At the beginning of each school year our pre-school teaching teams arrive at school to carefully assemble a learning environment for our own little miracles. In this issue of the FOCUS On Young Children’s Learning Newsletter we share informa-tion to assist teaching teams in this process. There is information about the Early Childhood Envi-ronment Rating System-3 (ECERS-3) and how it can be used as a tool to assist teachers in creating a high quality learning environment. We encour-age you to visit the New Mexico PreK website at www.newmexicoprek.org for resources on room arrangement and classroom design. There is an additional link to a resource for administrators to use to support teachers in providing a high qual-ity learning environment. We share Promising Practices related to classroom environments and related research. We also showcase the Center for Development and Disability Information Network Library. This library is a key resource. It provides support and services to schools and families

In This Issue• ECERS-3• Promising Practices• Resources• What’s in it for me? • Bright Spots• ConsultantSpotlight• Characteristics of Transformative Leaders• References

University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center/ CDD / University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service

Children are miracles. Believing that every child is a miracle can transform the way we design for children’s care. When we invite a miracle into our lives we prepare ourselves

and the environment around us. We may set out flowers or special offerings. We may cleanse ourselves, the space, or our thoughts of everything but the love inside us. We make it our job to create, with reverence and gratitude, a space that is worthy of a miracle! –Anita Rui Olds Designs for Living and Learning, 2003

N E W S L E T T E ROctober 2016

Page 2

The ECERS-3 is a comprehensive assessment tool used to measure environmental factors as well as teacher-child interactions that affect the broad developmental needs of young children. It also emphasizes the role of the teacher in creating an environment conducive to developmental gains.

The Scale consists of 35 items organized into 6 subscales:•SpaceandFurnishings•PersonalCareRoutines•LanguageandLiteracy•LearningActivities•Interaction•ProgramStructure

The Third Edition of the ECERS responds to new research in the field of Early Childhood Education. The ECERS-3 introduces innovations in both the content and administration of the scale while retaining the continuity of the two principal characteristics of the ECERS, namely its comprehensive or global definition of quality and the reliance on observation as the primary source of information on which to base assessment of classroom quality. (Cryer & Harms, 2014). The tool has an enhanced focus on pre-academics and attends more to interactions and less on materials. The ECERS-3 includes expanded items for math, language, and literacy. It is designed to assess the overall quality of early childhood programs. Major research projects in the United States, as well as in a number of other countries, have documented both the ability of the ECERS-3 to

What is ECERS-3?

be used reliably and its validity, in terms of its relation to other measures of quality and its ties to childdevelopmentoutcomesforchildren(Aboud& Hossain, 2011). Some of the studies show the effect of high quality programs, as measured by the ECERS-3, persists well into elementary school (Peisner-Feinberg et al., 1999).

Online training is now available to NM FOCUS participants.

The ECERS-3 Online TrainingLink is Now Available!

Please Note: You cannot begin this training without the ECERS-3 book. Many PreK Coordinators received

ECERS-3 books for their staff at the PreK AdministratorsmeetingsheldAugust

4 and 26. If your administrator did not, your NM PreK consultant or your PED

FOCUS consultant will be delivering your ECERS-3 books to you as soon as possi-ble. If you have not already received your book, please contact your PED FOCUS consultant to make arrangements for

delivery.AllNMPreKwillreceivetheirbooks from UNM Continuing Ed.

Please contact yourconsultant for ECERS-3

Online Traininginstructions and link.

Promising Practices

A little more than a decade ago, Pinnacle PresbyterianPreschoolinScottsdale,Arizona,began implementing a program directly influenced by the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy.

At Pinnacle, every learning space has paper and writing instruments. In the imaginary play spaces within the classrooms and the playground outside, children are actively writing and drawing. It becomes a part of the culture of learning, a process that is internalized within the group. We have made a conscious effort to steer away from purchasing ready-made materials, such as pre-cut foam pieces or rubber stamps and instead spend resources on paper, clipboards, and multiple forms of writing and drawing tools. Asking children to draw what they see and then revisit the subject later to add yet more detail is the very essence of scientific observation. When the tarantula joins the classroom, teachers place magnifying glasses, small clipboards with paper, and markers next to the terrarium. They place nonfiction books about spiders on the shelf near the terrarium and display close-up pictures of different kinds of spiders. Rather than instructing the children, the teachers set up the provocation and then take a step back.

–Mary Ann Biermer

Resources

The University of New Mexico’s CDD Information Network Library is excited to announce a recent donation of $1,000 worth of books and DVDs! The Library received this generous donation from the Rio Grande Down Syndrome Network. You may visit thelibraryat2300MenaulBlvd.NE,Albuquerque,NM87107,openMondaythroughFriday,8:30AM– 5:00 PM. The library will mail books and other resources to patrons who live out of town. They include a postage paid envelope for returns. You may reach them at 505-272-0281 or 844-231-5003 Email: HSC-Infonet@salud.unm.edu, Website: www.cdd.unm.edu/infonet

CDD’s Information NetworkLibrary and Resources

(Continued on Page 4)

The Rio Grande Down Syndrome Network worked with us to include items about Down Syndrome as well as items regarding parenting, general disabilities, related DVDs, and children’s books. We also received 14 Signing Time! DVDs to teach children basic signs. The items are now cataloged and can be checked out. Please stop by and have a look or let anyone else know about the new items. —Network Librarian CDD Information

Here is a sampling of their new offerings:

DVDs• Everyone Counts: My Friend Isabelle by National

Down Syndrome Society• Get For School Sing Along (CD) by Cathy Fink &

Marcy Marxer• Signing Time! Volume 1-13

Children’s Books • Black Day: The Monster Band byAngelaDeal• Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric

Litwin• Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus by James

Dean • The Magical Mask by Keren Stronach

Page 3

Parenting• An Uncomplicated Life: A Father's Memoir of His

Exceptional Daughter by Paul Daughterty• Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected by

Kelle Hampton• Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good

Sense by Ellyn Satter• Going Solo While Raising Children with

Disabilities by Laura E. Marshak• How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids

Will Talk byAdeleFaber&ElaineMazlish• Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid by Gina

Gallagher & Patricia Konjoian• The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

About Children• Getting from Me to We: How to Help Young

Children Fit In and Make Friends by Shonna Tuck

• Growing an In-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz & Joyce Newman

• Sleep Better! By V. Mark Durand

(Continued from Page 3)

Bright Spots

It is a great time to be a preschool student in Eunice, NM! Mettie Jordan Elementary PreK staff are excited to begin a new journey with our fledgling students and their parents. In the past several years, we have had a successful PreK program for our youngest three- and four-year-old developmentally delayed (DD) students working near, but not as a part of, the NM PreK Program. This spring, we took a giant leap forward and began the journey to work side-by-side, in a blended environment, and set the path for a total transition to inclusionary practices. With the help and guidance of the NM PED FOCUS consultants, the Mettie Jordan Elementary DD PreK team embraced the essential elements of quality and began to embed these practices into our daily routine.

So now, in school year 2016-17, we are ready to support the inclusion of each and every child. By embracing this model, our students with developmental delays and their parents are provided the opportunity to learn, grow, and share their unique gifts and abilities within a larger cohortofdiversepeers.Additionally,bycreatinga partnershipbetween our four-year-old NM PreK Program and our DD Program, we are able to restructure and open a second three-year-old class, thereby adding a greater number of students to this program as well.

The Mette Jordan Elementary staff are committed to this partnership and recognize that the mix can evoke a nurturing, creative, thriving environment inwhichALLofourstudentssucceedastheyevolvetoward their kindergarten selves. It is a great time to be a preschool student in Eunice, where even our youngest students start Cardinal Strong!

What’s in it for me?

Convenient, research-based professional development will soon be available to public school early childhood staff. The ECERS-3 online training is a valuable tool for educators as they work to provide high quality environments for all children. New Mexico PED FOCUS consultants are available to assist teachers in setting up their classroom. The consultants can provide ideas and resources for the teaching teams. When time permits, they can assist with the classroom set up.

Page 4

Page 5

Consultant Spotlight

The most transformative and resilient leaders that I’ve worked with over the

course of my career have three things in common: First, they recognize the central

role that relationships and story play in culture and strategy, and they stay curious about their

own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Second, they understand and stay curious about how

emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are connected in the people they lead, and how those factors

affect relationships and perception. And, third, they have the ability and willingness to lean in

to discomfort and vulnerability. — Brené Brown, Rising Strong

Page 6

References

Aboud,F.E.,&Hossain,K.(2011).Theimpactof preprimary school on primary school achievement in Bangladesh. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 237-246.

Biermer, M., (2015). Inspired by Reggio Emilia: Emergent Curriculuum in Relationship-Driven Learning Environments. Young Children, Vol. 70 NO. 5. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/ yc/node/324

Cryer, D., & Harms, T. (2014). Environment Rating Scales [Introduction and overview]. retrieved from http://www.ersi.info/scales

Curtis, D., Carter, M. (2003). Designs for Living and Learning, Redleaf Press. St. Paul, MN.

Peisner-Feinberg, E. S., Burchinal, M. R., Clifford, R. M., Culkin, M. L., Howes, C., Kagan, S. L.,. . . Zelazo, J. (1999). The children of the cost, quality and outcomes study go to school: Executive summary. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina.

Characteristics of Transformative Leaders

P E D F O C U S S t a f fTerri Tapia, Education & Development Manager 505.249.1133 TBTapia@salud.unm.edu Jody Alpers, Training & Development Consultantjodyalpers@yahoo.com

Sally Green, Training & Development ConsultantSAGreen@salud.unm.edu Vonell Huitt, Training & Development ConsultantVonell.huitt@vlhresources.com

Diane Leven, Training & Development Consultantdianelevennm@gmail.com

Emily Renfro, Training & Development Consultantemrenfro@salud.unm.edu

Martha Sanchez, Training & Development Consultantmsanchez.FOCUS@gmail.com

Kristy Jones, Program Coordinator505.269.7720 kristyjones@salud.unm.edu Kathy Bishop, Training & Development Consultantkathyabishop21@gmail.com

Suzanne Harper, Training & Development Consultantsuzanneharperfocus@gmail.com

Deborah Jackson, Training & Development Consultantdebjackson@salud.unm.edu

Barbara Maxwell, Training & Development Consultantbamaxwell@salud.unm.edu

Alex Ruiz, Training & Development ConsultantLARuiz@salud.unm.edu

Nancy Treat, Training & Development ConsultantJKTNRT@msn.com

For more information on the CDD PED FOCUSplease visit www.cdd.unm.edu/ecln/ped-focus