Leading Early Education in the 21st Century

“A person's a person, no matter how small.”   — Dr. Seuss “Adults are just outdated children.”   — Dr. Seuss These two quotes connected to me in many ways. I am an Education Coordinator in an agency of 21 preschools. Many times, when coaching directors and aiding in behavior understanding and management, I remind teachers that a child is dealing with an adult emotion and processing it through a mental/emotional understanding of a 3 - 5 year old. I even recall a time when a director told me that they  didn't ’  understand why a child would continue acting a certain way knowing they were wrong. I turn and ask them you ever continue to do something or continue to be upset knowing you were wrong? I would always get a look of realization in their eyes. So, no matter how small a child is they are people just like you and me, simply dealing with similar situation through their mental  capability and understanding.

I feel it is key to assess students’ milestones in development. Mainly focusing on whether they reached major developmental stages and should be near or approaching where they should be at their age. Assessment in Fine Motor, Communication, Language Development, Gross Motor, and Social Emotional Development can be a great way to view the child’s development holistically. I personally feel that The Ages and Stages Questionnaires developed by Diane Bricker and Jane Squires is a great assessment to use.  Website: http://agesandstages.com/ “The Ages and Stages Questionnaires are parent-completed development and social-emotional screeners for young children. Easy, reliable, and cost-effective, these screeners help determine if there are delays in key areas of a child's development. THe ASQ-3 is a developmental screener that evaluates communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social development. It can be used for inf...