection is the developmental need. This state is triggered when things are not going our way and we respond with verbal and social aggression - here is where we will see the swearing, name calling, words such as ‘poopey head,’ ‘I don’t like you,’ ‘You can’t come to my birthday party;’ blame (‘It’s all your fault’) , and guilt (‘You are a mean teacher’) . The Executive State is the optimal state which occurs in the Pre–Frontal Cortex. In this state learning can occur because the brain is asking, What Can I Learn? Problem solving in social settings is what the brain is looking for. In this state there is empathy and goal achievement. So how do we guide ourselves and children through these states? Elizabeth spoke about the concept of DNA which translates to Describe the body, Notice the feeling, Acknowledge the child's intention. Here is an example of how DNA can be used: Levi is not participating during clean-up time. D(escribe): “Levi, you are leaning against the wall, your head is down, and you are holding tightly to a Lego truck.” When you see that moment when he looks at you, you can take a deep breath (ideally three) and move to the next step. N(otice): “You seem sad.” A(cknowledge): “You didn’t want to stop building with the Legos”. This is usually a guess on your part and believe me they will correct you if you are wrong. In this case I was and Levi said, “I didn’t want anyone to help me clean–up. I wanted to do it by myself.” Levi has upshifted to his Executive State, he is now ready to problem solve. It looks like this: “Oh, you wanted to clean-up by yourself. What words can you say to your friends the next time it is time to clean–up?” Depending on the child’s verbal skills, you may have to coach them through it. Levi said to me, “I can tell them don’t help me.” I asked him if he could think of a nicer way to say it. He thought and said, “I could say, please don’t help me, I like to do it by myself.” Mission accomplished! Ideally, the best time to model this (and any other behavior you want to see) might be during your morning time gathering where you could practice this as a class. One of my all-time favorite acronyms that Elizabeth spoke about is Q-TIP, "Quit Taking it Personally ." This year I am going to keep these in my teacher bag and hand them out to those in need. Some early educators believe that “Debbie” woke up in the morning and her first thought was, “How can I bug my teacher all day” ? Are you willing to try the Q-TIP approach and use DNA when observing challenging behaviors? Brain research has proven that children strive on routines and predictability. What better way to do this than to have visuals around your classroom, these instill a sense of safety in the children. (See below for a picture of a hand washing routine in a 2 year old classroom.) Children achieve a great sense of independence when they are able to ‘read’ the visuals, it truly empowers them. So take out those phones and snap away :) Don’t hesitate to send me pictures of your schedule, routines, or even a video showing DNA. In a perfect world we would all remember to self-regulate ourselves first and then go to the child, see the positive intent and see the best in others, and to remember that ‘discipline’ means to teach not punish. Remember to allow yourself to feel the grace you give to others when you have an ‘oops’ moment. Keep breathing and remember, You’ve got this, I have faith in you. Until next time, as always, I wish you well, Paulette Back to Coaching Back to Newsletters

Conscious Discipline: Baby Doll Circle Time | Kim Jackson | Conscious Discipline Conscious Discipline: Baby Doll Circle Time September 2016 Handout (PDF) Back Kim Jackson Conscious Discipline

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