Any preschool/toddler  teachers here?
543732
I LOVE my job. It did take a couple of years to get the hang of classroom management. \n\nWhen I first started teacher preschool (12 years ago), I made $7 per hour. A lot of schools pay you depending on your education or how many child development units you have. If you have 6-12 units, $10 is not too bad. \n\nI now have my Masters in Education (60+ units in child development) and make $20 and hour. This is considered good pay in my area (California). Most schools here pay about $12 per hour. The teacher turnover rate is pretty high partially because of this. If you are educated, go for as much as you can get. Enjoy!
693906
Why not take advantage of the fact that they are young enough to reprogram them out of the typical "one size fits all cookie cutter" approach to learning? Have you looked into other methods along the home-schooling spectrum? I would pick up a few good books about home schooling elementary aged children and start getting creative instead of relying solely (if at all) on a packaged curriculum.
724465
Interesting article on the effects of daycare and Preschool\n\nhttp://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051101/news_1n1earlyed.html
518445
Repetition is the key to learning at that age, which is why adults lose patience, so my first tip is to sing songs together (helps them with memory) and to develop and establish routines.  Talk about what you're doing and why you're doing it (first we do this, then we do this, then after that, we can go to the store).  \n\nI'm not sure where you are, but if you have access to Noggin, the "preschool television channel," insist on him watching only that if he must watch any television at all.  This will help you out by limiting his access to television and help you to learn for yourself what kinds of things children his age are interested in, yet are good for learning.  Visit their website for some help, too, to get started.  Pay attention to some of the games they play (matching colors and shapes, patterns, etc.).  \n\nReading stories together is a definite plus, and this summer, visit your library and take part in whatever reading program (if any) is going on.  The one here allows children as young as three to join, even if they are not yet reading, and they win prizes for participation.  Even without such prizes, the library can be a fun place for kids.  Make sure to check out a book or two of your own, so he can see that mom also likes to read and those librarians obviously like reading, and they're pretty nice people.  \n\nAnother thing to do is to have him help with chores such as grocery shopping.  Talk to him about how much to get (that's math!) and how to pay (counting money is also math).  When you cook, have him help measure and help fold laundry (that's geometry).  \n\nIf you have any sort of "lessons" for kids his age (here there are a lot of parent-and-child together things like tumbling, dance, swimming lessons, and so on), he can practice following directions in a supportive atmosphere with his mom.\n\nAs you can see, you'd be surprised how much is already around you to do that will help him be ready for pre-school.  The main thing is to talk more, break things you're already doing into steps, and set up and establish a routine.  For pre-school, the main thing your teacher will need is the ability to sit quietly (sometimes) and follow directions.  Good luck!
636693
yo if i were still in preschool and had the same teachers i had they would probaly love some chocolate to relax after a long day of working with little kids and also take them out for a evening of food, shopping and spas and all that other girl stuff that females love doing.  OR you don't even have to take them out you can give them a gift card or something to get all the things listed above done by themselves or if you wanna go to the extreme offer to sub for them and then let them take a day off. and oh give them a childrens book and tell your children  to let them know (the teachers)  what they have learned from them.
1045858
I am currently a senior early childhood major in college.  In my four years of being an early childhood major, I have learned the basics about education, (including theorists and the history of the education system in the United States).  My very first college class in early chilldhood education was entitled the Foundations of Education.  From there, I took an Intro to Early Childhood Class.  This class introduced me to the developmental stages of children in the early childhood levels.  We also covered basic terminology that everyday early childhood teachers would use.  At my school, we are fortunate enough to take a course on Intro to Inclusive Early Childhood.  This course gave me a variety of information on students who will/might have diabilities as well as how to fill out an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for students.\nMy junior and senior years of college have included courses on how to teach specific subjects, i.e., Teaching mathematics to early childhood students.  In this methods classes, we learn how to teach specifics areas as well as participate in activities and use manipulatives.  During all of my early childhood courses, I have the opportunity to gain field experience by observing, teaching, and working in early childhood classrooms.\n\nI hope this makes sense.  Early Childhood Education is a wonderful major to go into.  I have enjoyed my time and am eager to get into the classroom!  Good luck!
35999
Child care, for one, whether you are in a single parent household (getting good day care) or a two-parent family--does one parent stay home or do both parents work?\n\nI think that discipline and behavioral expectations are an issue. It seems that many parents are ambivalent about discipline, and they tend to let their kids do whatever they want and cater entirely to their needs.\n\nFinding a good preschool program is an issue. You want a high quality program that helps kids learn to interact socially with others. Not so easy to find.\n\nFinding a good balance between expecting kids to play with one another and having kids read and such, compared to the use of technology (gameboy, nintendo, TV, and computer).
943889
I home school my kids and have had wonderful results with a book called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" by Siegfried Engelmann.  I know several 3 and 4 yr olds who have learned with this program.  You can take it at your own pace and you see results very early in the program.  There are also some wonderful curriculum out there for preschool, some have been mentioned already:\n\nhttp://www.mfwbooks.com/\nhttp://www.sonlight.com/\nhttp://www.bright-beginnings.net/\nhttp://www.caitscurriculum.com/\n\nHere are some great links to websites dedicated to early childhood learning.  I use them often for great ideas for learning and fun!:\n\nhttp://www.handsofachild.com/2/\nhttp://www.preschoolrainbow.org/index.htm\nhttp://www.muddlepuddle.co.uk/index.htm\nhttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html\n\nI hope that helps, if you are planning on home schooling after preschool I would recommend finding a home school support group in your area and get plugged in with other families who homeschool.  \n\nBlessings.
511540
Look in your local directory and call around. It will take you time but it will be time well spent since it will be a big part of your child's life. You don't want to leave your loved ones in unfit care. Once you have found a couple that sound good, make an appointment to go and check out the best ones. Here are some good things to look for when you visit:\n* Look at the building. Is it clean and safe? Are there heaps of resources/toys for the children to play with?\n* What is the play area outside like? Is there room for the kids to run? Is the equipment safe and well maintained?\n* Are the staff friendly and happy?\n* Do the kids currently at the centre appear happy? Are they playing well or running around causing havoc?\n* Do the teachers plan for each child individually? Do they write down observations of what the child is doing and plan activities based on the children's interests and needs?\n* Have a look at the major policies, including child protection, behaviour management, and food preparation/diets (if food provided by centre).\n\nI hope this helps!
365588
I don't teach the small kids, but I think that there are some things that all teachers need to do before the kids come in:\n\n1.  Make sure your room is set up with the appropriate materials, posters, decorations....  Every grade requires that certain things are posted.  You may have to have a calendar posted with the days of the week spelled out and the seasons posted on it for little ones.  You may need the basic colors posted, the alphabet....\n\n2.  Make sure that you have a week and a half worth of lessons planned.  Teachers have to overplan at all times.\n\n3.  Call the parents to introduce yourself.\n\n4.  Prepare a letter to the parents.\n\n5.  Prepare a syllabus and rule list for your parents to read and sign.\n\nI hope this helps a bit!
963959
www.starfall.com\nIf you're looking for something different try this site. My 2.5 yr old son really likes it.  It has preschool through elementary school activities that are totally free. This site provides printable activities to match the online activities.\n\nAs listed above, www.playhousedisney.com, and www.nickjr.com are also good sites. There is also quite a bit on www.pbskids.org.  Another one to keep in mind (for a later date)would be www.handwritingforkids.com\n\nAlso if you don't already have it, buy your child some Fridge Phonics by LeapFrog. You can usually find it under $20. Your child will really enjoy it.
1031037
I had huge success when I was teaching lessons by contacting the Daycares/preschools.  I took 6 keyboards to the daycare put a out a flyer to the parents and in 2 mo. with 3 daycares had over 30 students from the daycares alone this in conjunction with the piano store I was teaching at put me close to 60 students.  I will warn you that setting up your own group studios is A LOT of work though.  Be careful not to grow the studio too fast though i was quickly burned out and cancled many of the classes.
493496
I teach Kindergarten in Ga. and we had our pre-registration weeks ago.  Call you neighborhood school and ask them when they would like you to come in to register your son.
421826
Try http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-rhymes.htm
423673
I couldn't find much on private preschools in your area. The links are below. However, I would really recommend you look at the public school preschool programming for special needs.\nLook at this site: http://sped.ocde.us/CC_ap.asp?menu=cc \n\nFirst of all, I would NOT recommend Head/Early Start for a preschooler with special needs. The teachers are NOT specifically trained for special needs, and those preschools focus heavily on socialization and a pre-packaged curriculum and instruction for the "regular" kids. They focus more on social/income disadvantages rather than physiological. While certainly you want your son to build the skills to function comfortably in the regular ed environment, throwing him in the deep end at the age of 3 or 4 will most likely end up in him drowning.\n\nYou SHOULD let you public school district know about your son (if you haven't already)... and enroll him there. Those teachers ARE trained to help your son. Plus, he will have immediate access to therapies he would not necessarily get in a private preschool, such as Occupational Therapy (especially for Sensory Integration), Speech-Language, etc. Just be sure that when you all sit down to write the IFSP (the individual plan used to help your son), you insist that his teacher(s) have prior background and training to work with autistics, and in-service training to ensure the program is current and up-to-date. It looks from your district's webiste that they do. Once you have an IFSP (when your child turns 5, it becomes an IEP) that outlines programming, goals, therapies, and teacher training specific to your child's needs, hold your district to it closely. If you have a reputation with the administrators in your school district as being someone who knows her child's rights, are vocal about them, and are willing to put the time and energy into making their lives miserable until they abide by them.... then they will provide correct support to the teachers so that they can do their jobs effectively. \n\nGetting him into the public schools' special needs Preschools program also acts as a "heads-up" to your local elementary school, so that they can already start looking for the staff (if not already there) and/or provide in-service training for existing staff, to prepare for a child with autistic-type needs on-campus. The school social worker will also help you link up with available community supports quickly (for instance, you'd be asking the SW a question like this, rather than a bunch of strangers on the internet...lol).\n\nIf you want a program run privately, here are a couple of  possibles... but I don't know their real level of quality in their programming. I would recommend touring facilities, interviewing staff, observing programming in progress, etc. Also, if you can manage it, talk to parents who had their kids in the program you are interested in, a few years ago (not currently). Now that their child is older, do they feel the program was of benefit?\n\nhttp://www.pyramidautismcenter.com/\n\nhttp://www.theracare.com/services.asp\n\n\nHere's your public school link about their services:\nhttp://sped.ocde.us/CC_ap.asp?menu=cc\n\nAnd here's one example of inclusive, supported programming they provide:\nhttp://sped.ocde.us/SS_rsc.asp?menu=ocde_ss ... look at Reilly
513936
I am a Preschool teacher so I can give you some tips of what to look for when searching for a good preschool. I would suggest looking in your local directory for all the preschools in your area. Call them up and ask them about fees and availability of places. Pick the ones that suit your budget best and organise to go and visit each of them. Call and make an appointment so that someone will be available to show you around. Here are some specific things to look for:\n* Look at the building. Is it clean and safe? Are there heaps of resources/toys for the children to play with?\n* What is the play area outside like? Is there room for the kids to run? Is the equipment safe and well maintained?\n* Are the staff friendly and happy?\n* Do the kids currently at the centre appear happy? Are they playing well or running around causing havoc?\n* Do the teachers plan for each child individually? Do they write down observations of what the child is doing and plan activities based on the children's interests and needs?\n* Have a look at the major policies, including child protection, behaviour management, and food preparation/diets (if food provided by centre).\n* What is your gut feeling telling you? If you are not confident, it will be harder for you to trust them with your child!!\n\nI hope this helps!
824104
http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/\nhttp://www.abcteach.com/\nhttp://www.atozteacherstuff.com/\nhttp://www.busyteacherscafe.com/worksheets.htm\nhttp://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-rhymes.htm\nhttp://www.everythingpreschool.com/\nhttp://www.preschoolexpress.com/music_station.shtml\nhttp://www.perpetualpreschool.com/preschoolsongs.html\nhttp://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/1374.asp\nhttp://www.shirleys-preschool-activities.com/rhymes.html\nhttp://www.boowakwala.com/preschool/preschool-songs.html\nhttp://members.aol.com/JEANIEB506/Preschool.html