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May 7, 2021
Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.
-John Lennon
“10 Ways to Increase Positive Behavior,” the newest Exchange Reflections, will provide wonderful food-for-thought for discussions among staff members or college students. Or, it could be helpful to use simply for personal reflection.
Angela Percival-Porter, in her article that forms the basis for discussion, provides 10 helpful ways for increasing positive behaviors in early care and education settings. Here is a sampling of what she offers:
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“Drink Water
Children need water at least every two hours for their systems to function properly and to set the stage for learning. When a child is thirsty, they have already begun the dehydration cycle. In addition, their cognitive abilities decrease 10 percent when they are thirsty. Offer water frequently and daily for optimal learning.
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Ask Questions to Prompt
‘Hmmm, I wonder where this toy truck goes?’ ‘Does anyone know where this book belongs?’ ‘I wonder which activity is next?’ ‘Is it outside time or lunch time?’ Questions can smooth transitions and invite children to share their ideas and opinion.”
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 Exchange Reflections are designed to help a team of people meet in-person or live online to think deeply together about a topic using an article from Exchange magazine as a guide. Included are discussion questions to help guide reflections, as well as a Making Commitments idea sheet to help prompt ideas into action. For your convenience, Exchange Reflections are available in PDF format and you can download immediately on your desktop.
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ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
Comments (3)
Displaying All 3 CommentsUnited States
N.V. King, I love your comment, and the kinds of open-ended questions you are suggesting. This is our hope for Exchange Reflections, that they will encourage thoughtful discussions, and new ways of looking at ideas.
Elmoria Thomas, I appreciate your very thoughtful and comprehensive response.
United States
Asking a child a question, and you already know the answer, is demeaning and disrespectful to children. Further, it's testing a child. Of course you know where the toy truck goes-a child knows you know...
Instead of asking 'what color is your shirt?' Ask, 'how many objects in the room is the color of your shirt?' OR, instead of asking 'what color is the deer?' Ask 'why do you think the deer is brown?'
OPEN-ENDED questions promotes; curiosity, creativity, self-expression, and independent thinking.
NJ Early Care and Education Alliance
Williamstown, NJ 08094, New Jersey, United States
On behalf of the New Jersey Early Care and Education Alliance, our thoughts about pre-k expansion are..Yes, early care and education does matter-in all settings!
Just so everyone is clear, early care and education starts before pre-school. Research also tells us that between the ages of 0- 3 years, the brain develops trillions of neurons in which most learning happens.
While preschool expansion is a tremendous boost for communities, it is critical that school districts embrace the evidence supporting the value of contracting with existing community-based preschool providers. When Districts contract with community-based programs, they support the current infrastructure, allow three- and four-year-old children to remain in the same environment between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.(as is often needed by working families), and allow existing programs the economic stability to offer the less profitable but much-needed services of infant/toddler, after-school, and summer care to working families.
District contracts with community-based programs provide the funding, oversight, and framework for preschool programs to hire certified teachers, provide small classroom sizes and low child-adult ratios, adhere to a District-selected curriculum that is universally applied throughout the community, and provide increased wages and educational opportunities to preschool staff. District-contracted programs use existing facilities without the costly burden of building new classrooms. Preschool expansion without community-based contracts would result in the closure of locally owned child care programs serving infants/toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children, along with a decrease in classrooms in elementary school facilities.
Every school district receiving preschool expansion funds should be required to contract with its existing community-based programs. The result would be a win-win for the District, children, families, and community.
When infant, toddlers and preschooler are enrolled in a quality early care and education program that can address all their needs and is the most beneficial to families it sets the foundation for the success of a positive family structure as well as relational learning to take place in one location.
Respectfully submitted,
Elmoria Thomas, Chairperson
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