Latest Blog & News
How can I host a safe, engaging freeze-dance party in my daycare?
07/15/2026A freeze-dance party is a low-preparation, high-impact way to bring joy, #music, and intentional #movement into your child care program. By combining active dancing with clear stop-and-start cues, children can strengthen gross motor skills, balance, coordination, listening, self-control, and group p... How can I host a safe, engaging freeze-dance party in my daycare?
Intergenerational Activities for Kids: Learning Across Generations
05/29/2026Intergenerational activities bring young children and older adults together to share stories, play, and learn. These moments help kids grow their social skills, language, and kindness. They also give older adults a chance to teach and feel useful. Below you will find easy steps, ideas, and safety ti... Intergenerational Activities for Kids: Learning Across Generations
How Can You Celebrate Black Culture and Music Effectively in Your Program?
07/15/2026Celebrating Black culture and music in early childhood and school-age programs is both an important responsibility and a meaningful educational practice. When approached thoughtfully and respectfully, these experiences can affirm children’s identities, build empathy, expand cultural understand... How Can You Celebrate Black Culture and Music Effectively in Your Program?
Children and the Arts
12/23/2021How do the arts support learning and development in young children? Arts participation in early childhood typically includes music, movement, drama, and visual arts. These modalities engage perception, motor planning, symbolic play, and communication systems that are core to early learnin... Children and the Arts
How can we build strong vocabulary through everyday conversations in child care?
07/17/2026Everyday moments — arrival, snack, play, and clean-up — are rich opportunities to build children’s word knowledge and confidence. Short, warm exchanges add up: they give children context for new words, repeated practice hearing and using them, and a safe place to try language. Pr... How can we build strong vocabulary through everyday conversations in child care?
How can child care providers build early literacy skills through play?
07/22/2026Play is one of the most efficient, developmentally appropriate ways to strengthen emergent #literacy skills in early childhood settings. Want practical, classroom-ready strategies that boost vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and a love of books? Start with ChildCareEd’s sel... How can child care providers build early literacy skills through play?
Understanding Print Knowledge in Preschool
12/28/2021Early deficits in print knowledge predict downstream difficulties with decoding, spelling, and reading comprehension; preschool educators must therefore prioritize explicit instruction to close the 30‑million‑word gap. Enroll in practical trainings such as Reading Aloud and Storytelling and Cl... Understanding Print Knowledge in Preschool
Art and Emotions: Helping Young Children Express Their Feelings
12/27/2021When young children cannot explain their feelings with words, art can offer another way to communicate. Painting, drawing, sculpting, and working with sensory materials allow children to explore emotions, make choices, build confidence, and strengthen fine-motor skills. Although classroom ar... Art and Emotions: Helping Young Children Express Their Feelings
How can New York child care providers use art and creativity to help young children learn?
06/08/2026Art and creativity help children learn language, muscles, feelings, and thinking. This guide is for New York child care providers and directors. You will find clear steps for hands-on art, safe setups, ways to show learning, and ideas to include families and staff. The five most important words in... How can New York child care providers use art and creativity to help young children learn?
Do Toys Come Alive: How Can Pretend Play Spark Creativity in Your Daycare?
07/15/2026Toys do not need batteries or special effects to “come alive.” When educators arrange inviting spaces, provide open-ended materials, and encourage imagination, toddlers and preschoolers naturally give objects personalities, create stories, assign roles, and transform ordinary items into ... Do Toys Come Alive: How Can Pretend Play Spark Creativity in Your Daycare?
