October Newsletter

Educator Spotlight

Whitney Wilcox
Crossett Prek
Paraprofessional

How many years have you worked with children?

I am starting my 5th year.

What brought you to work with children? Have you always wanted to or did it just happen?
I would say it just kind of happened. I’ve always loved children, but it was never a lifetime dream to work in preschool. I was a stay-at-home mom for 10 years. I remember taking my children to preschool and thinking this would be an awesome job. When their classes would go on field trips, I would always go with them. I would say this is what I want to do. I had always planned to go back to work when my youngest child started kindergarten. I prayed about what kind of job would be best for our family. The summer before he started kindergarten I received a phone call saying there was a paraprofessional position opening at the preschool my children went to. I felt it was truly a God thing. So I took all the steps to apply for the job. I got an interview and later that day I received a phone call offering me the job.

What are some of your hobbies?

Some of my hobbies are deer hunting and camping. I love being outdoors and spending time with my husband and kids.

What is your most treasured accomplishment?

My most treasured accomplishment would probably have to be building our forever home. My husband and I decided we wanted to live out in the country so we put our house up for sale and started looking for land. Within 4 months we found the perfect place for us and our house was sold. We knew then this it was meant to be!

What is your favorite thing about working with children?

I’m not sure this is just one thing. Watching them grow and learn. The conversations, the hugs, and I love you’s are probably at the top of my list.

What has been the most significant or memorable moment in your job?

I would have to say the most memorable moment in my job was when a 5-year-old gave me a piece of candy. I know that sounds crazy. This particular year I was the preschool floater for all the classes. So I was blessed to get to know all the children. There was this one little girl that I just absolutely loved but the feelings just weren’t mutual. I remember telling her teacher, “by the end of the year we will be friends.” I worked so hard to connect with this child, but she was so reluctant. Towards the end of the year, I was in a different classroom and the little girl and her teacher walked in the room. The teacher said Mrs. Whitney she wants to see you. So I walked over to the little girl and she handed me a piece of candy. It was an orange now and later. Four years later I still have that piece of candy. I keep it in my jewelry box.

If you are an educator and want to share your story, contact Deborah at deborah@curricualconccepts.com!

Wellness Corner

The National Institute of Health states that how you feel can affect your ability to carry out everyday activities, your relationships, and your overall mental health. How you react to your experiences and feelings can change over time. Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times.

NIH Wellness has an Emotional Wellness Toolkit that highlights evidence-based tips for living well and improving your health. Click the link below to learn more.

Emotional Wellness Toolkit

New Early Math Program in development from ZERO TO THREE
Pilot Program Needed!

Zero to Three was recently funded by the American Honda Foundation to develop an early math program, Problem Solvers, suitable for young children aged 2.5 to 4 years. There will be 22 units in the program, and each unit will focus on a set of 2-4 related math skills. Zero to Three is seeking early childhood education programs to pilot this program at their sites – They are able to offer pilot sites a $3500 stipend as a “thank you” for piloting.

If you are interested in becoming a pilot program for Problem Solvers, please contact Jamie Ward at jamie@curriculaconcepts.com for more information!

Arkansas Association for Infant Mental Health Presents:

AAIMH Monthly Webinar Meeting

Thursday, October 28th, 2021

12:00-1:00 pm

Understanding Relationships and their Importance to
Early Childhood Development

Webinar Description:

Within this presentation, we will discuss how children develop within the context of their primary relationships and the way in which our formative relationships contribute to the development of resiliency and vulnerability. By enriching a child’s relational opportunities, we can shift the trajectory of a their development toward a life of physical and mental health. Together, we will consider the lifelong impact of early exposure to toxic stress and trauma, gain a deeper understanding of the immense protective value of attuned, supportive relationships, and identify practical ways to apply cutting-edge research from the fields of psychology and neuroscience to your daily work with young children and their families.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants will:

Gain knowledge in the relational foundation of the mental health of young children
Be able to describe the impact of exposure to trauma in early childhood via current research on brain development, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study, etc.
Increase ability to hone in on the underlying relational, emotional, and developmental needs that contribute to behavioral challenges
Be better able to advocate for mental health needs of young children in the child welfare system

Presenter:

Dr. Mike Sherman

Mike Sherman, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and NAPA/UC Davis Infant-Parent Mental Health fellow, Dr. Mike Sherman has expert training and experience in the field of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. For more than 15 years, he has worked at the nexus of community mental health and child welfare programs, including direct service provision, supervision, training, consulting, program development, and administration. Dr. Sherman’s training, clinical practice, and administrative experience have given him a deep understanding of the needs and barriers in our systems of care. Dr. Sherman is the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Clinical Manager within the Zero to Three Safe Baby Court program. His goal is to broaden the capacity of providers, programs, and systems to foster children’s social, emotional, and behavioral health and development.

Curricula Concepts Inc. is offering trainings online via Zoom for families and educators.

Go to our TRAINING CALENDAR to sign up!

Pre-registration is required. If the participant must cancel for any reason, please let us know as soon as possible. Spots are limited and there may be a waiting list.

Training is provided at no cost to the participants and PDR credit is available.
Information to consider:

Credit for the training cannot be guaranteed for late arrivals or for participants who leave early.
This is an online training and the expectation is that participants will have the capability to interact and participate using video as well as audio.

Have questions or problems with registering for trainings?
Please contact Deborah at deborah@curriculaconcepts.com!