Family Child Care

Early Childhood Standards

I am currently working on a committee for my state to see how closely our preschool standards are aligned in preparing children for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for kindergarten. It is always delightful to work with a group that is in tune with what is developmentally appropriate for early childhood children. A number of times during our meetings we have come to the conclusion that it is most appropriate for a certain skill to begin in kindergarten, not preschool. It has also been a pleasant discovery to find that our state preschool standards are providing adequate preparation for most kindergarten skills that are in the CCSS. While serving on this committee, I have expressed my desire that we provide a usable document that an early childhood teacher can use "at a glance" to prepare her lesson plans. Sometimes we create large documents that many teachers do not take the time to read completely or we use terminology that is not always easy to understand. While I think it is critical for us to create a solid complete document, I also think it is important to have a simpler road map for teachers to use on a daily basis. Unfortunately, teachers don't always have access to complete professional development to help them 'decipher the code' of a government document. Hence, my request that we make a document usable for the masses. We must do that if we want the standards taught regularly in the classroom.

Early Childhood Standards

31May2011

New DfE Research

The <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Department for Education</a> tends to release a batch of research reports at the end of each month, and the latest ones have just been published. There are too many to list all of them here, but some of the new material which seems particularly useful is linked below. Remember that if the prospect of reading a 100+ pages report is too daunting, then the executive summary will give you a quick flavour of the content! <ul><li style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR108A.pdf" target="_blank">Evaluation of Every Child a Writer: Report 1</a></li><li><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR108B.pdf" target="_blank">Evaluation of Every Child a Writer: Report 2</a> </li><li style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR114.pdf" target="_blank">Evaluation of Every Child a Reader</a></li><li style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR121A.pdf" target="_blank">Parenting Early Intervention Programme Evaluation</a></li></ul>The complete Publications section of the DfE website can be <a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/" target="_blank">found here</a>.

New DfE Research

The Department for Education tends to release a batch of research reports at the end of each month, and the latest ones have just been published. There are too many to list all of them here, but some of the new material which seems particularly useful is linked below. Remember that if the prospect o…

26May2011

Childhood and Education on Twitter

Childhood and Education on Twitter

I've recently set up a Twitter account, and so to the right hand side of this page you'll now see an area entitled 'Twitter Updates'. This displays recent tweets from my account (UCBChildEd) which will typically contain links to useful articles and other information relating to childcare and educati…

23May2011

Foster Care Fortnight

Monday saw the beginning of <a href="http://www.fostering.net/foster-care-fortnight" target="_blank">Foster Care Fortnight</a>, which seems as good an excuse as any to post some resources about fostering, as it's a topic which I sometimes get enquiries about. Foster Care Fortnight is an annual event held by UK charity <a href="http://www.fostering.net/" target="_blank">the Fostering Network</a>, which aims to raise the profile of fostering and attract new carers. It is particularly timely this year, after the recent launch of the <a href="http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/f/the%20foster%20carers%20charter.pdf" target="_blank">Foster Carers' Charter</a>. The Fostering Network website has an area called the <a href="http://www.fostering.net/resources" target="_blank">Resource Centre</a>, which is as good a place as any to start researching the subject. This contains details of a large number of reports, podcasts, newsletters, statistics and other publications, many of which are free to download. The site also has a fairly comprehensive <a href="http://www.fostering.net/resources/useful-links" target="_blank">Useful Links</a> page, to point you towards other useful organisations and relevant legislation. Two other websites which you should visit are the <a href="http://www.baaf.org.uk/" target="_blank">British Association for Adoption & Fostering </a>(BAAF) and <a href="http://www.tactcare.org.uk/" target="_blank">The Adolescent and Children's Trust</a> (TACT). Both of these charities provide detailed information on fostering and help to link children with prospective foster families. TACT's 2009 report <a href="http://www.tactcare.org.uk/data/files/tact_full_reportlr.pdf" target="_blank">Aspirations: the Views of Foster Children and their Carers</a> is also an invaluable introduction to many of the issues surrounding fostering, and there has recently been a follow-up report entitled <a href="http://www.tactcare.org.uk/data/files/Research_n_Policy/TACT161_Aspirations6.pdf" target="_blank">Aspirations Three Years On</a>. For further research about fostering, Ofsted has released several publications on the topic over the last few years. <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Being-fostered/%28language%29/eng-GB" target="_blank">Being Fostered</a> (2005), <a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Care/Children-s-rights/Children-s-experience-of-private-fostering" target="_blank">Children's Experience of Private Fostering</a> (2008) and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Care-and-prejudice" target="_blank">Care and Prejudice</a> (2009) are all worth a look. Finally, to bring us up to date, the Guardian has today published 3 articles in its Society supplement, to tie in with Foster Care Fortnight. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/18/desperate-shortage-foster-families" target="_blank">Foster Care: 'The Best Job I've Ever Done'</a> examines a shortage in the number of available foster families, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/18/reaping-rewards-of-fostering" target="_blank">Reaping the Rewards of Fostering</a> relates the experiences of a carer who fosters teenage boys, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/18/foster-providers-long-term-plans" target="_blank">Foster Providers Need to Make Long-Term Plans Sooner</a> highlights the importance of stable placements in providing successful outcomes for fostered children.

Foster Care Fortnight

Monday saw the beginning of Foster Care Fortnight, which seems as good an excuse as any to post some resources about fostering, as it's a topic which I sometimes get enquiries about. Foster Care Fortnight is an annual event held by UK charity the Fostering Network, which aims to raise the profile of…

18May2011

Excellence in English

Excellence in English

A new report from Ofsted argues that creativity in the classroom allows for better teaching of English. The publication, entitled Excellence in English, examines 12 primary and secondary schools which are rated outstanding in their teaching of English, to explore how their approaches to the subject …

16May2011

A New Beginning

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVkfhObT0D9DmbLIv0GPbJnmWJitj5ZAnf60PX6v6wa3PfDE8svUmWq_zXlB2N1fsfKGqQjQ7-WmlLLT7HXX5XjHv0CClrBptTbd-ykTJsoJtFEPnga6Kosgt5YiWSsd6NKpwPGm3HG4/s1600/Class+card+006.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606261344860014386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVkfhObT0D9DmbLIv0GPbJnmWJitj5ZAnf60PX6v6wa3PfDE8svUmWq_zXlB2N1fsfKGqQjQ7-WmlLLT7HXX5XjHv0CClrBptTbd-ykTJsoJtFEPnga6Kosgt5YiWSsd6NKpwPGm3HG4/s200/Class+card+006.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <div>I just watched 23 of my student teachers graduate last week. Now they are actively interviewing for jobs as the local school districts are slowly posting their openings. Five of these soon-to-be new first year teachers already have a job. I was thinking recently about my first year of teaching back in 197... I always tell my students that everything I learned in college about teaching I did the first week. Subsequently, everything I said I would never say to children I had said by the end of the second week out of desperation. Then, I had to learn to be a teacher.</div> <div>The teacher preparation programs are so much better now. I like how my students spend almost an entire school year in a classroom. They get to see, participate in and create procedures and curriculum from the beginning of the school year until almost the end. At the same time, they learn and plan classroom strategies in college courses and then return with that information to the classroom. This scenario worked well for my wonderful cohort group this year. There were several who actually surpassed their site teachers ability to create an even more efficient classroom.</div> <div>Yes, times have changed. Teacher preparation programs are much better now. The breakdown in the system now comes when a new teacher does not receive the strong support necessary to continue the growth she started as a student. Even the best new teacher needs continual support and advice to be successful. I am hoping that each new teacher leaving my program will receive that support. I feel much like a parent sending my child out into the world. I hope each one will become the successful teacher I can see inside her/him today.</div>

A New Beginning

I just watched 23 of my student teachers graduate last week. Now they are actively interviewing for jobs as the local school districts are slowly posting their openings. Five of these soon-to-be new first year teachers already have a job. I was thinking recently about my first year of teaching back …

13May2011

Return of Teachers TV

Return of Teachers TV

A couple of weeks ago (see previous post) I mentioned that the Teachers TV website would no longer be available. Since then, two separate websites - SchoolsWorld.TV and teachersmedia - have both been set up with the promise of providing free access to the entire archive of 3500 programmes very short…

11May2011

How Quiet Helps at School

Regular readers of this site will know that while most of the posts on here deal with new reports and research, I occasionally try to introduce some variety (and fun!) by looking at materials which date back a little further. So below is a charming short US film from 1953 entitled How Quiet Helps at School, which is descibed as a "social guidance film for young children suggesting that they take their noise out to the playground." After teachers recently complained about <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13176049" target="_blank">pupils' lack of discipline</a>, would there still be a place for a film like this in a modern classroom? What sort of advice do you think a remake might include in 2011? Leave your comments below. <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="506" width="640"><param value="true" name="allowfullscreen"><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"><param value="high" name="quality"><param value="true" name="cachebusting"><param value="#000000" name="bgcolor"><param name="movie" value="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf"><param value="config={'key':'#$aa4baff94a9bdcafce8','playlist':['format=Thumbnail?.jpg',{'autoPlay':false,'url':'HowQuiet1953_512kb.mp4'}],'clip':{'autoPlay':true,'baseUrl':'http://www.archive.org/download/HowQuiet1953/','scaling':'fit','provider':'h264streaming'},'canvas':{'backgroundColor':'#000000','backgroundGradient':'none'},'plugins':{'controls':{'playlist':false,'fullscreen':true,'height':26,'backgroundColor':'#000000','autoHide':{'fullscreenOnly':true}},'h264streaming':{'url':'http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.pseudostreaming-3.2.1.swf'}},'contextMenu':[{},'-','Flowplayer v3.2.1']}" name="flashvars"><embed src="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" cachebusting="true" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" flashvars="config={'key':'#$aa4baff94a9bdcafce8','playlist':['format=Thumbnail?.jpg',{'autoPlay':false,'url':'HowQuiet1953_512kb.mp4'}],'clip':{'autoPlay':true,'baseUrl':'http://www.archive.org/download/HowQuiet1953/','scaling':'fit','provider':'h264streaming'},'canvas':{'backgroundColor':'#000000','backgroundGradient':'none'},'plugins':{'controls':{'playlist':false,'fullscreen':true,'height':26,'backgroundColor':'#000000','autoHide':{'fullscreenOnly':true}},'h264streaming':{'url':'http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.pseudostreaming-3.2.1.swf'}},'contextMenu':[{},'-','Flowplayer v3.2.1']}" height="342" width="480"></embed> </object>

How Quiet Helps at School

11May2011

The Munro Review of Child Protection

Today sees the publication of the final report of the Munro Review of Child Protection. The review was launched in June last year, with a brief to examine current procedures for safeguarding children and the role of social workers (see <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2011/02/munro-review-of-child-protection.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> for details). Since then there have been two interim publications. The final report states that local areas should have more freedom to design their own child protection services. There are also <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/10/munro-child-protection-work-freed" target="_blank">recommendations to reduce bureaucracy</a>, and a call for frontline <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13335150" target="_blank">social workers to have more say</a> in deciding what is best for at-risk children. The appointment of a chief social worker to liaise between the government and the wider profession is another of the report's recommendations. You can read the full text of The Munro Review of Child Protection Final Report: A Child-Centred System by <a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Cm%208062.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. Further information and all documentation relating to the review is available from <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/" target="_blank">this site</a>. In conjunction with the review, the Department for Education has also today published <a href="https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RBX-10-09.pdf" target="_blank">Safeguarding Children Across Services</a>, which is an executive summary of a research programme which helped to inform the Munro review. <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QZXQmjVEArY" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="262" width="420"></iframe>

The Munro Review of Child Protection

10May2011

Anti-Bullying Strategies

Anti-Bullying Strategies

The Department for Education has recently published The Use and Effectiveness of Anti-Bullying Strategies in Schools. This project was conducted by the Unit for School and Family Studies at the University of London, and examined how successful different schools in England have been in their approach…

09May2011

Best Behaviour

Best Behaviour

The Policy Exchange think tank has recently published Best Behaviour: School Discipline, Intervention and Exclusion. This is a report which proposes new discipline and exclusion policies to protect pupils whose education may be harmed by the misbehaviour of other children, as well as taking a broade…

09May2011

Childhood & Education on YouTube

Similar to my recent post on <a href="http://bcftcschildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2011/03/childhood-education-on-twitter.html" target="_blank">useful Twitter feeds</a>, today's update looks at which YouTube channels are available that have direct relevance to the children and education sectors. Of course, there are literally thousands of videos on YouTube which might be useful to you, but the links below will take you to channels which focus primarily or wholly on children, education and family issues. All of the Twitter and YouTube links I have posted can now also be found on the 'Links' section of this site (see top of page). The list of channels is below. If you know of a good one that I've missed, please share it with other users of this site by leaving a comment. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eQ5_SaAFktKZhY-2PBLO6J1LT7N4f94Lxm3KK5CGHlbE_2C0AhCq8PZLAfvl9dR4aaPMW2XeU_yFm1hEp2oIR9JI87ciGfksvrUduzat7OGK3Cjda8IWcTIiWXkTn7ziUKf-W3dCcg/s1600/YouTubelogo.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602878363609717458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eQ5_SaAFktKZhY-2PBLO6J1LT7N4f94Lxm3KK5CGHlbE_2C0AhCq8PZLAfvl9dR4aaPMW2XeU_yFm1hEp2oIR9JI87ciGfksvrUduzat7OGK3Cjda8IWcTIiWXkTn7ziUKf-W3dCcg/s200/YouTubelogo.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 135px;" /></a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/barnardosuk" target="_blank">Barnardos</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/harnessingtechnology" target="_blank">Becta</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ceop" target="_blank">Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/childrenssociety" target="_blank">Children's Society</a> <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ComCareVideo" target="_blank">Community Care</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/educationgovuk" target="_blank">Department for Education</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/EqualityHumanRights" target="_blank">Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/FamilyandParenting" target="_blank">Family and Parenting Institute</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/WatchNCB" target="_blank">National Children's Bureau (NCB)</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/LiteracyTrust" target="_blank">National Literacy Trust</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/nspcc" target="_blank">National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ParentChannelTV" target="_blank">ParentChannelTV</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/savethechildrenuk" target="_blank">Save the Children UK</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/SchoolFoodTrust" target="_blank">School Food Trust</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/SocialCareTV" target="_blank">Social Care TV</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TESConnect" target="_blank">TESConnect</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/unicef" target="_blank">UNICEF</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/UNICEFUK" target="_blank">UNICEF UK</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/youngmindscharity" target="_blank">Young Minds</a>

Childhood & Education on YouTube

Similar to my recent post on useful Twitter feeds, today's update looks at which YouTube channels are available that have direct relevance to the children and education sectors. Of course, there are literally thousands of videos on YouTube which might be useful to you, but the links below will take …

04May2011

Counting the Laps

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhoTmlyglCdIs1drbdOunB9Ek_AIPWWu4Xn-mSoF7YOGMAemj3z202XYZGj2gaY53cnf6mGb_fh_kCJ_ygyPofTL0dFE8LgqkJGWYBqc-BTWiceu2cThfhcf1d3Fcgj-9u7QVfcloiIs/s1600/boy+child.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602200068911330210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhoTmlyglCdIs1drbdOunB9Ek_AIPWWu4Xn-mSoF7YOGMAemj3z202XYZGj2gaY53cnf6mGb_fh_kCJ_ygyPofTL0dFE8LgqkJGWYBqc-BTWiceu2cThfhcf1d3Fcgj-9u7QVfcloiIs/s200/boy+child.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <div>I was brainstorming with one of my former student teachers about a child she is working with who exhibits violent behavior when everything doesn't go smoothly in class. During the conversation I was reminded of a student I taught a number of years ago. He had been the 'terror of the school' prior to coming into my 2nd grade class. I was baffled how a K-1 student could cause such problems in a school setting. Jimmy had a violent temper and when angry he would hit anyone in his path, including adults. He was a little leery about me at the beginning (his first male teacher), but soon settled into his usual routine. Since he was so physical, I decided to capitalize on that energy. Our classroom was near an outside door that led to a large playground. I made a deal with Jimmy and told him that he could have some fresh air time if he ever felt angry and wanted to hit something. I told him that from that point on I wanted him to excuse himself, go outside and run to the fence and back until he calmed down and felt like he could re-enter the room. I made sure he knew this wasn't a punishment, but an opportunity to calm down. For this particular child, it worked and by December he could calm down by putting his head on his desk. In the meantime, I found out a little more background about Jimmy and found there were violent episodes in his home. It makes sense that children who observe violence may react in the same way. With the social worker also involved in teaching Jimmy coping skills, he lost the title of 'terror of the school' and became a successful student. Talking with my student teacher reminded me of the steps that I go through when working with a 'challenging' child: 1. Work on building a positive relationship with the child. 2. Try to find out the root of the problems. 3. If necessary, replace physical aggression with physical exertion. 4. Keep working on the problem. It may take 20 different procedures to find one that works for that child. Don't be cynical, be systematic. </div>

Counting the Laps

I was brainstorming with one of my former student teachers about a child she is working with who exhibits violent behavior when everything doesn't go smoothly in class. During the conversation I was reminded of a student I taught a number of years ago. He had been the 'terror of the school' prior to…

02May2011