Children need to take risk!

My granddaughter has learned a new skill.

Anyone who has ever had a toddler understands the concern of a mother watching them climb and take lots of risk.  These risk are necessary in order for the child to learn.  According to Erik Erikson, child development theorist; children go through a set of stages.  Between 18 Months to 3 Years children learn to master skills for themselves.  


Here children have the opportunity to build self-esteem and autonomy as they gain more control over their bodies and acquire new skills, learning right from wrong. And one of their skills during the "Terrible Two's" is their ability to use the powerful word "NO!" It may be pain for parents, but it develops important skills of the will. 

It is also during this stage, however, that children can be very vulnerable. If they're shamed in the process of toilet training or in learning other important skills, they may feel great shame and doubt of their capabilities and suffer low self-esteem as a result.  The most significant relationships are with parents.

Norma Honeycutt, Executive Director

 

Home Visits

Home and school are a child’s two most important worlds. Young children must bridge these two worlds as they enter the world of preschool. Home visits are a positive way to connect with families and help the child transition into school and feel secure. Without that connection children may be apprehensive, fearful, anxious or timid. This could ultimately suffer the relationship with the child transitioning into to school and take much longer to establish. Many parents also worry that this is a "check up" of some kind... Don't worry, the teacher isn't coming to see if you have nice furniture, or check on your cleaning skills. The purpose of the home visit is to build a relationship with the family by getting to know them in a non threatening environment. Learning family background, home life, strengths and weakness aids teachers is building the curriculum around the children; instead of building the children around the curriculum. Because of this, the teacher may ask you to give input into some of your child's skills, abilities, and developmental patterns. The information provided from the family will help the teacher cater the program to your child. When teachers build partnerships with families they demonstrate that they truly value the family’s role in education.

Developing partnerships begins with the teacher’s willingness to visit the child where he/she is most secure – in his/her own home.

 
 
Michelle Macon, Program Coordinator

Weekend Fun

 

Partners In Learning is celebrating 15 years of serving

children and families in our community. 

 

Join us this Saturday for a day of fun,

festivities, and celebration

 

Start the day off right and find that special purchase during our yard sale. 

Hours are from 8-5pm

 

Calling all youngsters to participate in our Special Olympics Young Athletes event which is designed to encourage children of ALL ability to participate alongside one another.

Hours are 1-3pm

 

Our annual Fall Family Fest is a little more special than in the past.  There will be something for everyone to enjoy.  Wear your non scary costumes and enjoy games, cake walks, hay rides, food and fun for the whole family.

Hours are 3-5pm

Top off this special day with an evening Family Fun Walk/Run.  This is an opportunity for your whole family to participate.  A Kids Fun Walk/Run for ages 12 and under starts at 5:30pm.  The course will be 2 laps around the Catawba College track.  For older family members, try the Prediction Run which starts at 6pm.  Participants will predict how long it will take them to walk/run a mile.  Remember a winner is one who finishes a race.

Family faces are magic mirrors -
looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future.

Gail Lumet Buckley b.1937

Colleen Carman

Finance/HR Director





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

How to teach step by step directions

I have a dear friend that is an Occupational Therapist for the Rowan Salisbury Schools, Susan Brady.  She shared this video with me that she made and used with a child on the autism spectrum.  She stated that they had been working so hard to teach this new skill and once he watched the step by step video, he was able to do it.  It's so exciting and rewarding to see a child succeed!  Children on the spectrum learn in steps.  Remember to break things down and use visuals. 

Norma Honeycutt, Early Intervention Specialist

What's So Great About Wednesdays?

 

 

 

For the Best Prices Shop Wednesdays!

 

 A smart way to stretch your dollars. 

 

In our area, this is the day the local grocer advertises the sale prices for the week.  Shop early, stock up and ask for a rain check if an item runs out.

 

Gas prices are usually the lowest on Wednesdays.  Be sure to fill up before the weekend when the price per gallon will be higher.

 

If you need to purchase airline tickets, the lowest prices can generally found on Wednesdays.  Compare ticket prices on more than one website and don't forget to check your airline's pricing, also.

 

Most department stores will have the steepest discounts on clothes and household goods on Wednesdays.  Also, this is usually the day for senior citizen discounts.

 

Internet sales are hopping with discounts... when? on Wednesdays.  Remember to get those coupon codes in too.

 

Make "Hump Day" work for you...Shop and Save!

 

Visit usaweekend.com for more information on Wednesday shopping deals

 

Colleen Carman

Finance/HR Director

 

 

 

 

 



Want to be a Frugal Shopper?

Here are a few tips to become a frugal shopper from "The Frugal Shopper.com":

• Make a shopping list and stick to it.
• Think of alternative sources of proteins such as beans, eggs, cheese, and fish
• Check out local sources for fresh fruit, veggies, and meat markets
• Look for bargains on the higher and lower shelves
• Look for in store bargains and unadvertised specials
• Track sales and stockpile regularly used items when on sale
• When affordable, buy a freezer and freeze fresh items for use in off season
• Look at the unit prices...larger is not necessarily cheaper
• Sale prices may not mean a better buy...use your math skills or apps on your phone to determine the best prices
• Convenience foods, splashy packaging, disposable, and name brands equal higher prices...try generic.  If not satisfied with quality or taste, most stores will refund your purchase
• Be sure to ask for a raincheck on sold out items

Following these simple tips can reduce your shopping total by as much as 50 percent.  Remember, to save money you should invest time!

For more frugal tips and shopping advice, along with free samples, click on the link below:

http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/tips/grshopping.shtml

Colleen Carman

Finance/HR Director

No Such Thing as Bad Weather...

There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. This is a well known saying in the world of early care and education. This child is dressed perfectly for a drizzly day on the playground!

 

It's fun to catch the dripping water in a bucket or a cone!

We are learning about taking turns, gravity, full and empty, fill and dump. 

Max enjoys feeling the water as it drips from the roof and Robbie is watching his bucket get full.

These children are having a "meeting" under the make shift tent on the corner of the playground.

Caleigha is making discoveries in the wet dirt!!!

There is a world of learning available for children who are allowed to play in the rain and dirt. Parents and teachers need to remember the rule, NO BAD WEATHER, JUST BAD CLOTHING!

Deborah K. Howell, Assistant Director

IT”S ALL ABOUT INCLUSION!



On October 29, Partners In Learning is hosting an event for ALL our young athletes.  Children from age’s two to seven are invited to participate in games and activities.   As you can see from the logo, Young Athletes is part of the Special Olympics, but the two events differ in several ways.  All Young Athlete activities are non-competitive, and unlike Special Olympics where all the athletes have a disability, Young Athletes is an inclusive event that encourages ALL children, those with and those without a disability, to participate together.  

We know that parents want their children to grow to be adults who are comfortable around all members of their communities.  To accomplish this, we need to give children opportunities to experience diversity.  Young Athletes is designed to provide just such an opportunity., so let’s bring our children together on Saturday, October 29^th from one to three o’clock at the Catawba College Football Field.  An on-campus indoor facility will be available in case of rain.   The event is FREE, and all children who register before October 15^th will also receive a free t-shirt and lunch.   Go to Epartnersinlearning.org to register, or call Partners In Learning at 704-638-9020 for more information.

Katherine Generaux, Community Inclusion Director

Inclusion Works!

 Below is a wonderful email from one of our staff/parents.

Last night at a high school football game, Konnor saw a teenage boy with Down syndrome. As the boy began to talk my two year old son looks at me and says "Mommy he talks different than me?" I asked him "why, yes he does." without skipping a beat he replies back to me " Mommy at my school they let us play with kids who are special, like XXXXX and XXXXX, mommy and they really not so different than me." This brought tears to my eyes to know that I have chosen a center that teaches my child that its okay to be different and that there is nothing wrong with being different. A lady sitting in front of us heard him talking and turned around and asked me what school he went to and I said PROUDLY Partners in Learning.  I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has had a impact on my son's life and taught him just because we don't look the same and learn the same doesn't mean that we're different.  

All our love, Cassie & Konnor

T-I-M-E OUT for Quality Time

 T- Tomorrow is not promised.

 I-  Interact daily with those you love.

M- Make lasting memories with your children.

 E- Enjoy the time you have with your children even it's only 30 minutes.

Bill has T-I-M-E OUT today with Adalyn in her class. They read the book together to her friends. 

Children spell love...T-I-M-E.

~Dr. Anthony P. Whitham

Michelle Macon, Program Coordinator

Inspired by Leonard Cohen: A tribute to Early Education Professionals

I threw a CD in the player the other morning as it is part of my routine before stepping onto my electronic bike and peddling eight miles to nowhere in the basement of my Salisbury home. On this particular morning I put on a Leonard Cohen in Concert CD. Now I know most of you reading this blog have no clue who Leonard Cohen is, because basically, you have to be pretty old and probably have some history as a hippie to know his music. I, of course, qualify on both counts.


At about mile six in my never-ending quest for fitness, the song Suzanne began to play. Toward the end of the song, are the following lyrics:

There are heroes in the seaweed;
There are children in the morning.
They are leaning out for love,
And they will lean that way forever;
While Suzanne holds the mirror.

Peddling on through mile seven, I continued mulling these lyrics through my head and as I did, I conceived the following adaptation:

There are heroes in the classroom;
There are children in the morning.
They are leaning out for love,
And they will lean that way forever;
While their teachers hold the mirror.


The way I see it, early childhood educators are heroes. Scholars in the early years of human development, they influence the lives of children through those precious years when 80% of brain growth occurs. I picture them, the hundreds of thousands of them in our country, walking through the doors of their classrooms each morning, and I marvel at the tremendous impact they have on our society. Though they receive very little societal credit for this, they quietly go about the business of loving, guiding and educating our youngest citizens and providing the experiences that build the brain structure and emotional foundation that will be the base and reference point for all future growth and development. Children will forever be leaning out for love, and our early childhood educators will continue to hold the mirror in an effort to reflect the joy, the needs and the importance of these early years of life.

This blog is dedicated to the early education teachers of Rowan County.

Katherine Generaux, Community Inclusion Director

Play is ALWAYS the Answer!!

You are never too old to play...

You are never to young to play...

In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

The great man is he who does not lose his child's-heart. ~Mencius, Book IV

Michelle Macon, Program Coordinator