January 2015
The Joy of Learning…….
CARMELO VOICES
Newsletter of the Carmel Child Development Center
Dear Parents,
The CPO has been very supportive and active this year. Please join
2014/2015, Issue 5
Calendar of Events
for January
CCDC
CLOSED FOR
WINTER
BREAK
1/1 –
1/4
Fire Drill
1/8
11:00
CPO Meeting
1/14
5:30
MLK Holiday
CCDC
CLOSED
1/19
TUITION DUE
1/23
2015/16 School
Year Planning
Survey coming
soon
RETURN BY
2/12
them at the monthly CPO meetings. Childcare is provided as well as
dinner for you and your children. It is a wonderful way to be more
engaged in your child’s school community. You will develop friendships
with families your child will play with for many years to come.
Now that the New Year has begun the office staff will begin
planning for the new 2015-16 school year which will begin in August.
You will soon be receiving a parent survey asking for your plans for next
year. You will also receive a parent survey asking for your feedback
about your family’s experience at Carmelo this year so far. Please take a
minute to fill these out and return them promptly. The information is very
important to us.
In this month’s newsletter the teachers will be writing about
language and literacy in the classrooms. The development of oral
language is one of the most impressive accomplishments that occur
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
Planning
Survey
during the first five years of children’s lives. Research indicates that
Parent Survey
social factors have a prominent role on oral language development, and is
February
Break
directly related to interaction with parents and other caretakers. At
CPO’S
SPRING
FLING
EVENT
Carmelo we fully realize how important this interaction is between our
teaching staff and every student. We provide language support during
informal conversations, teacher-guided activities and play. I hope you
enjoy the articles about your child and the way they develop language.
Best Regards,
Laura Dunn
Carmelo Voices
2/16 –
2/20
2015/16 School
Year
Registration
Begins end of
March
CCDC Open
House
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April
Language and Literacy for infants and toddlers
While language and literacy are important in all of the children’s classrooms, we find this to be
the main component in our curriculum for infants and toddlers. At this very young age all of our little
friends are just learning how to communicate. While some may be more advanced than others,
eventually they all catch up with one another and learn the true importance of language,
communication, and conversations. We strive to teach the children how to express themselves, their
needs, and their wants by focusing on always holding meaningful conversations. We are consistent in
answering their many questions (big and small) always using descriptive words to teach a wider range of
vocabulary. We are reading a wide variety of books to the children teaching them to enjoy and learn to
understand all different literature.
It is so important for a young child to have an adult who is supportive and available during this time of
development. As adults in these scenarios, we can surely help expand a child’s communication skills by
always being involved in their attempts to communicate. Whether that be by teaching them a new
word (saying what they are pointing at), correcting a word (repeating what they said), or expanding a
word into a sentence (turning a one or two word phrase into a 3 or 4 word sentence). Here are some
examples of the ways we help the children gain, maintain, and develop their language and literacy in the
Infant and Toddler program.
Holding Meaningful Conversations (Big and small)
Dramatic play opens up many opportunities
for conversations, big and small.
Chrissy can now say “Yum I like pretzels!
Who likes pretzels?”
By asking a question she is starting a
conversation with and between the
children. She can now expand on this topic.
Carmelo Voices
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Answering Questions Big and Small
By acknowledging and answering children’s questions, both big and small we are helping
children learn how to communicate properly and the meanings to, what, why, when and
who!
Using descriptive words and phrases
“You’re sitting on a Little Yellow
ball!”
“Can you find the BIG yellow
ball?”
This child pushes his play dough and says
“PUSH!” The teacher then repeated what he has
said, but added more descriptive words to his
phrase “Yes…PUSH! Push play dough!”
Carmelo Voices
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Reading a wide variety of books
Making reading books a fun experience for the children is something that we focus on in these
classrooms, we do this by reading long stories, using puppets for show, short stories the children can
remember and tell, word books, and sing along books. The children love story time!
“Children are made
readers on the laps of
their parents”
Emilie Buchwald
Carmelo Voices
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Language and Literacy on the Older Wing
In Rooms 1 and 2
It is amazing how many relationships in the early childhood
classroom begin with a book. At Carmelo we are constantly working
on an environment and culture that supports and
encourages the love of literature that children come to us with.
Relevant and exciting books can be found in every little nook
and cranny of this beautiful school. Time for reading, songs, and
conversation are embedded in our schedules and routines. We use
books to foster curiosity, tolerance, and joy.
In Room 2 our friend "Bradley Bear" has been visiting each
child's house...and bringing a
classroom book with him. It has been inspiring and quite interesting to see
each child explore the library as they choose the book that will come home
with Bradley. The next day the child comes back with a written journal entry
about their time with Bradley. We read the journal entry as a class at snack
time.
The exchange of books
and writing is deepening the
relationships in Room 2.
Children are gaining an understanding of how
print caries meaning and that their stories
matter at school. And the value we place on
literature is hopefully becoming a lasting part
of these children's lives.
“There is no substitute
for books
in the life of a child”
May Ellen Chase
Carmelo Voices
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Language and Literacy on the Older Wing
Children of preschool age realize that we use language in our everyday lives
to describe how and why things happen. They hear that language refers to
imaginary events, such as the stories we read to them every day, inspiring word
connection to the visualizations
that words create. Language is
also our way of describing past,
present, and future events. A
child’s understanding becomes
more complex through our daily
activities, direction and through
literature. Vocabulary and
conversation develop through
conversations, songs and
stories. Their thoughts and
words emerge as we raise
questions during a story. Our
words are powerful. The more we read and talk to our children, the greater their
chances for success in
life and developing a
love for literature.
There is no
literature, however,
without the powerful,
beautiful, funny and
sometimes even scary
images and pictures
that words create in
our minds. Words can
create art in the
visualizations and
illustrations. They
create a child’s first view into a book.
“Let us read and let us dance—two amusements that
will never do any harm to the world”
Voltaire
Carmelo Voices
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Letters consist of a combination of geometric shapes. First children
may draw a triangle before transitioning into making the letter “A”. For example,
in room 6 we began by helping children to see and draw circles, rectangles and
squares. The books of Raggedy Ann Stories
opened up looking for shapes along with the
imagination of the story with images and words.
Teachers often use white boards along with the
children to practice drawing and writing. As we
read books we ask questions like, “What shapes
do you see in Raggedy Ann’s face?” “What is
the biggest shape?” “Let’s draw her face
together”.
Along with the imagination of the story itself come the images and words.
Early literacy begins with scribbles,
shapes, and Raggedy Ann’s face.
Children begin to love and understand
books, while enjoying a sense of
accomplishment, pride and joy at the
success of beginning writing and their
first portrait!
The world of language and literature is
full of everything from A to Z. We use
tactile “touch” letter cards to feel the
way each letter is formed. We write
letters, forming pretend and real
words. We also work in individual
journals several times a week. Many
children in the older wing can now
spell and write their names. We are
on our way from A to Z!
Carmelo Voices
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