Day: May 3, 2018

Program-wide service-learning can bring together all of the children and families in the accomplishment of one collective goal.  Here are a few ideas:

• Hold a food drive for a food bank
• Organize a clothing or toy drive
• Donate pet supplies
• Donate toys and games to shelters
• Collect sports equipment for community centers
• Donate used books or magazines to a community health clinic

It is important to be aware of the needs of the families enrolled in your program.  Some may not have the financial ability to purchase items to donate. Service-learning projects organized around winter holidays may add financial stress to some families in your program.

It may be more realistic for families to donate gently used clothing or toys, advertise the project on social media, or volunteer to help organize and drop off the collected items.  When planning your service-learning project, compose a letter to families listing several different options for participation.

The introduction letter can also describe the purpose of the service-learning  project as well as some of the learning outcomes that will be highlighted during the project.   Invite parent feedback about the types of service-learning opportunities the program provides, including the frequency.

Throughout the project, provide families with images of children participating in elements of the project.  Suggest open ended questions that families can use to start conversations with children about what they are learning during the project.

Many additional ideas for involving families in service-learning are available here.

CLICK HERE to read the main article about Service-Learning

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Infant-Toddler

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Preschool

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for School-Age

• Hold a fundraiser to benefit a community or family who has experienced disaster – children can create art, make jewelry, or bake treats and sell them to raise money for a community or family in need.
• Carwash to raise money for a cause – encourage the children to plan and market a carwash to raise money for a worthy cause of their choice.
• Create a recycling program – children can create a recycling program and market it to the other families in the program or within the larger community.
• Plant trees – collaborate with local parks or recreation centers to plant trees in these locations or on the grounds of the program.
• Pen pal with schools from other countries – create a pen pal program where children can write letters or communicate through the internet; if possible, organize a clothing or school supplies donation drive and send the items to the pen pals.
• Put on a show – encourage children to plan and perform in a talent show or play to entertain the other children in the program, residents of a retirement community, or other community audience.

CLICK HERE to read the main article about Service-Learning

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Infant-Toddler

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Preschool

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Director’s Corner

• Partner with a local retirement community – together children and residents can read, garden, play games, sing, and laugh.
• Clean up a local park – with adult supervision and precautions such as gloves, children can participate in a park clean-up event.
• Support the Troops – send letters and care packages to members of the armed forces, especially if a family member from the program has been deployed.
• Create care packages for children in local hospitals – create encouragement messages and get-well cards for children or adults in a local hospital.
• Grow a garden and donate harvest to food bank – children can plant a vegetable garden in the spring and share the harvest with a local food bank or homeless shelter.

CLICK HERE to read the main article about Service-Learning

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Infant-Toddler

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for School-Age

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Director’s Corner

It may be challenging to think of ways to connect infants and toddlers with the larger community in developmentally appropriate ways.

• Community Art Drop – paint rocks and leave them in community spaces to brighten another’s day. You could also have children decorate small canvases and pass them out to people you encounter on walks in the community.
• Art for hospitals – allow the children to create a mural or paintings that can be donated to a local children’s hospital.
• Recognize community helpers – create thank you cards or treats for local police, fire fighters, mail carriers, etc.

Be sure to read the Director’s Corner to see a list of program-wide service-learning projects that can include the youngest learners and their families.

CLICK HERE to read the main article about Service-Learning

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Preschool

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for School-Age

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Director’s Corner

Connecting children to the larger community is a beneficial practice for the children as well as for the community.  Service-learning is an excellent way to build empathy, build relationships with families, and reinforce many cognitive, language, social/emotional, and physical skills.

According to Vanderbilt University’s Janet S. Eyler and Dwight E. Giles, Jr., service-learning is:

“a form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection as students. . . seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding and skills for themselves. In the process, students link personal and social development with academic and cognitive development. . . experience enhances understanding; understanding leads to more effective action.”

The National Youth Leadership Counsel has developed learning standards related to service-learning that help guide the development of meaningful and appropriate service-learning projects.  The standards are geared for K-12, however there are many parallels that apply to early learning environments as well.  Keep these ideas in mind as you plan projects for children in your care:

Meaningful Service
Service-learning actively engages participants in meaningful and personally relevant service activities.

Link to Curriculum
Service-learning is intentionally used as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards.

Reflection
Service-learning incorporates multiple challenging reflection activities that are ongoing and that prompt deep thinking and analysis about oneself and one’s relationship to society.

Diversity
Service-learning promotes understanding of diversity and mutual respect among all participants.

Youth Voice
Service-learning provides youth with a strong voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating service-learning experiences with guidance from adults.

Partnerships
Service-learning partnerships are collaborative, mutually beneficial, and address community needs.

Progress Monitoring
Service-learning engages participants in an ongoing process to assess the quality of implementation and progress toward meeting specified goals, and uses results for improvement and sustainability.

Duration and Intensity
Service-learning has sufficient duration and intensity to address community needs and meet specified outcomes.

From K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice https://nylc.org/standards/ 

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Infant-Toddler

CLICK HERE for service -learning project ideas for Preschool

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for School-Age

CLICK HERE for service-learning project ideas for Director’s Corner