Issue Eight

 September/October, 2011

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Early Childhood Advisory Council Updates  

In This Issue
Sneak Peek at the Revised Core Body of Knowledge
New York 1 of 3 States Chosen to Pilot EC Mental Health Tool
New Publications from Our ECAC Members

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Greetings!

 

Greetings! Welcome to our combined September/October newsletter. We are proud to unveil the draft version of the newly revised New York State Core Body of Knowledge. Also included is a description of a new state planning tool and webinar on children's mental health,  and news of ECAC members' publications that enrich our knowledge of early childhood. Happy reading! As always, please send comments and concerns to [email protected]. 

Sneak Peek at the Newly Revised

Core Body of Knowledge

 

The draft of the newly revised New York State Early Care and Education Core Body of Knowledge (CBK) is now available for review.  The NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute and the ECAC's Workforce Development Work Group have worked tirelessly to create a competency-based tool.  Click here to view this document. For information on how to provide feedback, click here.

 

DEADLINE for submission of feedback  is COB, OCTOBER 21st, 2011.

 

The document provides a framework that will: 

  •  Guide professionals who work directly with young children in their daily practice by identifying strengths and skills, and therefore aid in their self-reflection processes and professional development journey;
  • Inform the decisions of potential candidates to the field of early care and education;
  • Guide professionals in leadership positions in evaluating staff performance, identifying areas to target for professional development, and creating/reviewing job descriptions;
  • Aid training organizations in assessing, organizing, and developing education opportunities for professionals;
  • Assist teacher education programs in assessing, coordinating, and designing course content that will fulfill competency needs and facilitate transfer and articulation agreements;
  • Support advocacy efforts to reinforce the concept and language of professionalism in the field of early childhood as well as educate parents, policymakers, and the general public about the many facets of professional practice and the need for highly competent professionals who are fairly compensated;
  • Support local and state agencies in their quest to develop policy, initiatives and funding decisions that improve the competency of early childhood professionals;
  • Provide a framework for professional development system efforts to use as the basis for creating and/or revising registry systems, professional development records and plans; trainer/training approval systems; and scholarship/grant applications, among other opportunities;
  • Empower families in their search for high-quality early care and education settings and professionals;
  • Serve as an instrument for the general public to value the degree of knowledge and skill required for professional competency in early childhood; and to
  • Support public and private investments, incentives, and initiatives that encourage and facilitate professional competency.
 

New York 1 of 3 States Chosen to Pilot

Early Childhood Mental Health Tool

 

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) has designed a new Progress Monitoring and Planning Tool in Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH). A webinar will be held on November 28th to showcase how states are using the tool for monitoring and planning for early childhood mental health. New York is one of three states that will be featured. Dina Lieser, Co-chair of Promoting Healthy Development Work Group, Regina Canuso, ECAC Project Manager, and Evelyn Blanck, Co-chair of Strong Families Work Group, will represent New York State.

 

The tool is designed to help states:

  • Identify current scope and quality of state supports for young children's mental health (starting with pregnant women),
  • Specify goals related to the scope and quality of ECMH (propose new or expanded services and programs),
  • Target funding for these efforts,
  • Formulate strategies, such as legislation and/or trainings, and
  • Set benchmarks for progress.

The Promoting Healthy Development Work Group has been collecting responses from ECAC members to determine the status of ECMH in the state, identify gaps, and determine future directions. 

 

New Publications from

Our ECAC Members

 

ECAC Member Meredith Wiley and Robin Karr-Morse have written a  new book, "Scared Sick: The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease", to be published January, 2012 by Basic Books. The book reveals that fear, especially when experienced chronically in early childhood, lies at the root of many common physical, emotional and behavioral problems.

 

Scared Sick connects the dots among research findings from psychology, neurobiology, endocrinology, immunology and genetics on the effects of trauma on health, and offers readers strategies for creating more positive environments in which children grow and for healing trauma in our own lives.

 

Doris Fromberg has recently published, "The All-Day Kindergarten and Pre-K Curriculum: A Dynamic Themes Approach". This curriculum, which centers on how young children develop meanings, provides an activity-based and classroom-proven curriculum for educators to consider as they plan and interact with pre-k and kindergarten children. Allowing young children the opportunities to become independent,caring, critical thinkers who feel comfortable asking questions and exploring possible solutions, theDynamic Themes Curriculum offers children the skills they need for responsible citizenship and academic progress. This book describes a culturally-sensitive pre-k and kindergarten curriculum in the context of literacy, technology, mathematics, social studies, science, the arts, and play, and also discusses: 

  • How to use the seven integrated conditions for learning to meet and exceed content learning standards,
  • How to organize for differentiated instruction and to integrate multiple forms of assessment,
  • How to teach literacy tools and skills in fresh ways, and 
  • How to work with families, colleagues, and community.
Thank you for your interest in the Early Childhood Advisory Council. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me at: [email protected].

Sincerely,

Regina Canuso

Project Manager 

NYS Early Childhood Advisory Council

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