One of the biggest sources of anxiety in parents of young children is preparing for kindergarten. It’s a time when you say goodbye to the familiar and dive into the somewhat unknown. In the eyes of adults, there seem to be more questions than answers. Will they be able to sit still? Will they make...
All PIC families are invited to join us at Smith Memorial Playground in Fairmount Park on Thursday, May 28 from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm. PIC will provide sandwiches and drinks and we ask families to bring side dishes and desserts (and earn a PPP hour for your effort.) The playground is reserved that...
Several PIC folks spent a recent lovely evening at the Please Touch Museum to be part of the Terri Lynne Lokoff Foundation’s annual National Teacher Awards ceremony. Grasshopper Room teacher Nichole McLeer was among fifty teachers from across the country whose application was chosen from the...
The Importance of Critical Thinking While on the playground on a recent picture-perfect spring afternoon, I observed a group of four and five-year-olds gathered around one of the tall trees. Apparently a stuffed animal cat had been thrown in the air and was stuck on a limb of the tree. The children...
As we just completed our every-five-year NAEYC reaccreditation validation visit, it seems like an appropriate time to share a bit of information about the organizations that provide oversight of PIC and how that oversight affects our daily work at PIC. All child care programs in the state need to be...
We are in the process of looking at the results of our annual PIC Early Learning Family Feedback Survey that had a completion deadline last week. A separate survey is being sent to families in the After School Center and we will look at those results when that survey is completed. We are happy to...
Our plant sale days were beautiful and brought out families, community members and alumni to St. Andrews Chapel. This year’s Plant Sale raised $32,000! All of the proceeds of the fundraiser go to the tuition assistance fund. The fund has been helping more families have access to quality early...
Child assessments are an integral part of your child’s education here at the PIC. And they are a helpful tool in showing social, emotional, cognitive and physical growth. In the early learning program, staff complete three assessments per year using Teaching Strategies Gold, the assessment tool...
Roadrunners Gain Independence by Christel Ürményházi In the area of self-care, Roadrunner teachers foster children's growing independence by meeting them at their current stage of development and then offering them opportunities to challenge themselves as they gain mastery and confidence. An example...
What is it about Sensory Play? by Laura Graham One of the most engaging activities for the Caterpillar children is playing with sensory materials. Whether it is water, sand, soil, or play dough, we see the materials inspire joyful and focused exploration that the children return to again and again...
