ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

It is a sad day when children with challenging behavior are considered a threat to our work. We need to learn the skills and develop the attitudes that enable us to support and respond effectively to children whose behavior tells us that their needs are not being met. We need to look at ourselves - our beliefs, teaching styles, and expectations. Children with challenging behavior can make us better teachers if we listen to what their behavior is telling us.
What we need to do is create a community where all children feel they belong; tell children what to do, not what NOT to do; provide opportunities for every child to succeed; focus on SEL; create opportunities for meaningful play and interaction; learn about culture (yours and the children's) and how it influences behavior; and take a deep breath, count to 6 and think about what we are going to say/do when responding to a child who is out of control.
THIS IS NOT A THREAT, IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BECOME BETTER TEACHERS AND FOR CHILDREN TO LEARN THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL!

WOW! Until today's artical I never saw public preschool as a threat to private daycare. I am not ignorant, of course there is competition all over but I also know that in New Jersey parents have a choice and are subsidized if they meet the criteria. More and more parents have begun to understand the need for quality early childhood education and demand to see the curriculum for the children at all ages. As a public school administrator I found myself telling parents and my friends that I supervise a preschool, not daycare. Most non educators see them as the same. With times changing as they have and will continue to change in education we may need to be specific when we discuss both. Preschool is not daycare. I couldn't compete with daycare because the state of NJ had a curriculum with documentation of registration, set hours, class sizes, staff to student ratio, medical records and so on. I have recently retired from public school and can quickly tell the difference whenever the conversation about early childhood comes up if we are talking about preschool or daycare. I still consider myself an educator and will always advocate early childhood education, in the public and private sectors. I also advocate for quality daycare.