Dear Early Learning Families,

I hope this message finds you well. I want to assure you that we continue to work diligently behind the scenes, gathering information and brainstorming solutions to the position we find ourselves in as a result of COVID-19.

Our teaching teams have been conferencing and will be reaching out to you to share their basic daily schedules and ideas for supporting growth and development at home. If there is anything else we can do to provide a sense of continuity between home and school, please let us know.

If you are interested in maintaining a similar daily schedule, or even if you decide to create your own, the most important thing to keep in mind is ROUTINE. When children cannot tell time, they rely on consistency and predictability to help them understand their day. The start and end time of each activity can vary and is very much dependent on attention spans and interest levels. In our world, if the play is productive, we may decide to extend an activity in the moment. The opposite is true as well. Even the best laid plans need to be adjusted as we respond to our students' needs. A consistent and predictable routine helps children understand what to expect as well as what is expected of them. For example, as long as outside play follows story time and lunch follows outside play, the exact time of each activity can be flexible. When planning our schedules, we look to balance active play with quieter activities, teacher-guided play with child-initiated play, and large group activities with smaller, more intimate groupings. Keep in mind that the best way to help kids settle their body and brain so that they can sit for more structured parts of the day or for quieter activities is to allow them time to be active first.

You might also think about implementing a visual schedule. This is a series of pictures representing each part of the day...story time, meals/snacks, outside play, etc. This allows your child to check the schedule on her own and re-affirm what comes next. Remember, regardless of the topic at hand, kids need plenty of time to process and internalize new information. In doing so, they will often ask and check in to make sure nothing has changed. The visual schedule will provide valuable information as well as promote a sense of independence and agency. I recommend you display 3 to 5 pictures at a time (depending on your child's age) from left to right, as if writing a sentence. Perhaps you highlight your morning routine up until nap time, and then change pictures over for the afternoon. You can also use "first this, then that" language when helping your kids move through the day. "First we will read this story, then we will have lunch." For our younger students we might even say "first story, then lunch."

Attached you will find two specific resources. Below this letter is a list of free educational websites for you to explore and attached HERE is an article that provides a wealth of information for supporting our kids and ourselves while we are home.

I recognize how stressful this time is for all of you and appreciate your patience as we navigate this ever-evolving situation. I look forward to reaching back out to you as I have additional information to share.

Warm regards,

Robyn Santagata

Director of Early Learning