Day: August 29, 2018

ChildCare Education Institute Offers No-Cost Online Course on The Value of Mindfulness in Early Childhood Settings

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ChildCare Education Institute® (CCEI), an online child care training provider dedicated exclusively to the early care and education workforce, offers SOC106: The Value of Mindfulness in Early Childhood Settings as a no-cost trial course to new CCEI users September 1-30, 2018.

The concept of mindfulness is getting a lot of attention in popular culture these days, often accompanied by images of peaceful people sitting quietly in a serene setting. That’s not exactly the picture that comes to mind when visualizing an early learning environment. So, the question is, can elements of mindfulness be brought into the daily routine, and can it have a positive impact in a child care setting? This course answers those questions and provides strategies early childhood education providers can begin to use right away.

Teachers have reported wonderful results from mindfulness practices in programs serving children as young as 2 and 3 years old. Children work better together and establish a classroom community. This sense of community causes a major reduction in the stress level of the entire group.  Mindfulness practices can prevent instances of undesired behavior, increase focus and engagement, and promote a feeling of ownership and empowerment for the children. As an additional benefit, classroom communities tend to be more empathetic and kind classrooms.

This course provides participants with an understanding of their role in supporting mindfulness practices in the early childhood environment. The course explores the need for these calming and reflective approaches when working with young children. Participants will discover ways to plan for mindfulness throughout each day and arrange the early childhood classroom to support this approach.

“The content of this course benefits all childcare providers and parents,” says Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO of CCEI.  “Participants of this course will gain a wealth of new activity ideas that they can immediately implement in the classroom to teach children valuable social emotional skills.”

SOC106: The Value of Mindfulness in Early Childhood Settings is a two-hour, beginner-level course and grants 0.2 IACET CEU upon successful completion. Current CCEI users with active, unlimited annual subscriptions can register for professional development courses at no additional cost when logged in to their CCEI account. Users without subscriptions can purchase child care training courses as block hours through CCEI online enrollment.

For more information, visit www.cceionline.edu or call 1.800.499.9907, prompt 3, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST

ChildCare Education Institute, LLC

ChildCare Education Institute®, a division of Excelligence Learning Corporation, provides high-quality, distance education certificates and child care training programs in an array of child care settings, including preschool centers, family child care, prekindergarten classrooms, nanny care, online daycare training and more. Over 150 English and Spanish child care training courses are available online to meet licensing, recognition program, and Head Start Requirements. CCEI also has online certification programs that provide the coursework requirement for national credentials including the CDA, Director and Early Childhood Credentials.  CCEI, a Council for Professional Recognition CDA Gold Standard™ training provider, is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and is accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).

Setting Intentions for Success

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Professional Development Courses

Have you ever set an intention for yourself?

If you have ever determined that a particular day, situation, or person required you to act or respond in a specific way, you have set an intention for yourself.  Essentially, an intention is a decision to show up for life in a particular manner. Intentions are about who you want to be rather than what you want to get.  In this way, they don’t necessarily focus on a specific outcome or tangible result.

Common examples of intentions include, “Today, I will have a positive attitude,” “I choose to be courageous in my communication today,” or “During this meeting, I will share my thoughts freely.”  Intentions can also be a short phrase or a single word, such as, “Patience,” “Embrace change,” or “Smile.”

Setting an intention does not need to be as formal as goal setting though, and typically intentions are focused on short-term time frames.  In fact, experts recommend that we set intentions for each day as a way to create a frame of mind that matches what is present in our lives.  However, if you do have a long term goal in mind, setting daily intentions can help you reach your goal.

Setting intentions can benefit early childhood educators, because each day presents a unique set of challenges and situations to manage. Here are a few suggestions for incorporating intention setting into your practice:

Start the day with an intention – as you move through your morning routine, think about what you have planned for the day and what you want to accomplish. Then reflect on which character traits or ways of being you would need to bring to the table to be successful throughout the day.  For example, if you have a conference with a family, you might create the intention of “Be open-minded.”  If there is a field trip planned, you might create the intention of “Today, I will share all of my energy and excitement with the children.”

Keep intentions positive – Just like classroom rules for children, intentions should focus on what you will do and how you will act.   Rather than saying, “Today, I will stop getting frustrated,” create the intention of “Today, I will remain calm.”

Write it down – Each day, jot your intention down as a way to make it more permanent.  You could find a set of sticky notes that is appealing to you and use them to document your intentions.  You might post the sticky note in a place where you will see it throughout the day, or fold it up and place it in your pocket as a reminder of your intention.

Share your intention – If you are comfortable and it is appropriate to do so, share your intention with a friend, coworkers, or even the children.  Explain that you are sharing this intention so they can kindly remind you about your intention throughout the day, especially if they see that you are not embodying your intention.  This is a great way to stay accountable to the intentions that you set.

Setting intentions with children– Introduce intention setting to children, using simple language and common scenarios.  Talk with children about the scenarios and then brainstorm a list of words or phrases that children can use in their intentions, such as:

  • Stay calm
  • Try again and again
  • Do all you can
  • Be nice
  • Be a good friend
  • Work together

At the beginning of the day or when children enter into play situations, ask them to think of an intention for their day or play.  Remind them of their intentions throughout the day in a gentle and kind way, so that they can make adjustments to how they are acting to match their intention.