January, 2015
[From: New York State Association for the Education of Young Children (NYSAEYC) and New York State Head Start Collaboration (NYSHSC)]
Dear School Administrators and Teachers:
We are pleased to present five briefs that provide research-based practical guidance to support effective early childhood practices that help young learners gain the foundational skills necessary to reach the Common Core Learning Standards. New York State Association for the Education of Young Children and the New York State Head Start Collaboration Office teamed up to highlight key features of high quality early childhood teaching for children from Prekindergarten through 3rd grade: the period of time when children acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards learning that will impact their long-term success in school and beyond. The guidance briefs aim to support administrators and teachers in making decisions that will lead to higher quality early childhood classrooms with positive outcomes for children. These briefs include material from interviews with school principals and teachers and have been vetted by the field. They will be mailed to every district and community based organization providing prekindergarten. We encourage you to share them with the school board, Parent Teacher Organizations and others.
With the statewide expansion of Prekindergarten, the need for more continuity in teaching practices and the current emphasis on vertical alignment of the grades make these publications timely.
The first five briefs cover the following topics for Prekindergarten through 3rd grade classrooms:
If you have feedback on these briefs, ideas for further topics, or would like to order more
copies, please email Patty Persell at
patricia.persell@ccf.ny.gov with your address, the brief
name and the number of copies you would like. The briefs are also available for download
on the NYS ECAC website
www.nysecac.org.