Beds on the Floor

     So, as you may know from my prior posts my current classroom is ages 0-3. Have you wondered about "nap time" yet? Well, obviously since infants sleep on demand and usually twice a day, this classroom does not have one nap time where all of the children are resting (although on occasion we can get them all down for about a half hour of overlap sleeping!). Needless to say, nap times are tricky. With the babies we just try to rock them and then lay them on crib mattresses on the floor. For the toddlers we pull out small cots and group them in one area just in case the babies are awake and need a place to play.

     Before I came to this center I had never seen infant mattresses on the floor for babies. I was told that the concept is taken from Reggio- where the child has the freedom to lay down when they are tired, learning to independently care for their own needs. I do understand this concept, however in our American society I have yet to meet a baby who is able to independently put themselves to sleep. I also know what toddlers are like, so clearly they just want to go jump on the mattresses and make a game out of playing in their and being asked to come out. I also feel bad for the babies a bit, as they are not allowed any blankets or foreign items (other than a pacifier if used), and must sleep on their backs. So picture a little baby laying on the floor of a classroom while there are seven other children present. Cat naps take place and I'm okay with that, I understand why the babies can't sleep so well like that. Yes, yes, I know there are safety issues and I want to keep them safe, but there has to be another way to help babies sleep at school comfortably and more realistically, as I doubt any of them sleep like this at home. 

*Please note that these pictures are shown only for discussion purposes. I am not agreeing or disagreeing with a particular styles or school beliefs and not describing a particular school by name, only sharing personal opinions that I have on the topic. 

Community Playthings Wall Panels

Must Have Opening to Support Independence

Cost of Child Care vs. College

     What an interesting thought to ponder: the current cost of child care is higher than in-state tuition in most states. Early Childhood Education in our country has been growing since the civil rights movement when more women were joining the work force and children did not have other family members to care for them during the day. Once Head Start was created, an emphasis grew on quality care and what exactly that might look like. In 2014 we are struggling with many issues related to early childhood education and what quality centers look like:

- How do we assess quality?
- Why does quality matter?
- Should quality change price of care?
- How can middle-class families afford quality care? (Low-income families benefit from child care assistance and/or Head Start when eligible)
- How do programs afford to pay programming costs and equitable teacher wages?
- There is a lack of early childhood teachers who hold degrees directly in early childhood 
- How do centers meet national expectations for teacher certifications if they can't find those certified? 
- Should the government take more of a role in funding early childhood educational efforts in addition to Head Start Programs? 

Below is a picture taken from Qualistar's 2013 Signature Report showing the child care costs in Colorado. As Colorado has urban, rural, and resort areas prevalent to study, the differences in costs can easily be seen. It's astounding to think that finding quality care can be so expensive, and this is after locating it at all (The report states that licensed facilities are only at capacity to serve 23% of Colorado's children). If you read the rest of the report, you will learn more astounding information about Child Care in Colorado, which is similar to many other states around our country. 

The rest of the report can be downloaded from Qualistar's website: http://www.qualistar.org/early-learning-research-data.html

Constantly Telling My Colleagues….

     I would love to make this into a poster and hang it in my classroom. Next time a teacher bitches because about infants and toddlers not being busy, or needing new toys, I can just point to the sign. It's not always about toys, it's about being there: talking, playing, mimicking, laughing, modeling and just being present. Maybe children will even gain knowledge about ways to play or how to engage themselves in things that interest them after being guided by an adult.

What About Nature?

     I found these great image talking about children's disconnect from nature. In our current society we are so concerned with 'go go, do do' that we rarely take time to just go outside and play and enjoy our natural surroundings. Children are affected by lack of exposure to nature more than most people would ever think. 

From the Ground Up

My First Experience Starting from Scratch

     In 2009 I was given an amazing opportunity. It payed $11/hour, 30 hours a week without benefits, and I was told that if I was successful with creating the program than I could possibly see a full-time benefited position in my future. Possibly. Of course I jumped right in. What grabbed me was the school: A private, independent day school from preschool through eighth grade with an emphasis on integrated learning and using inspirations from philosophies such as Reggio and Montessori. My Job was to pilot a brand-new toddler program which included both part-day and full-day spots, and also a play group for younger toddlers and infants. 

     I was shown my new classroom after the interviews and accepting the position. It was in the basement- excuse me- "garden level" of the school naturally. It was graced with three windows that were at outside tar level, yet five feet from our classroom floor (I guess we won't be wasting time looking outside), and the room with concrete floors was trashed. In fact, it had been a storage space for the other classrooms and a catch-all for the crap that no one wanted yet couldn't bear to part with. Just cleaning the space out was a task in itself! 

     I worked on a minimal budget trying to find second-hand items, going through the preschool closets, and talking with other EC professionals I knew to obtain high-quality materials for a program that was hoping to thrive in Maine. Yes Maine, where "doing business" was ranked 51st- last even after Puerto Rico. What the hell was I thinking? I was thinking about children, families, an amazing school, and the opportunity to create a program based on Reggio Emilia philosophies that I had fallen in love with. I was thinking from the passion side of the brain, and the part that creates happiness and makes your serotonin levels soar. I was 24 years old and not thinking about money, the struggles associated with dealing with wealthy parents at private schools, or the thought that I could fail miserably. Maybe that's what made me so successful that year: the lack of fear and the desire to be everything that I wanted to be. Maybe those moments were the most free I will ever feel in this field, as five years later working at various schools, seeing the bureaucracy that surrounds education (both public and private) and the struggles that we as educators face everyday I've lost some of that dreamy happiness and desire to do it all. I now step into a classroom thinking "How far can I get with the restrictions that I am presented with? This is the best that I can do, although I know that more can be done." It's the sad reality of the world that we are in. A feeling of not being able to keep growing and showing your passion, as rules, regulations, lack of support and especially the lack of well-educated and experienced colleagues presents itself. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer here, but I struggle with this daily, and I am sure that if you are an infant toddler teacher you know exactly where I stand emotionally. 

     Anyways- back to my original blog story. The most challenging task that ended up presenting itself wasn't space and materials, rather it was finding a co-teacher. We interviewed numerous people. No Experience or no education related to early education. What did we expect to find anyways with a position offering only 24 hours a week to start and a lower hourly rate than me? I mean come on, who can survive on that? Needless to say, we hired someone, it didn't work out after a horrible first day, and luckily, we found an amazing new teacher who I grew to love greatly and learned so much from (you, Andrea!) after another week or so. Of course, this poor girl was also subbing elsewhere after her morning shift with me because she needed more work than just part-time, big surprise. We ended up having an amazing first year. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of struggles and challenges, but when you have a co-teacher that you can actually openly communicate with and share similar ideas and create plans with, challenges are just another part of the job and don't seem so over-bearing. It's when you are all alone in the classroom that these issues wear on you more than they should. 

     Our first year, starting with only 4 enrolled children for part-day programming on day one, turned out great. By the end of the year we were fully enrolled, and the next school years roster even had a waiting list! I loved the feeling of success and the pride I took in being the one to create such a desirable program. I loved creating child portfolios and watching parents smile and laugh as they shared in the joys of what their child was learning at school. I loved using my FlipCam to send short clips of kiddos to their families, who told me how meaningful it was to see their baby in action at school. 

     Year two I had a new teacher, which I was sad about because I loved my old co-teacher dearly, but it ended up being okay. The first full week of school we both cried everyday after the children left, as having 8 toddlers share their first experiences in a school setting is not easy in one bit and extremely emotionally draining! We got through this though, and created a good team. It's challenging as a teacher when you are in a room and expected to reach high expectations, yet are also trying to teach a new teacher everything (as she had no previous experience in an early childhood setting). But I managed, as you really have no other choice. Hopefully I made an impact on her, and sometimes she may think of me and things that I taught her in those early days in the classroom. I left after year two, as I couldn't see staying at a salaried job where I was in the classroom more hours than I was salaried for (this doesn't include planning, prepping, documenting, etc. that I also used my own time to do, as all teachers do), at a low pay, and without room for growth. It was a tough decision as I love this school dearly, but I knew it was time to move on and ultimately made the decision to go for my masters degree, which requires less time at work and more time writing papers and researching. 

Things I learned these two years:
- School climates can vary based on income levels of families
- Because some people have money, they feel that they can pay to have what they want
- A basement can make a beautiful classroom
- Creating child portfolios that are meaningful are like gold to parents
- A strong teaching team makes all the difference in a classroom
- Creating strong, positive relationships with parents is essential to the best classrooms
- Whole school meetings are essential to positive school climates and educational systems
- A school is a community. This needs to be supported and recognized!

Environment pictures through the two years:

Welcome!

     Welcome to my blog! This blog has no rhyme or reason other than to share in the qualms of daily work with infants and toddlers. I may share some stories from my classroom, pictures of environments, or funny things I find from the line. 

     I decided to make this blog because, as an infant toddler teacher I am CONSTANTLY asked "are you going to teach real kids someday?" Hmm… "real" seems an interesting way to put it, but in that case, yes, I do teach REAL children. I teach them empathy, how to share, how to care for others, how to care for themselves, independence, a love for reading, a love for the outdoors, and most importantly I give them the freedom to be children and to feel like they can play and explore as they please, because we all know that play is how the youngest of children do learn, right? And we are also aware that the most brain synapses, i.e. learning, takes place in the FIRST FIVE YEARS, right? Of course :)

     A little about me: I am an early childhood teacher who has worked directly with children from birth through five for over ten years now. Most of my experience is with toddlers, as I find this age to be full of wonder and excitement, and you can literally see children learning new things all the time. I have a high interest in infant brain development, and have enjoyed exploring studies by John Bowlby about attachment during infancy. I also love the works of Jonathan Kozol who explores young children and their families in poverty, and the horrific qualms of our educational system right here in our very own country. Things are not as amazing as some may think they are… I received my masters of science degree in education with a specialization in early childhood education in 8/13, and if you ask what I "want to be" I will give you the same response I give everyone: I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I know I want to make a difference. 

What does an infant toddler teacher have to deal with?
Parents!
Policies
Research-Based Practices
Expectations (state, national)
Un-educated staff
Low Pay (Luckily not me!)
Lack of guidance and support from supervisors uneducated in infant brain development
High staff turnover in the field
Physically demanding challenges everyday
Documentation/Portfolios (Lack of time given to teachers to accomplish high quality reports) 

Hmm… Almost sounds like teaching to me, just less pay, more physically demanding, less planning time, and the notion from society that you are not in a 'real job' and 'not really teaching'. I will vent on many of these issues and concerns through time. Enjoy :)