ELRA Update.pdf - Rutgers University-Camden

Early
Learning
Research
Academy
May 2013
Infant & Toddler Program
Update
MESSAGE FROM ELRA:
Dear Parents,
At the Early Learning Research Academy, we
greatly enjoy caring for your children and helping them
to learn about the world in which they live. Through the
innovative early education program, your children are
strengthening their cognitive, social, and emotional skills
here, and are given a critical head start on kindergarten.
ELRA is the first step in the Community Leadership
Center’s Birth to College Pipeline, which sets children on
the path to college.
Today, we are happy to share with you the new
Infant and Toddler Update. We hope that this will be a
resource for you to learn more about what your children
are doing in the classroom, and that it will be a valuable
source of information, featuring parenting tips, upcoming
events, and introductions to new staff members.
Please let us know if there is anything that you would
like to see featured here in future issues, and be sure to
contact us with any questions or concerns. As always,
your child’s health and learning come first here at ELRA.
Thanks!
Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, and Awilda Cruz
Prime Times in Your Child’s Life
Early childhood is when our lives are
launched: the people we will become are developed,
and our sense of self, of security, and of what the
world has to offer is shaped. Parents and teachers
strongly influence how children feel, what children
think, and who they will become. The term “prime
times” signifies the critical importance of nurturing
care and one-on-one interactions in a child’s daily life.
Prime times occur at many different moments
throughout the day. This translates into simple
care-giving routines for infants and toddlers: such as
changing diapers, nurturing, rocking, and eating food,
as well as sharing a moment of discovery, joy, or comfort.
The staff at ELRA maximizes the use of prime
times to increase learning and improve self-awareness
by ensuring that every child in the classroom
has-one-on-one time with a caregiver, and that they
also spend time in small groups. When a parent or
caregiver intimately share a moment of delight with a
child, these are prime times for discovering the joy of
being human and a member of a family or community:
the child learns that “I am somebody.”

Parenting Tip
Share a Good Book with Your Child
When you take the time to read to your child, you are creating
understanding, which can grow into a lifetime love of learning. Reading
a book is an opportunity to give undivided attention to a child and relay
the message, “You are important.” Many parents enjoy reading to their
children, especially before bedtime. This relaxing activity helps children
to unwind from the day and to focus on a positive shared experience.
Books are an important part of a child’s life as they grow. Stories
introduce children to new words and concepts. Infants and toddlers
relate to many types of books, but often gravitate to those that have the
“three R’s”: repetition, rhyme, and rhythm.
Reading books and looking at pictures offers a meaningful
springboard to talk about emotions. Books can be empowering and
support emotional development. Repetition and predictability give children
a feeling of mastery. Children thrive on predictable stories such as
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See.
Spend time reading with your children and your actions will make a positive difference in their lives, both today
and in the future.
Both articles contain excerpts from Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Classroom Highlights
INFANTS
SPROUTING INTO SPRING
TODDLER-A
MOVEMENT MATTERS
TODDLER-B
ART SMART - SPRING FLOWERS
Dramatic Play helps children learn
about the world around them and
it also expands a child’s awareness
of self, in relation to others and the
environment. In April, infants enjoyed
a moment of dramatic play by dressing
up in flower costumes after being
read Welcome Spring
by Jill Ackerman.
Toddlers developed their
large motor skills and social
skills by climbing on a
boulder while learning to take
turns as they explored
the playground.
Toddlers were introduced to the
world of the visual arts by creating
their own flowers in bloom during
Art Smart class time. They used
markers, forks, and paint to
make their creations.

Staff Training
In April, members of the ELRA staff took part in
the Bright Horizons Super Saturday Training. This half-day
workshop focused on Diversity Training and Intentional
Teaching. The staff learned that cultural awareness
plays an important role in the classroom. Caregivers
need to be sensitive to the fact that their students may
exhibit behaviors that are different from what they may
appear to be, and to never assume that a particular
behavior has only one meaning. For instance, in China
students are taught to avoid making eye contact with
their teachers. An American teacher may consider this
lack of eye contact as a form of a child’s disinterest in
the subject matter. By being aware of this difference in
cultures, an instructor can have a better understanding of
how the child is developing. The training also identified
other ways of increasing cultural understanding, such
as inviting parents into the classroom to share different
aspects of their culture.
The Intentional Teaching component of the
workshop focused on using methods to make learning
child guided, by using emergent curriculum based on
the developing skills of the children. Learning is still
teacher driven, but in a more comprehensive manner.
This can include setting up the classroom so that it has
elements that directly connect with the new behaviors
that you want the children to learn. In this method,
children will indicate their readiness to learn on their own,
by expressing their interest. This method relies less on
memorization and encourages children to be problem
solvers.
In addition to the half-day workshop, the entire
staff completed a full day of training centered on the Five
Phases of Planning Curriculum. These include: framing
the context, planning the lessons, implementing those
lessons, monitoring progress, and evaluating learning.
The instructors received additional support on how to
effectively implement their daily observations of the
children in the classrooms to help guide their lesson
plans.
WELCOME
to the New ELRA Staff
Joseph Dawson attends Rutgers-Camden and will
graduate in May as a Childhood Studies major. He has
supervised children for three years and hopes to one
day work in a middle school with inner city students. His
favorite part of being at ELRA is listening to all of the
children’s creative ideas.
Dugleidy Lopez is a high school graduate, who also has
experience babysitting. She likes watching the progress
that the children make at ELRA and says that she learns
something new from them every day.
Both of our new staff members really enjoy being with the
children in the playground, because the kids have such a
good time exploring and running around outside.

Mind in the Making: Executive Function and
The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs
How can families and teachers give kids the life skills they need to
cope in our multi-tasking, multimedia, modern world?
Bright Horizons, in conjunction with the Families and Work Institute, invites you
to join Ellen Galinsky, the best-selling author of Mind in the Making, for a
parent webinar about the skills adults and children need in order to succeed in
the 21st century.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. EDT
During the webinar, parents will discover:
• Seven Life Skills essential for success
• Simple everyday things parents can do to build life skills in their children
• The connection between life skills and school readiness
• Strategies to help fuel a child’s natural passion for learning
• Methods for empowering children to manage stress, take on challenges, and build resilience
Register by going to: brighthorizons.com/family-resources/parenting-tips-webinar
Important Dates:
-Feliz Cumpleaños!
Malaysia P. – 10
Luis C. – 10
Devynne H. – 17
May 1
May 5
May 7
May 10
May 12
May 15
May 27
May 30
May Day Celebration!
Cinco de Mayo
National Teachers Day
Mother’s Day Continental Breakfast
and Make and Take
Mother’s Day
Parent Meeting, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Memorial Day | School Closed
Ice Cream Day
Staff:
Jenny S. – 12
Visit us online at
clc.camden.rutgers.edu/ELRA
facebook.com/RutgersELRA
Contact Information
Awilda Cruz,
Program Manager for Infant &
Toddler Program, Bright Horizons
(856) 225-6557
awilda.cruz@brighthorizons.com
Stephanie Rogers, MHS,
Senior Program Administrator
(856) 225-6902
swr@camden.rutgers.edu
Front Desk – 856-225-6418
Fax – 856-225-6500