tion a c u d E d o o h d il h C WCCC Early Club Newsletter Think Spring!
Westmoreland County Community College
Welcome to all ECE Students!
Save the Dates for Important ECE Activities Please save the dates for the following WCCC Early Childhood Education Club activities:
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Inside this issue: Save the Dates!
Volume 2, Edition 3 March 8, 2011
PAEYC-WCCC Student Dinner Meeting 1
at WCCC in Commissioners Hall Become the PROFESSIONAL you strive to be!
Fundraiser
1
Student Dinner Meeting
2
ACTION DAY
2
Evening of Books
3
Turning College Students into Leaders
4-5
Professional Development
5
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Early Childhood Action Day at the State Capitol in Harrisburg
Beth Hoden ECE Program Director Office Hours: M—W—F 9-10 AM & 1-2 PM T-TH 9-9:30 AM Office Phone: 724-925-4013 Email hodenb@wccc.edu
Become an ADVOCATE for children and families!
Friday, April 8, 2011 (Date changed from April 15th) Evening of Books held in the Founders Hall cafeteria Become a VOLUNTEER in this worthwhile project!
Sign-up sheets posted on Beth Hoden’s Office door
Bon-Ton Coupon Book Fundraiser Many thanks to those that bought and sold the Bon-Ton Community Day Coupon Books! All the profit raised from the sale benefits ECE students membership fees for PAEYC. Please turn in all money from the sale of the coupon books as soon as possible.
Page 2
WCCC Early Childhood Education Club Newsletter
Thursday, March 31, 2011 Upcoming PAEYC-WCCC Student Dinner Meeting Save the date of Thursday, March 31, 2011 for the first PAEYC— WCCC Early Childhood Education Student Affiliate Dinner Meeting. It will be held at WCCC in the Mon Valley Dining Room of Commissioners Hall. Beginning at 6 PM, the meeting will include dinner, guest speakers, and prize baskets. Pennsylvania DPW hours are pending. Fee for this event has not been determined yet.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Early Childhood ACTION DAY at the State Capitol Spring is fast approaching and with that comes Early Childhood Education Action Day. Building upon the success of last year; parents, caregivers, providers and advocates from across Pennsylvania will be traveling to Harrisburg April 12, 2011 to visit legislators and talk with them about the importance of quality early care and education. This year’s message has not changed. Quality early learning and child development can open the doors of opportunity for every child to do well in school, in the workforce, and in life. But quality early learning requires the commitment of families, teachers, and the community in order for children to reach their promise. In Pennsylvania, approximately 60% of children under age six need some form of child care as their parents work, and nearly 10% of Pennsylvania’s K-12 children participate in school-age programs. The quality of this care impacts parents’ reliability at work, children’s cognitive and social development, and the quality of our future workforce. Help us tell our legislature about the importance of quality early education. Come to Harrisburg to tell them what it means to you! Professional Development DPW Hours
To find out how you can participate in Early Childhood Action Day, see Beth Hoden and/or sign up to participate. Information obtained from the PennAEYC website 2-18-11
Volume 2, Edition 3
Page 3
Friday, April 8, 2011 Evening of Books featuring the Book
Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job All Early Childhood Education Club members are encouraged to volunteer for the Evening of Books to be held on Friday, April 8, 2011. The theme of the evening is the Pennsylvania’s One Book, Every Young Child 2011 selection, Who’s Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job. Activities for young children need to be planned along with a snack. Volunteers will be needed to narrate several books, create sets for books, register attendees, act as guides, and pass out the PA One Book packets. Over the past several years this has been well attended by the surrounding community families. It has also been a rewarding experience for the ECE students involved. See Beth about getting involved in this project.
Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job, a photograph concept book by Stephen R. Swinburne for children ages 3 to 6, is Pennsylvania's One Book, Every Young Child 2011 selection. This year's program officially kicks off on March 29, 2011.Published in 2010, this engaging book explores various occupations using simple text and colorful photographs. Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job encourages young readers to guess which shoe matches which job. This is the sixth year of this valuable program that highlights the importance of early literacy development in preschoolers.
Page 4
Turning College Students into Leaders in Early Childhood Education Getting Involved Outside the College Classroom
PART 1
*The following article was taken from Young Children, the Journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children written by William H. Strader, former department chair of early childhood education at Hesser College in New Hampshire. Early Childhood Education college students are very busy people. They take required general education and early childhood curriculum courses, and they complete prepracticum and field experiences in a variety of early childhood settings. There has been an increase in the number of students who work during the day and go to school in the evening, as well as those who take online courses. With such busy lives, early childhood students might ask, ―What is the Early Childhood Club? What do you do in the club? Why should I be involved?‖ Throughout their college careers, students can be actively involved on campus and in the greater community surrounding the college or university setting. An early childhood club provides excellent opportunitiesfor leadership development, building of organizational skills, collegiality, and esprit de corps. Nakiesha, a student at Hesser college, says, ―I was involved with three clubs in high school and wanted to see what this college club did. I liked the idea of doing something with the college’s child care center—fixing up their playground, helping to organize their Fun Winter Fair.‖ Students help define and live the mission of the club by designing and implementing activities on and off campus that promote the club, the early childhood education program, and the college. Early childhood college clubs have organized a range of events: • Mitchell College’s Early Childhood Education Club organized Hat and Mitten Collections for area shelters and community outreach programs in New London, Connecticut. • The Early Childhood Club of Hesser College supports the Family Readiness Group of the deployed New Hampshire National Guard by providing activities for children during family meetings. • The Fitchburg State College Education Club holds bake sales to raise money for new puzzles and art supplies for the college’s child development center. • The Early Childhood Organization of Southeast Missouri State University celebrated Week of the Young Child by hosting a foot-painting booth at Messy Morning, an event filled with fun, hands-on sensory activities for children. When the early childhood club works with and supports local young children, the college community—and the greater community— come to see the club as a positive, contributing force. School officials and deans also take notice of early childhood education clubs on campus. To support the New Hampshire National Guard troops overseas, the Early Childhood Club of Hesser College–Manchester created a 12-foot long Memorial Day banner. It was to be signed by all early childhood education majors and the director of campus activities. When the vice president of academic affairs and the president of the college heard about this outreach effort, the banner project expanded. Faculty, staff, and administrators from the school signed it and added personal notes. This response recognized students’ good deeds and expanded on the work made possible by strong club leadership. NAEYC advocates six core standards for early childhood professional preparation programs
Page 5
and the professionals who work with young children (NAEYC 2009). The sixth standard is ―Becoming a Professional‖ (see www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ ProfPrepStandards09.pdf). Although students are still taking courses and learning, their professional experiences can begin while in school. For example, students can present at professional conferences. The Mitchell College Early Childhood Education Club was invited to participate in and present at the Connecticut Young Educator’s Society conference. The club officers presented to high school students from across the state information about the leadership, activities, and efforts of an active early childhood education club. As a result of this successful conference presentation, the president of Mitchell College invited the early childhood club’s executive board to present to members of the Connecticut High School Counselor Association during a campus visit. Conclusion An early childhood education club offers participants several informal and professional growth opportunities. Loretta, from Fitchburg State College, discovered ―a flyer on the early childhood club bulletin board about joining the club. The club was already doing a bake sale for the Books Across America Program!‖ When participating in these clubs, students have the chance to • get to know other students in the early childhood education major • find out about early education courses and professors • help with local environmental preservation • attend workshops on some of the curriculum courses • run a clothing drive for an area shelter • visit early childhood programs in the community • take a field trip to a children’s museum • win student membership scholarships to the state AEYC and NAEYC conferences • hear guest speakers, such as professors in early childhood education-related disciplines, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, community members, directors of early childhood programs, principals, superintendents and AEYC leaders. Part 2, “Supporting the Next Generation of Early Childhood Educators: Connecting with Today’s Students,” will appear in the May 2011 issue of Young Children. Copyright © 2011 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at www.naeyc.org/yc/permissions
WCCC Early Childhood Education Newsletter
Professional Development Opportunities To earn Pennsylvania DPW hours as required, check out the PA Keys website, www.pakeys.org. Westmoreland County Community College sponsors affordable ECE workshops made possible through Southwest Regional Key funding for only $10 per workshop. Workshops are currently being held at the Youngwood campus, the WCCC Fayette Education Center, and the Fayette County Head Start. Please email Vicki Hricik for more information, hricikv@my.wccc.edu.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have any ECE news and volunteer opportunities that you would like to share please email Vicki at hricikv@my.wccc.edu. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~