| Professional development workshops |
 The Early Years Institute's "Keeping Media in Mind," "Play...An Endangered Activity?," and "The Importance of Outdoor Learning for Children" sessions are available for directors, teachers and providers of child care programs. You can schedule these on-site sessions at your convenience. Click here for more details. |
| EYI Advisory Committee to learn ABCD's |
 The EYI Advisory Committee will meet on June 4 to learn about a new way to create a map of community assets offered by organizations and individuals. Special guest will be Dan Duncan (left) of Arizona who helped pioneer this strategy developed at Northwestern University. Contact EYI for information. |
| Contest ends June 1: Name our bugs! |
 Our two lady roaches are nameless 'til our contest winners are picked! Enter the "Name Our Bugs" contest here. Jackie, 4, plays with one of the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches EYI uses to excite children, teachers and parents about interacting with nature. |
| Entering the "Pyramid Approach" |
 EYI hosted 60 program directors, trainers, teachers, and curriculum designers at an orientation May 12th at Suffolk Y-JCC in Commack and Friedberg JCC in Oceanside for the Pyramid Approach, a holistic, balanced way to improve practice and interactions. |
| It's unanimous: "Babies" is really cute! |
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 A group of 20 joined EYI staff in Westbury on May 13th to see "Babies," a new documentary about four babies' first year of life. After the movie, through talk and tacos at Cozymel's, the group agreed that all the world's children have an inate capacity to explore, imagine and create.
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| Levitt grant to create nature connections |
 Thanks to the Levitt Foundation, EYI's LINCK (Long Island Nature Collaborate for Kids) program will work with the United North Amityville Youth Organization (UNAYO) to create a summer environmental program that will result in an intergenerational connection between children and nature. |
When EYI led a discussion with early childhood leaders in April on young children's excessive exposure to screen time, we agreed that the argument doesn't have to be about eliminating TVs and computers from our children's lives. We talked about balance and awareness, with the goal being a reduction in screen time and an increase in more creative play time outdoors and in. The group will be recommending actions we can all take to move this issue to the front burner locally. We always welcome your suggestions. -- Dana Friedman, Ed.D., President, The Early Years Institute
