by Angie Williams I grew up watching Mister Rogers. Perhaps some of you did, too. But I have not reflected on the lessons of his television show until recently. Ahead of the movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, there have been several excellent profiles about the...
by Angie Williams Last month I had the opportunity to attend a community meeting at which two high school students provided opening statements. I was impressed by their confidence in front of a large group of adults as well as the articulate ways they expressed themselves....
DeeAnn Besch, VP of Operations Alli Zomer, Director of Operations For several decades, Especially for Children has used The Creative Curriculum® as the foundation of our early childhood programs. The Creative Curriculum® is a play-based learning curriculum that focuses on interest areas and fosters creativity in both...
Angie Williams, Director of Marketing and Finance As I approach a milestone birthday this fall, I have a greater awareness of the changes that come with the middle-age stage of life. Recovering from long runs takes more time than it did a decade ago, and there...
Alli Zomer, Director of Operations In the world of early childhood, one gets used to clever wordplay when it comes to books and resources: The ABC’s of Love, Eye See You, or 1-2-3 Magic. But when I recently picked up the book The First R: How...
My late uncle loved to tinker. At his beloved cabin you would most often find him in the garage amongst his tools, trying to figure out (often with success) how to repair any number of broken items: lawn chairs, doorknobs, kitchen utensils, and more. While...
“A person who grows up getting too frequent rewards will not have persistence, because they’ll quit when the rewards disappear.” Dr. Robert Cloninger, Center for Well-Being --- Happily, it is now the season for pulling out bikes and scooters; heading to the park, field, or playground to play;...
Last week as my husband and I were preparing dinner, our 6-year-old brought me her latest artistic creation. It was a baby momento that she had discovered in the scrapbook paper box and colored on. I was upset and disappointed, and my response to her...
Sundays are cooking days at our house. My husband loves to use the weekend as an excuse to simmer, roast or slow cook. With weeknight mealtimes often feeling a bit chaotic (serious understatement), we both relish the opportunity to slow down a bit. And mostly...
A recent article from Community Playthings entitled, “In Defense of Active Learning” describes how physical movement supports learning in all areas of development. Children are better able to understand new vocabulary words that they can act out through movement. They learn scientific and mathematical concepts...
Our 2018 Photo Album highlights some of the many wonderful moments that took place at Especially for Children this year! It is amazing to stop and think about how much your child has changed and grown in just one year. We are thankful that you...
We feel privileged when EFC families take the time to share their family and cultural traditions. It is a wonderful experience for both the children and the teaching staff, and we all benefit by learning from one another! If you have a family or cultural...
Many people say that they can feel what a program is like on their first visit. But for others it is a difficult thing to know exactly what their child will experience in a center by simply taking a tour and meeting with the director....
We were interested in this Community Playthings article, Giving Children a Natural Start, which discusses the reasons for and methods of giving children an environmental education. The concept of literacy (what you know, how you feel, and what skills you have) in the context of...
