Big Ideas of Early Math Teacher Inservice Training

CCDC is piloting Erikson Institute's Big Ideas of Early Math, implementing what teachers of young children need to know to provide quality math education to preschoolers.  At our March Inservice, teachers sorted, grouped and counted their way to  better understand the math experiences of their students.  More than rote counting, recognizing sets and attributes are hands-on experiences and vocabulary that form a strong foundation and love of math.

CCDC was delighted to have Lisa Ginet from the Early Math Collaborative at Erikson Institute observe our inservice, and reinforce best practices in the classroom.  Professor Ginet's visit to CCDC is part of Erikson's commitment to train facilitators.  Susan Fahey, Director, and Melissa Delossantos, Curriculum Coordinator, attended the week long Early Math Institute (MEME) last summer, which was attended by hundreds of early childhood professionals from the USA and abroad.  We're excited at CCDC to incorporate the Big Ideas of Early Math in our curriculum.

Hearts for Haiti ❤️

Wow!  We feel proud of the CCDC families that brought in supplies for the people in Haiti. The children were overheard saying that we were “making bags for the poor children after the earthquake shook their house”.  Helping and showing empathy towards others is one of the lessons that we want children to learn and practice.

Thanks to all our families for participating in our center wide project!  Our school nurse, Sue Walsh, was overwhelmed with your generosity.  Our “Health Care Packs” will be  distributed this month to the children of Haiti. 

Each classroom was asked to collect either cloth diapers or sulfur soap.  After the collection was over, the children in the Pre-K classrooms helped sort, count and with the help of their afterschool friends, tallied the diapers and soap.   The children were surprised about the number of soaps that were collected and stacked them like tall towers after we counted them.  We collected 103 bars of sulfur soap. 

Some of the children were confused by the look of the cloth diapers because they are a little different than Pampers.  The children worked hard to make diaper packages by folding them in thirds and rolling them around the plastic pants.  Each package was held by two safety pins, which was completed by a teacher and ready for a plastic bag.   We collected 89 packages of cloth diapers. 

A Visit with the Dentist

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Silvers and his assistant, Jackie, from the Cosmetic & Implant Dental Center in Lincolnwood visited our preschoolers to demonstrate proper teeth brushing and good oral health habits.  Their animated alligator puppet show delighted the children and the goodie bags afterwards were a bit hit, too.  We appreciate Dr. Silvers sharing the work of the dentist during our study of Community Helpers. 

NWHS Ask an Expert Day

Niles West High School hosted Ask the Expert Day providing students with the opportunity to discuss careers with employees working in a variety of fields.  CCDC Director, Susan Fahey, was invited to share information on Gateway Scholarships and career opportunities in early childhood education.  Many of the seniors have visited CCDC with their teacher, Mrs. Kline, earlier this school year and have completed the ECE Level 1 credential.  CCDC is proud to participate in the Annual Ask an Expert Day and appreciates our community partnership with our area high schools.