August — the “Dog Days” of summer; the last weeks of vacations, melting popsicles and hot, lazy days. Most educators, though, including early childhood professionals, are already turning their attentions toward the arrival of new children in their classrooms or programs in the near future. The wisest ECE professionals know that the more energy you put toward preparing for children’s needs (before the start of a new school year or even before the start of each new day), the more likely it will be that, once the children are there, behavior problems will decrease and learning will increase. With that wisdom in mind, here are some ideas you can work on now that will help young children feel welcome at the start of your time together.

The Council for Professional Recognition is excited to announce the revised 2nd edition of the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential for Home Visitors, to be released this Fall 2011 in both English and Spanish.  

All major longitudinal studies have shown that parent/home visitor involvement is a critical component of young children’s school readiness and lifelong success. Since 1981, the Council is proud to have credentialed thousands of Home Visitors, who work as parent educators, family development specialists, and parent consultants.