IEL news
-
Since 1998, more than 550 children across the U.S. have died from hyperthermia when left unattended in a vehicle. These tragedies affect mostly infants and toddlers, but children of all ages are vulnerable. There are simple reminders parents and care providers can use to lower the risk.
-
Have you ever wanted to install a butterfly garden, prairie plot, or schoolyard arboretum? Teachers in grades PreK to 12 are invited to apply for wildlife habitat grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for up to $1,000 per applicant. The deadline is November 30, 2013.
-
Playing with your children is both fun, and it also can encourage their learning. Play that engages their minds and encourages them to solve problems helps them develop their approaches to learning.
-
SIDS of Illinois provides support, education, and research to reduce infant mortality related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as well as bereavement support for those who have been touched by SIDS or any other infant death.
-
Praising effort instead of talent or intelligence matters even for our babies and toddlers, according to research by Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck.
-
Enjoy a lovely spring day with your child by going on a scavenger hunt. Make a list of things for her to find, such as a flower or a caterpillar. Use the names of colors as you talk about what she finds.
-
Making Policy, Making Progress is the focus of this year’s state report, which uses data to measure the educational, social, emotional, economic, and physical well-being of children in Illinois.
-
Looking at a book that has no words can give parents and children a chance to have a literacy-rich conversation. Enjoy the illustrations, then encourage your child to tell you the story he finds in them.
-
This site offers updates on a range of early childhood care and education issues such as a list of Early Childhood Construction Grant recipients and guidance on the latest draft of the new Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards.
-
Getting ready to write begins before kindergarten. You can encourage your child to learn to use crayons and pencils, to realize writing conveys information, and to begin expressing ideas through the pictures she draws.
-
Does your child enjoy playing with toy cars, trucks, spinning tops, or other things that roll or move? Encourage his critical thinking and science skills as you join his activities involving wheels.
-
Parents and teachers can find child safety fact sheets and educational tools related to asthma, chemical hazards, environmental tobacco smoke, indoor air quality, lead, mercury, mold, plastics, and more on this Web site from the Environmental Protection Agency.
-
Help young children learn about the wonders of the natural world and take home many resources to use with young children at a workshop in Champaign, Illinois, on April 13, 2013.
-
The Education Commission of the States has launched a new kindergarten database that provides state policy information as of December 2012, including whether a child must attend kindergarten, kindergarten entrance age, compulsory school age, kindergarten readiness assessments, kindergarten curriculum, kindergarten standards, teacher/student ratios, and more.
-
“Early Years Are Learning Years” is the theme for this year’s Week of the Young Child, an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
-
Learn how to plan engaging outdoor environments for young children in your program at an all-day workshop in Springfield, Illinois, on April 25, 2013. Also look for IEL’s science-related Tip Sheets, many of which include tips on outdoor education.
-
Constantly praising a child for intelligence or talent may not be helpful. Research indicates children are encouraged more when their efforts are noticed by parents.
-
Complete the child care licensing survey to help the Department of Children and Family Services evaluate its licensing program. The confidential survey is conducted by Illinois Action for Children and must be completed by March 31, 2013.
-
Back and forth conversations between parents and children are an important part of language development. The most effective use of media includes this interaction.
-
This new feature from the National Association for the Education of Young Children looks at everyday and unusual questions and concerns about young children, such as handling sleep time potty training, and transitioning to kindergarten.
-
Hunt for leprechauns using the play story “Going on a bear hunt.” You and your child can do this indoors or out, developing skills in listening and following directions while having fun together.
-
Parents or child care providers can use this free Car Seat Check app to find a car seat that is right for a child based on age, height, and weight. This app, for Apple and Android devices, includes a 2013 product guide as well as instructions on installing and using car seats safely.
-
Attend the Family Child Care Institute offered by the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership in Wheeling, Illinois. This two-part institute takes place on March 23 and May 18, 2013.
-
Is it a gusty, windy day? Talk with children about the wind. How can they tell if it’s windy outside from inside your room? Then go outside and experience it. Help the children show which way the wind is blowing and discover the different feel of running with the wind or against the wind.
-
The Fred Rogers Center’s Early Learning Environment is an online space geared toward parents, caregivers, and teachers of children from birth to age 5.
Return to the IEL RSS Feed page.