We want to thank you for joining us in celebrating the Week of the Young Child! This is a national event promoting the importance of high-quality early learning sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  This year the Maine Department of Education and the  Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services have teamed up to support early childhood educators across the state to join the celebration and promote the vital work they do every day in their child care programs and Pre-K through 3rd grade elementary school classrooms. This year’s goal is to help elevate the importance of high-quality early learning and care for the greater community through positive stories and photos showing high-quality practices and strategies to build positive relationships and a sense of community. We’re excited to share the positive impact Maine’s early educators are making with the children and families in your program or classroom!

Each day will focus on a theme related to whole child development and playful learning. As Fred Rogers wisely said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But, for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” When focusing on the whole student, ensuring the early childhood years are filled with opportunities for play fosters growth across all domains of development including creative arts.

For Music Monday, let’s focus on creative expression which allows a young child to engage in their own imagination. It offers them an opportunity to express themselves in ways that are unique to them and to form an appreciation for the unique expressions of others. Fostering creativity in young children allows them to explore, examine and reflect upon their own individual form of creative expression. Providing experiences such as music, movement, dance, dramatic play, and experimentation with a variety of art media, allows a child to explore the different dimensions of the creative arts. An early educator who promotes these experiences and builds upon these skills not only supports young children’s creative efforts but also reinforces language, understanding, and appreciation of the arts.

In addition to celebrating each theme throughout the week, we’ll also share statewide programs that support whole child development and playful learning:

• The Maine Department of Education offers free access to instructional programs for children in grades Pre-K through grade 1 which focus on whole child development and incorporate play-based experiences through daily, literacy rich lessons that build on developmentally appropriate practices and science-based concepts.
• Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network (MRTQ-PDN) offers Relationship Based Technical Assistance based on the standards in Maine’s Quality Rating and Improvement System: Rising Stars for ME and supports ECE professional’s desire to enhance the quality of care for young children, including whole child development and playful learning. Offerings include:
  • Consultation– Collaborative partnership between you and a District Coordinator that supports positive solutions, develops a plan with action steps to meet goals, and deepens professional learning.  This can be done through a phone/email, warm line, and/or virtual and on site consultation.
  • Peer-to-Peer Networks– Facilitated groups where you make connections with others and expand your professional learning and development.  Participant driven Community of practice (CoP) or a Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on a specific topic.  To learn more about the MRTQ PDN Technical Assistance team, explore these resources: District Coordinator Coverage Map and MRTQ PDN TA System
• Maine Early Childhood Outdoor Network is an inclusive statewide network made up of early childhood stakeholders that works to connect the Maine early childhood community to each other with resources to support outdoor and nature-based learning experiences that prioritize the full scope of children’s development.

Be on the lookout this week for winners of Maine’s Week of the Young Child Raffle brought to you by partnership between the Maine Department of Education, Maine Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Child and Family Services, Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network, Maine Association of Educating Young Children, and Family Child Care Association of Maine.