Preschool implements nutritional program for fighting childhood obesity

Although the nation has long been aware of its childhood obesity problem, not every school is taking action. Children of America, an educational child care center with 570 schools in 12 states across the country, however, is going beyond standard childcare. The academy has been implementing its Mind and Body Matters Program since last September, providing classes to children from six weeks to 12 years old.

Buds and Blossoms educator recognized with award

Ida Koo, co-director of AACA’s early education center Buds and Blossoms, was recognized by the Boston Alliance for Early Education and Boston Association for Education of Young Children.

Preschool Corner: Learning to understand young children

Buds & Blossoms Early Education and Care Center staff recently attended a professional development training in Waltham called “Making A Difference for Children.”
The training was presented by the Applebaum Training Institute.

Babies Need Books

Summertime has always been a time for catching up with reading. We read at the beach and sitting in the sun in our backyard or on the fire escape; we read on trains and planes on our vacation travels; and children have reading assignments over the summer holiday from school. Summer can be a wonderful time to introduce your very young child to the joy of reading. Reading to young children, starting with infants just a few weeks old, can have a significant impact on future learning. Reading can be a time of closeness between adult and child, building trust, comfort, and long-term good memories.

To Praise or Not to Praise?

It is very common these days to hear parents saying, “Good job!” to their young children for everything from putting their hats on, to eating their dinner, to cleaning up their toys. Not all observers of behavior find this useful. Alfie Kohn, who has studied motivation and punishment in schools and in the corporate world, has found that praise of this sort often backfires, creating children (and in comparable situations, adults) who are afraid to try things they think they may fail at. Praise, it turns out, may do more harm than good.

Early Years are Learning Years®

This April 22–28 the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world’s largest early childhood education association, celebrates The Week of the Young Child™ with the theme: Early Years are Learning Years®.

Why do we need a whole week, every year, to call attention to the needs of young children?