Come "play" Parent participation has always been a big part of PIC. There are always jobs offered around the center, on the Board and its working committees, and in classrooms. In the Sunshine room, we love when parents come and participate in our classroom. We always have parents with awesome jobs...

Literacy means love For many, the term early literacy calls to mind learning one’s letters and deciphering printed words. While those skills are certainly an important part of literacy, there is much more to it than being able to tell a Q from an O. Literacy encompasses four parts; listening...

written by Rainbows Lead Teacher Joanne Browley Loose Parts, Provocations, Oh My! Completing a Reggio-inspired training recently has peeked my curiosity and professional hunger for something new and exciting. The training was called Loose Parts, Provocations, Oh My! and it triggered my own early...

Self-help in the Sunshines As a healthy part of normal child development, children have a drive to be independent and do things on their own. In the Sunshines classroom we encourage self-help skills by allowing and encouraging the children to take responsibility whenever possible. Some people may...

Playing in modern times Keys, phone, and a wallet full of cards…these are the ubiquitous tools of modern times. The Moonbeams are aware of their importance in the lives of adults, and that awareness has trickled into their play. The teachers have amassed a collection of expired bus passes, zero...

Every semester there are more PIC teachers who are earning their degrees, giving us much cause to celebrate! Help us congratulate: Starfish Lead Teacher Lily Cavanagh who earned her Master's Degree in Education from Bank Street College. Fireflies Classroom Assistant Latosha Green who earned her...

More Than Just Play Play-dough is a staple around PIC, but parents may not realize just how valuable a learning tool it can be, hitting just about every developmental area. The magic often begins first thing in the morning, when a teacher and the earliest arriving children take a few simple...

Senses and Sensibility We know that our children learn about the world through their senses. The Rainbow teachers were excited to study the five senses as a way to build upon what our toddlers had already discovered in their young lives. We also planned to explore literacy and numeracy through books...

Does putting your child down for a nap or to bed at night seem a little challenging? Are some days more challenging than others? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything? Few families get through the early years without sleep struggles. Surely, there are no one-size-fits-all or easy answers for...

written by Lead Teacher Demita Hill What is Pre-literacy? I am taking a literacy course at Penn and recently read an interesting article about pre-literacy skills for infants and toddlers. It took me back to my childhood when my mom used to read to me. Parents and caregivers lay the foundation for...