Early Childhood Excellence

10/31/2025

Public Service Announcement!

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled mattresses and contact Modera for a full refund. Consumers go to https://moderababy.com/recall to register for the recall and receive instructions on how to dispose of the recalled mattress

10/31/2025

Public Service Announcement!

Consumers should immediately stop using the high chairs and contact Harppa for a replacement high chair. Consumers should email [email protected] and provide the order number, order date, or photo of the tracking label located on the seatback. Upon verification of the recalled product, Harppa wi...

01/30/2025

08/09/2024

I'll be attending the amazing NMCCEA 2024 Annual Conference - Reset. Recharge. Let me know if you're planning to attend so that we can say Hi! 👋
Or register now and join me at the event! https://whova.com/portal/registration/tonl_202409/?preview_image=1&referral=social_post_registration

via event app

2024-09-13, Albuquerque, NM

04/14/2023

Do your classrooms need calm?
Do your teachers need a way to help children self-regulate?
Do your teachers need a way to calm and self-regulate?!
Let's face it - we all do at some time or another.

Integrating yoga into your early childhood classrooms can create positive and supportive learning environments that promotes physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being for both adults and children. The benefits are many.

Before circle time, before meal time, before naptime...it's always a good time!
Why isn't everyone doing this? 😀

04/08/2023

Early Childhood Professionals are some of the hardest working people I know...also the most tired!!

Working with young children can really take it out of you!

After Easter, the remainder of the school year seems to pick up speed and we are busy with end-of-year activities, graduations, recitals, championships, etcetera...in our centers, our families, and our communities. It's a fun time, but an exhausting time.

During all the hustling, be sure to take some time for yourself - even if you just steal away a few minutes to be still and quiet. You will be amazed at what 10 minutes of quiet can do for your brain!

What's your favorite self-care activity?

04/07/2023

Research continues to prove the benefits of involving families in our early childhood programs:
*Improved learning outcomes
*Better communication
*Stronger community connections
*Enhanced parenting skills
just to name a few.

There's really no losing here!

How does your program involve families?

04/06/2023

Art with young children can be a messy proposition for sure! But what joy children have when they are given access to art materials without a final product to copy. Of course, I'm talking about process art!

Benefits to process art:
*Allows children to explore and experiment with different materials, colors, textures, and technique.
*Allows children to express themselves freely through their artwork.
*Takes away the fear and shame a child might have when they can't get their art project to look like the teacher's.
*When placed on public display, it is more difficult for parents to compare children's artwork when they aren't all aiming for the same finished product.

What art materials do children in your classrooms have available to them? Aim for a variety of paints, papers, writing materials, collage materials, and tools. Don't forget 3D materials such as modeling clay, recyclable materials, and found objects.

04/05/2023

Collaboration is a powerful tool.
Owner to Owner
Director to Director
Teacher to Teacher
Child to Child

Sharing of ideas, finding solutions, providing peer support...

How do you work together?
Do you allow time for yourself and/or your leadership teams to collaborate?
Do you allow time for your staff to collaborate with each other?
Do your staff encourage children to collaborate with each other on classroom activities?

How are you collaborating on this Work Together Wednesday?

04/04/2023

Bread is a universal food! What is your favorite bread? Can you even narrow it down to a single one?!

Studying bread is a wonderful way to give young children a 'taste' of other cultures. 😉
With all the various shapes, sizes, grains, textures, flavors, and purposes, the learning possibilities are endless!

Do you have plans for Tasty Tuesday?

04/03/2023

Children are built to move and groove!

Music provides so many opportunities to expose children to cultures all over the world.

How much access to music and movement does your program provide young children?
Are children allowed to access music without a teacher's permission? (not to be mistaken for a teacher's help.)

04/02/2023

Happy International Children's Book Day!
I love me some children's books! 😁

Whether it's a classic like "Where the Wild Things Are" or a new release like "Watercress," children's books have the ability to captivate us at any age.

Far beyond exercising your reading muscle, books can teach us important lessons, transport us to faraway lands, help us temporarily escape the here and now, and put our imaginations into overdrive.

Today is a great day to appreciate the authors and illustrators who bring stories to life, encouraging children everywhere to pick up a book and discover the magic of reading.