CASEY COUNTY PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS RECEIVE HIGHEST STATE RATING

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Community Based Services, Division of Child Care and the Kentucky Department of Education have certified that all 4 of the Preschool Classrooms in the Casey County School System are rated the highest rating of LEVEL 5 in the KENTUCKY ALL STAR PROGRAM as measured by the Kentucky ALL STARS Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System.

Kentucky All STARS is Kentucky’s expanded five-star quality rating and improvement system serving all early care and education programs that receive public funding. The unified system is based on Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards and research-based indicators of quality.

Kentucky All STARS recognizes programs that have made a commitment to continuous quality improvement and provides programs with additional support including training, technical assistance and coaching. 

Dialogic Reading: An Effective Way to Read to a Preschooler

What is dialogic reading?

Click HERE to view a video sample of dialogic reading from the Casey County Early Childhood Council

How we read to preschoolers is as important as how frequently we read to them.

When most adults share a book with a preschooler, they read and the child listens. In dialogic reading, the adult helps the child become the teller of the story. The adult becomes the listener, the questioner, the audience for the child. No one can learn to play the piano just by listening to someone else play. Likewise, no one can learn to read just by listening to someone else read. Children learn most from books when they are actively involved.

The fundamental reading technique in dialogic reading is the PEER sequence. This is a short interaction between a child and the adult. The adult:

• Prompts the child to say something about the book,
• Evaluates the child's response,
• Expands the child's response by rephrasing and adding information to it, and
• Repeats the prompt to make sure the child has learned from the expansion.

Imagine that the parent and the child are looking at the page of a book that has a picture of a fire engine on it. The parent says, "What is this?" (the prompt) while pointing to the fire truck. The child says, truck, and the parent follows with "That's right (the evaluation); it's a red fire truck (the expansion); can you say fire truck?" (the repetition).

Except for the first reading of a book to children, PEER sequences should occur on nearly every page. Sometimes you can read the written words on the page and then prompt the child to say something. For many books, you should do less and less reading of the written words in the book each time you read it. Leave more to the child.

Click HERE to view a video sample of dialogic reading.

YOUR BABY'S GROWING BRAIN!!

Did you know that your child’s brain is growing and learning at a speed it will never again experience during this time? In fact, the human brain begins forming very early in its mother’s womb, just three weeks after conception. By the age of three, a baby’s brain has reached almost 90 percent of its adult size!  CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Sleep: an essential part of your child’s health and growth.

We often focus on what activities you can do with your children during the day to improve development, but what happens during the night plays a big role in your child’s ability to focus and learn as well. CLICK HERE

SUMMER SAFETY!!!!!

There are many summer activities, so there are many areas of safety to consider. We will only cover a short list here, but think about researching online or talking with professionals before you and your family try a new activity. 

CLICK HERE!!

While there will be many opportunities for fun in the sun, there are also many activities can you do with your children to help them continue learning.

CLICK HERE!!

Families and caregivers often help children with their ABC’s and 123s to prepare for kindergarten, but making sure their children have a healthy body is just as important. Healthy eating can stabilize children’s energy, sharpen their minds, and even out their moods.

By encouraging healthy eating habits now, families can make a huge impact on their children’s lifelong relationship with food and give them the best opportunity to grow into healthy adults. You can make sure your children’s diet is nutritious and wholesome, even while allowing for some of their favorite treats.   Learn More by Clicking Here 

Dental disease is the most common chronic disease of early childhood. Cavities and decay in baby teeth can also spread to permanent teeth, causing painful and costly damage. But you can prevent this! Regular preventive care and a healthy diet can help prevent decay. Remember to schedule your child for an oral health screening by his or her first birthday. Learn More by Clicking Here

All families celebrate the holidays differently, but they are usually full of family, friends and traditions. Parents usually dedicate a lot of time preparing food or picking out gifts, but there are many activities you can do with your children that will help them learn and grow throughout the season.

Take advantage of your time off from work and your children’s time off from school to interact and work on new skills. It’s a good idea to remind yourself about what behavior is normal and predictable from your young children and what kind of activities are appropriate for different age-groups. Here are a few ideas to help you get started!  Click Here

Building a Strong Foundation

for School Success

The Kentucky Early Childhood Standards: This guide was created based on the Kentucky Early Childhood Core Content Standards. It provides information about the standards, what the standards mean and ways you can help your child develop important skills. Highlighted in this guide is "Approaches to Learning."

You are important! Whether you are a parent, guardian or caregiver, your child needs your help and support to be successful. This "Parent Guide" was designed to support you and your child’s success.

Parent Guide: Birth to Three

Parent Guide: Three and Four Year Old

Strengthening Families Series: Coping with Stress

All families experience stress. Learn how to manage the effects of stress to create stronger families.  Click HERE 

 Incorporating science activities into daily routines

 As supporters of early childhood, we believe that Kentucky must provide families with the right tools so every child in every community arrives at kindergarten ready to grow, ready to learn and ready to succeed.

Daily Routines for Science Activities